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Adding People to Your Organization

Before you can schedule services, you need to add people to your organization. ChurchBuddy offers two ways to add people: bulk import via Excel file or manual entry one at a time.

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Adding People Overview

When you add people to your organization:

• They receive an invitation email to join ChurchBuddy
• They can create an account (if they don’t have one) or log in with their existing account
• They’ll be able to see services they’re scheduled for
• You can assign them to teams and positions
• You can set their permissions and roles

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Method 1: Import via Excel File

Bulk importing is the fastest way to add multiple people at once.

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Step 1: Download the Template

1. Download the Excel import template
2. Open the template in Excel or Google Sheets

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Step 2: Fill in the Template

The template has three columns:

• First Name (required)
• Last Name (required)
• Email (required)

Important guidelines:

• Start at row 2 - Row 1 contains headers, don’t modify it
• All three fields are required for each person
• Enter one person per row
• Make sure email addresses are correct (they’ll receive invitations)
• Don’t leave any required fields blank

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Step 3: Import the File

1. Go to People in your organization
2. Click “Import People” or “Add People”
3. Choose “Import from Excel” or drag and drop your file
4. Select your completed Excel file
5. Click “Import People”

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Step 4: Verify Import

After importing, you should see:

• A confirmation message showing how many people were added
• The new people appearing in your People list
• Any errors or issues with specific rows (if applicable)

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Method 2: Manual Entry

If you only need to add a few people, or prefer to enter them one at a time:

1. Go to People in your organization
2. Click “Add Person” or “Import People” → “Enter Manually”
3. Fill in the required information:
   • First Name (required)
   • Last Name (required)
   • Email (required)
4. Click “Add Row” to add another person
5. Repeat until all people are entered
6. Click “Import People” or “Add People”

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What Happens After Adding People

Once people are added, several things happen automatically:

1. They’re Added to Your Organization - People are immediately added to your organization’s member list with a “pending” status
   • They appear in your People list right away
   • They have a “pending” position until they log in for the first time
   • You can assign them to positions even while they’re pending
2. Account Creation - If they don’t have a ChurchBuddy account, one is created automatically
   • Their account is linked to your organization
   • They can log in immediately using their email address
3. Invitation Email Sent - Each person receives an email invitation that says:

   Hi [First Name], You’ve been invited to join [Your Org Name] on ChurchBuddy! ChurchBuddy is a comprehensive church management platform that helps organize and manage every aspect of ministry. It’s more than just scheduling—it’s a complete platform for church management. With ChurchBuddy, you can:

   • View your schedule and assignments
   • Set your availability to help schedulers plan
   • See announcements and important updates
   • Check in to services and events
   • Manage your profile and preferences
   • And much more!

   To get started, click the link below and enter the Organization ID: [Your Org ID] https://church.worshipbuddy.org/ You can also download the ChurchBuddy mobile app for iOS and Android from our website: https://worshipbuddy.org/schedule-buddy If you don’t already have an account, you’ll be prompted to create one when you log in.

   • The ChurchBuddy Team, on behalf of [Your Org Name]

4. Activation When They Log In - When they log in and access your organization:
   • The “pending” status is automatically removed
   • They become an active member
   • They can see their assignments and set their availability

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Assigning Positions

After adding people, you’ll want to assign them to positions so they can be scheduled:

1. Go to People
2. Click on the person you want to assign
3. In the “Positions” section, you’ll see all available positions from all teams
4. Check the boxes next to positions they can serve in
   • Example: Check “Lead Singer” and “Piano” if they can do both
5. Click “Update Person” to save

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Next Steps

After adding people and assigning positions:

1. Manage People - Update information, set permissions, and manage team memberships
2. Set Permissions - Assign roles like Team Admin or Scheduler
3. Create Services - Start scheduling your teams
4. Add More People - Import additional people anytime

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Best Practices

1. Verify Email Addresses - Double-check emails before importing to ensure invitations are delivered
2. Import in Batches - For large organizations, consider importing in smaller groups (50-100 at a time)
3. Keep Template Updated - Save your import template with your organization’s standard format
4. Assign Positions Promptly - Assign positions soon after adding people so they can be scheduled
5. Communicate Expectations - Let people know they’ll receive an invitation email and should accept it

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Troubleshooting

People not receiving invitation emails:

• Check that email addresses are correct
• Ask them to check spam/junk folders
• Verify the email wasn’t blocked by their email provider
• Note: They’re already added to your organization even if they don’t receive the email - they just need to log in

People showing as “pending”:

• This is normal - they’re already members, just haven’t logged in yet
• The “pending” status is automatically removed when they log in
• You can still assign them to positions and schedule them while pending

Import errors:

• Make sure all required fields (first name, last name, email) are filled in
• Check for duplicate email addresses (each person needs a unique email)
• Verify the Excel file format matches the template
• Try importing a smaller batch to identify problematic rows

Can’t assign positions:

• Make sure you’ve created teams with positions first
• Verify the person has been successfully added to your organization
• Check that you have permission to edit people (Owner or Admin)

Need to add more people later:

• You can import additional people anytime using the same process
• New people will receive invitation emails just like the first batch
• Existing people won’t receive duplicate invitations