New Member Contacts

Quick Summary: New Member Contacts is a task-based system for making sure every new person who joins your database receives personal follow-up. Contact tasks appear prominently on the dashboard, can be assigned to specific staff or volunteers, and are marked complete once the outreach has been made. This feature works alongside Visitor Tracking and Pipelines to form a complete assimilation workflow.

Overview

When someone is added to your church database -- whether through event check-in, manual entry, or data import -- they may need personal outreach from your team. New Member Contacts provides a structured way to create, assign, and track these follow-up tasks. Each task is linked to a specific person and assigned to a staff member or volunteer who is responsible for making the contact.

The New Member Contacts widget is displayed on the main dashboard, giving it high visibility. Staff see their assigned contact tasks as soon as they log in, along with the new member's name and how long ago they were added. Tasks can be marked as complete directly from the dashboard or from the full contact list view. This ensures that follow-up is systematic rather than ad hoc.

Key Features

Dashboard Widget -- the New Member Contacts section appears prominently on the main dashboard. It lists pending contact tasks so staff can see at a glance who needs outreach and who is responsible.
Task Assignment -- each contact task is assigned to a specific person on your team. This creates clear accountability -- there is always a named individual responsible for reaching out to each new member.
Linked Person Records -- every contact task is tied to the new member's person record. Clicking the person's name in a task opens their profile, where the assignee can review notes, contact information, and attendance history before reaching out.
Completion Tracking -- when a contact has been made, the assignee marks the task as complete. Completed tasks are moved out of the active list and into a historical log so you can review past follow-up activity.
Due Date Awareness -- tasks display how many days have passed since the person was added to the database. Tasks that have been open for an extended period are visually highlighted so they do not go unnoticed.
Notes on Contact -- when completing a task, the assignee can add a note describing the contact: what was discussed, whether the person had questions, and any follow-up items. This note is attached to the person's profile.

Getting Started

Access the contact list -- from the dashboard, locate the New Member Contacts widget. It shows pending tasks assigned to you. To see all tasks across the team, navigate to the full New Member Contacts view.
Create a contact task -- when a new person is added to the database, create a contact task by clicking the "+ New Contact Task" button. Select the new member, assign a team member, and optionally set a note about the context (e.g., "First-time visitor on Sunday morning").
Make the contact -- the assigned person reviews the new member's profile for context, then reaches out by phone, email, text, or in person.
Mark complete -- after the outreach is made, mark the task as complete. Add a note summarizing what was discussed and any next steps.
Review regularly -- during weekly staff meetings, review the New Member Contacts list. Identify any overdue tasks and reassign them if the original assignee is unavailable.

Best Practices

Create tasks the same day -- when a visitor is added to the database, create the contact task immediately. Delaying task creation increases the risk that the follow-up is forgotten entirely.
Assign to people who were present -- if possible, assign the contact task to someone who interacted with the visitor during their visit. A familiar voice or face makes the follow-up more personal.
Add notes before and after contact -- before reaching out, review existing notes on the person's profile. After making contact, add a completion note so other staff have context for future interactions.
Set a team standard for response time -- agree as a team on a target (e.g., contact within 48 hours). Use the age indicator on tasks to spot any that have exceeded this window.
Connect tasks to pipelines -- after completing the initial contact task, add the person to a follow-up pipeline for continued tracking. The contact task handles the first touch; the pipeline handles the ongoing journey.

Common Questions

Do contact tasks get created automatically when a new person is added?

Contact tasks are not created automatically by default. A staff member creates them manually so they can assign the appropriate person and add context. This ensures tasks are intentional and assigned to someone who can act on them.

Can I reassign a contact task to someone else?

Yes. Open the contact task and change the assignee. This is useful when the originally assigned person is unavailable or when a different team member has a better connection with the new member.

What happens after a task is marked complete?

Completed tasks are removed from the active dashboard widget and moved to a historical log. The completion note is attached to the person's profile under their Notes tab. The person remains in the database and can be added to pipelines or groups for continued engagement.

How does this differ from Pipelines?

New Member Contacts is a single-step task system focused on the first point of contact. It answers the question "Has someone reached out to this new person?" Pipelines are multi-step workflows for longer processes like assimilation or volunteer onboarding. The two features complement each other: use a contact task for the initial outreach, then add the person to a pipeline for ongoing tracking.