At the top right of the screen, tap on your name and tap Settings in the menu. Then, on the settings page, tap Portal.
The portal provides an easy way to give members of your church a way to register for events and small groups and to fill in forms. They can also give online, purchase resources, update their contact details, and browse the church directory, all from the online portal. If the portal is not enabled, then the portal can’t be accessed by people without UCare access.
The first thing to do is to set up your church name and the portal header; you can enter your church name or a logo here. You can also include an optional welcome message explaining to portal visitors what it is and how they can best use it.
Tip: The welcome page displays an “update your details” form. If people enter their email address, which is listed in UCare, they will receive an email with a link to a secure form where they can update their details (or the details of other members of their household).
UCare contains options to embed most of these portal options into your main church website, but this has a few issues for some churches. First, you need someone who can modify your existing website to add the integration points. Second, many options send sensitive personal or credit card payments online. As such, your website should be running on HTTPS to keep this data secure. If these issues seem too much for your skills, or you just want to set up the online experience as quickly as possible, then the portal is for you. You can enable as much or as little of the portal as you need, and adding the next option is as simple as flicking a switch and clicking save.
Note: After you make changes, it can take up to 60 seconds for the change to appear.
Show events
Enabling this option will show a list of published events. If you have a payment provider configured and have set up event ticket types, people can book and pay for tickets and have them delivered directly to their inbox.
Show stores
Enabling this option will show a list of published stores. Selecting one of the stores will show all the products in that store and allow the visitor to make any purchases they want.
Show groups
Enabling this option will show a list of published groups. People can view all the details about each group, select a group that interests them, and send a message directly to the group leader without risking the security of the group leader or their contact information.
Group terms
You can include a message here, a set of terms and conditions, so to speak, that people must agree to before they can ask to join a group.
Show people directory
Enabling this option will allow church members to access a directory of contact information for other members of your church. The Show Photos option controls if people’s photos are displayed in the directory, and the “Directory group” option specifies a group of people to display in the portal directory. People must be members of the “Access Group” to access the directory.
Show forms
Enabling this option will show a list of published forms. People can fill out a form, and the response will be saved in UCare. If the person entered their name, email, or phone number that matched an existing person in UCare, the form response will be linked to their profile. If not, a new profile will be added to UCare.
Show giving
Enabling this option will display a form where people can make donations. Once their payment method has been successfully charged, they will be sent a receipt for their donation. The Giving Message option allows you to add a custom message to people who are giving. This can be helpful in providing needed instruction about online giving or so that you can also provide bank account details in case the person does not feel comfortable giving online.
Churches may have added more than one Payment Service, each with their own Funds. The Payment Service and Payment Options all you to select which funds you want people to be able to donate too.
Advanced
Custom CSS URL
While the design of the portal is consistent with the rest of UCare, this may look out of place compared to your website. If so, a custom CSS file can be specified to alter the design of the form, though you will need the help of someone with CSS skills to customize the design.
Custom scripts
If you’d like to use Google analytics, Facebook pixels, or any other custom scripts on embedded pages, enter the code here. Contact support if you want more information or assistance with adding your scripts.