In today's information technology world the words fast, convenient, instant, accessibility and connected are important to people. The Active Network's mission is to 'Power the world's activities and connect people with the things they love, want and need to do". As a partner of The Active Network we want to provide your community with tools and technology that make it easy to register online. Please read the article below to see some recent trends on using the internet.
http://investors.fiserv.com/releasedetail.cfm?ReleaseID=396336
Some highlights:
A total of 69.7 million households, representing four out of five households with Internet access, now use online banking services.
"We believe that consumers will continue to conduct more and more of their financial activities online," said Geoff Knapp, vice president, Online Banking & Consumer Insights, Fiserv.
The survey examined the reasons people choose to pay bills online and determined that the leading benefits are:
• Speed - 79 percent of consumers said that they preferred to pay bills online because it was faster than other payment methods.
• Ease of Use - 72 percent of consumers said paying online was easier than paying by check.
• Cost Savings - 71 percent of consumers said they liked saving money on stamps.
• Control - 71 percent of consumers said that paying bills online gave them more control over the timing of their payments.
Friday, May 21, 2010
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Webinar - Tips for avoiding Fraud, Fines and Litagation
http://info.activecommunities.com/forms/webinar-download
Gain access to all archived webinar topics, including:
* Increasing Revenue in a Tight Economy
* Do’s and Don’ts of Software Selection
* Leveraging A Member Management System to Retain Members
* Turning Your Website into Your Strongest Marketing Tool
Friday, April 16, 2010
Strength in Numbers - together we achieve more
Strength in Numbers –
Not all community art schools are created equal, but many of them have similar needs when it comes to administrative processes and the need for efficiency. In 2006, seven large Guild member music schools created a Consortium —these schools included MacPhail Center for Music, Merit School of Music, Levine School of Music, Third Street Music School Settlement, Neighborhood Music School, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and The Cleveland Music School Settlement.. Their common interests and partnership led them to identify a need for a school database management system solution. Together, their collaboration created the sharing of best practices in school administration processes and a vital list of functionality specific to Community Art Schools. Pulling the Consortium’s resources together facilitated the development and creation of a customized software solution that could be used by all Guild schools.
A few members of the Music Consortium commented on how the creation of the partnership allowed them to accomplish their goals:
“Being a part of the Music School Software Consortium was a tremendous benefit to me as the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music determined what our software needs really were. By working collaboratively and learning from other schools about their procedures and policies, we were able to make sound, informed decisions about what the Conservatory’s best business practices should be and how the software could enhance them. We would have never been able to afford to develop such a comprehensive, robust system without pooling our resources with the other member schools. The fact that we worked as a Consortium to develop the software was a powerful message to our funders and was reassuring to our Board of Trustees. Personally, having never embarked on a project like this, I was grateful to have the collective wisdom of my colleagues; while working with a group can be more time consuming, we definitely have a better product because of it.”
Karen Deschere – Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
“By working together, the seven schools of the music consortium have not only pooled our resources to get a better product, but have also created a product that will work for more than just the seven schools. Although we all basically offer the same types of services, those services are offered in different ways with different needs. Those needs pooled together create a more robust and feature-rich application than any of us would have been able to get on our own for the same cost.”
Chris Waterbury – MacPhail Center for Music
“Merit School of Music has felt very fortunate to be surrounded by such a wealth of industry knowledge throughout this entire process. The collaboration among the Guild schools – be it sharing of ideas and solutions to daily business practices or the ability to exercise structure and process concepts while in the development stages of this project - has been priceless. We have certainly reached a new level of admiration of our peer schools!”
Sarah Wright – Director of Student Services – Merit School of Music
“Having been in existence for almost 100 years, and with three very distinct and different departments, (Early Childhood, Department of Music and Music Therapy), The Music Settlement faced considerable challenges in developing changes in our business process to create a more unified image to our faculty, staff, and the public. Our participation in the Music School Consortium, while not always easy (seven schools with different priorities) has provided us with many fresh, exciting ideas on not only how to implement a much needed registration, billing and scheduling element, but also to compare similarities and differences with other music schools. We have found inspiration from the other schools and hope to have a continuing dialog in the future.”
Rachel Bernstein – The Cleveland Music School Settlement
The collaboration of the Music Consortium led to significant solutions for the seven schools and many other Guild Members including:
• Sherwood Community Music School
• New England Conservatory
• Hochstein School of Music and Dance
• Longy School of Music
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
• International School of Music
• Allegro Community School of the Arts
Together we achieve more. Leverage the knowledge and resources of your fellow Community Schools to accomplish vital goals for your community and school.
Jeff McHugh
Not all community art schools are created equal, but many of them have similar needs when it comes to administrative processes and the need for efficiency. In 2006, seven large Guild member music schools created a Consortium —these schools included MacPhail Center for Music, Merit School of Music, Levine School of Music, Third Street Music School Settlement, Neighborhood Music School, Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, and The Cleveland Music School Settlement.. Their common interests and partnership led them to identify a need for a school database management system solution. Together, their collaboration created the sharing of best practices in school administration processes and a vital list of functionality specific to Community Art Schools. Pulling the Consortium’s resources together facilitated the development and creation of a customized software solution that could be used by all Guild schools.
A few members of the Music Consortium commented on how the creation of the partnership allowed them to accomplish their goals:
“Being a part of the Music School Software Consortium was a tremendous benefit to me as the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music determined what our software needs really were. By working collaboratively and learning from other schools about their procedures and policies, we were able to make sound, informed decisions about what the Conservatory’s best business practices should be and how the software could enhance them. We would have never been able to afford to develop such a comprehensive, robust system without pooling our resources with the other member schools. The fact that we worked as a Consortium to develop the software was a powerful message to our funders and was reassuring to our Board of Trustees. Personally, having never embarked on a project like this, I was grateful to have the collective wisdom of my colleagues; while working with a group can be more time consuming, we definitely have a better product because of it.”
Karen Deschere – Wisconsin Conservatory of Music
“By working together, the seven schools of the music consortium have not only pooled our resources to get a better product, but have also created a product that will work for more than just the seven schools. Although we all basically offer the same types of services, those services are offered in different ways with different needs. Those needs pooled together create a more robust and feature-rich application than any of us would have been able to get on our own for the same cost.”
Chris Waterbury – MacPhail Center for Music
“Merit School of Music has felt very fortunate to be surrounded by such a wealth of industry knowledge throughout this entire process. The collaboration among the Guild schools – be it sharing of ideas and solutions to daily business practices or the ability to exercise structure and process concepts while in the development stages of this project - has been priceless. We have certainly reached a new level of admiration of our peer schools!”
Sarah Wright – Director of Student Services – Merit School of Music
“Having been in existence for almost 100 years, and with three very distinct and different departments, (Early Childhood, Department of Music and Music Therapy), The Music Settlement faced considerable challenges in developing changes in our business process to create a more unified image to our faculty, staff, and the public. Our participation in the Music School Consortium, while not always easy (seven schools with different priorities) has provided us with many fresh, exciting ideas on not only how to implement a much needed registration, billing and scheduling element, but also to compare similarities and differences with other music schools. We have found inspiration from the other schools and hope to have a continuing dialog in the future.”
Rachel Bernstein – The Cleveland Music School Settlement
The collaboration of the Music Consortium led to significant solutions for the seven schools and many other Guild Members including:
• Sherwood Community Music School
• New England Conservatory
• Hochstein School of Music and Dance
• Longy School of Music
• Brooklyn Conservatory of Music
• International School of Music
• Allegro Community School of the Arts
Together we achieve more. Leverage the knowledge and resources of your fellow Community Schools to accomplish vital goals for your community and school.
Jeff McHugh
Wednesday, April 7, 2010
Find me on Facebook
Jeff.mchugh@activenetwork.com
This is a great way to stay connected and keep up on current events with you and your organization.
Best,
Jeff
This is a great way to stay connected and keep up on current events with you and your organization.
Best,
Jeff
Social Media - Success Story
Recently I received a note from Ashley Steinmetz of Perfect Wave Marketing about how social media has helped Sol Acting Academy. http://solacting.com/
Ashely shared - "I am pleased to share that in the relatively short time that Sol Acting Academy has been active on social media networks it has seen a wonderful and encouraging amount of participation. Hundreds of individuals look forward to receiving Laura's Weekly Audition tip and Performing Arts related questions across Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and local New Mexico social communities. Our campaign has opened the door for everyone who is interested in acting across the state to be able to locate, interact and be educated by Sol Acting Academy and it's incredible Owner and President, Laura Mathis. Analytics have shown a substantial increase in visits from both new and returning visitors.
I'm sure I am not alone in thinking how great it will be to have online registration and management tools to help Sol Acting Academy as it's student sign ups continue to grow and as it's brand awareness increases. Sol Acting Academy is truly becoming New Mexico's authority on performing arts education and fun."
Ashley can be reached at http://www.perfectwavemarketing.com/
Ashely shared - "I am pleased to share that in the relatively short time that Sol Acting Academy has been active on social media networks it has seen a wonderful and encouraging amount of participation. Hundreds of individuals look forward to receiving Laura's Weekly Audition tip and Performing Arts related questions across Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin and local New Mexico social communities. Our campaign has opened the door for everyone who is interested in acting across the state to be able to locate, interact and be educated by Sol Acting Academy and it's incredible Owner and President, Laura Mathis. Analytics have shown a substantial increase in visits from both new and returning visitors.
I'm sure I am not alone in thinking how great it will be to have online registration and management tools to help Sol Acting Academy as it's student sign ups continue to grow and as it's brand awareness increases. Sol Acting Academy is truly becoming New Mexico's authority on performing arts education and fun."
Ashley can be reached at http://www.perfectwavemarketing.com/
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Twitter Webinar - Increase Awareness and Participation
How to use Twitter to Increase Awareness and Participation
Register now for this popular topic.
http://now.eloqua.com/es.asp?s=1105&e=16685&elq=24485c9f32cc4dc898217eba05d7c0dd
Join ActiveEducate on Thursday, March 18, for a free webinar: How to use Twitter to Increase Awareness and Participation.
In this webinar, presented as part of our Social Media webinar series, Justin Ramers, Director of Social Media at The Active Network, will show how schools like yours can leverage Twitter as another powerful marketing and student communication tool. Register now for this free webinar!
Whether you're thinking of using Twitter as a form of student notification or to drive participation, you will learn tips, tricks and best practices to help you take advantage of this new medium. You will learn how to:
Grow your Twitter followers
--> Distribute content and maximize effectiveness of your Tweets
--> Monitor what people are saying about your school
--> Use 3rd party tools to automate day to day operations
--> Measure success through analytics
Register Now for the Webinar!
Register now for this popular topic.
http://now.eloqua.com/es.asp?s=1105&e=16685&elq=24485c9f32cc4dc898217eba05d7c0dd
Join ActiveEducate on Thursday, March 18, for a free webinar: How to use Twitter to Increase Awareness and Participation.
In this webinar, presented as part of our Social Media webinar series, Justin Ramers, Director of Social Media at The Active Network, will show how schools like yours can leverage Twitter as another powerful marketing and student communication tool. Register now for this free webinar!
Whether you're thinking of using Twitter as a form of student notification or to drive participation, you will learn tips, tricks and best practices to help you take advantage of this new medium. You will learn how to:
Grow your Twitter followers
--> Distribute content and maximize effectiveness of your Tweets
--> Monitor what people are saying about your school
--> Use 3rd party tools to automate day to day operations
--> Measure success through analytics
Register Now for the Webinar!
Thursday, March 4, 2010
Going Green! - Marketing Tactics
Going Green
Becoming eco-friendly is a growing trend in today's society, and more and more organizations are riding its wave into a profitable future. Because you've chosen to utilize online services, you now have a unique opportunity to boost both your organizations image and online participation. To help promote your Green online services check out our Going Green Templates.
Why Go Green?
Gives You a Message and a Reason. As mentioned in the "Steps 4 Success", you need to create an Awareness and Motivation for your online services. If your community thrives on going green, then this is a great message to focus your campaign (e.g. "Save a Tree, Participate Online!", or "Reduce Emissions, Drive Online!")
Saves Money. You can save a lot of money in terms of printing and mailing costs by opting for online solutions instead of in person, fax, or mailing services. Consider placing your catalogue online so that people can view it any place and at any time without a penny spent on paper.
Drives Online Participation. By eliminating print options, and focusing on online catalogues, brochures, and mailings, you give people more reasons to go online. Once they're comfortable viewing your materials online, a conveniently placed link to your website or online services can significantly increase participation. Adobe allows you to convert 5 documents to PDF (viewable online) for FREE! Click here for details.
Targets Your Audience. By hosting online documentation you'll be drawing in those who are comfortable online. By directing them to online documents, you're also directing this ideal net-savvy candidate to online services (your ultimate goal).
Means Controlled Printing. Realistically you'll have to print some materials for those who aren't comfortable with online documents. However, there are still print options that allow you to reduce your impact on the environment, and promote a green image:
- Keep track of how many of documents are used and adjust printing accordingly.
- Design your materials to be self-mailers so you don't have to use envelopes.
- Keep your mailing list clean (don't mail to those you know will just toss it).
- Use recycled paper rather than fresh cut (place a note on the document that the material is printed on recycled paper
to further strengthen your green image).
- Print on as light a weight of paper as possible.
- Try to print on both sides wherever you can.
- Use paper that can be recycled (i.e. no coatings, metallic embossing, or inks containing heavy metals) if you know it
won't be kept for long.
- Contract eco-friendly printers (just Google it to find them).
- Don't get caught up in the volume print discounts.
Becoming eco-friendly is a growing trend in today's society, and more and more organizations are riding its wave into a profitable future. Because you've chosen to utilize online services, you now have a unique opportunity to boost both your organizations image and online participation. To help promote your Green online services check out our Going Green Templates.
Why Go Green?
Gives You a Message and a Reason. As mentioned in the "Steps 4 Success", you need to create an Awareness and Motivation for your online services. If your community thrives on going green, then this is a great message to focus your campaign (e.g. "Save a Tree, Participate Online!", or "Reduce Emissions, Drive Online!")
Saves Money. You can save a lot of money in terms of printing and mailing costs by opting for online solutions instead of in person, fax, or mailing services. Consider placing your catalogue online so that people can view it any place and at any time without a penny spent on paper.
Drives Online Participation. By eliminating print options, and focusing on online catalogues, brochures, and mailings, you give people more reasons to go online. Once they're comfortable viewing your materials online, a conveniently placed link to your website or online services can significantly increase participation. Adobe allows you to convert 5 documents to PDF (viewable online) for FREE! Click here for details.
Targets Your Audience. By hosting online documentation you'll be drawing in those who are comfortable online. By directing them to online documents, you're also directing this ideal net-savvy candidate to online services (your ultimate goal).
Means Controlled Printing. Realistically you'll have to print some materials for those who aren't comfortable with online documents. However, there are still print options that allow you to reduce your impact on the environment, and promote a green image:
- Keep track of how many of documents are used and adjust printing accordingly.
- Design your materials to be self-mailers so you don't have to use envelopes.
- Keep your mailing list clean (don't mail to those you know will just toss it).
- Use recycled paper rather than fresh cut (place a note on the document that the material is printed on recycled paper
to further strengthen your green image).
- Print on as light a weight of paper as possible.
- Try to print on both sides wherever you can.
- Use paper that can be recycled (i.e. no coatings, metallic embossing, or inks containing heavy metals) if you know it
won't be kept for long.
- Contract eco-friendly printers (just Google it to find them).
- Don't get caught up in the volume print discounts.
Email Essentials - Webinar link
Email has become one of the easiest and cheapest ways to reach your community. Are your emails getting read or deleted right away like this one?
Active Educate recently had a Webinar on Email Essentials and how to effectively reach your students and customers. We archive all our webinars so please check out the presentation below. I hope it is helpful and you are able to take away and apply some ideas to your email campaigns.
Topics Include:
· Email Campaign Planning
· Building and Maintaining Your List
· Design and Content Best Practices
· Improving Deliverability
· Email Metrics, Testing and Analysis
Let me know if you have success with any of the tips and I can share them with the community of Active users.
Here is the link to the Webinar along with the slides and some PCI compliance documentation:
Friday, February 12, 2010
Digital Nation - How Connected Are You?
PBS's flagship public affairs TV series Frontline recently aired Digital Nation. This was a follow up to their 2008 special Growing Up Online and it was eye opening to see how connected we are to technology.
Check out this special online and think about how you use technology and how it impacts you good or bad.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=fixed&utm_source=fixed
Exerpt from Digital Nation -
But supporters of teaching with technology say it is vital for educators to keep students engaged by using the tools students have so thoroughly mastered in their everyday lives. "We have to be interactive, because [students] are accustomed to sitting in front of a screen, and they've got five windows up, and they're talking to three people at the same time," says Michael LaSusa, co-principal of New Jersey's Chatham High School. "We have to capture the attention of students. We almost have to be entertainers." In the South Bronx, Digital Nation finds administrators at a local public middle school who credit increased use of technology with helping boost both student attendance and standardized test scores.
Check out this special online and think about how you use technology and how it impacts you good or bad.
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/digitalnation/?utm_campaign=homepage&utm_medium=fixed&utm_source=fixed
Exerpt from Digital Nation -
But supporters of teaching with technology say it is vital for educators to keep students engaged by using the tools students have so thoroughly mastered in their everyday lives. "We have to be interactive, because [students] are accustomed to sitting in front of a screen, and they've got five windows up, and they're talking to three people at the same time," says Michael LaSusa, co-principal of New Jersey's Chatham High School. "We have to capture the attention of students. We almost have to be entertainers." In the South Bronx, Digital Nation finds administrators at a local public middle school who credit increased use of technology with helping boost both student attendance and standardized test scores.
How to Deliver Emails that Get Results - Webinar
Are you sending emails that are not getting looked at? Active Educate can help you increase your email campaign planning that get results.
Join the Webinar -
http://info.activeeducate.com/forms/feb10-emails-essentials-webinar-registration
When:February 24, 2010 Time:10am to 11:00am PST(1pm to 2:00pm EST)
Topics Include:
· Email Campaign Planning
· Building and Maintaining Your List
· Design and Content Best Practices
· Improving Deliverability
· Email Metrics, Testing and Analysis
Join the Webinar -
http://info.activeeducate.com/forms/feb10-emails-essentials-webinar-registration
When:February 24, 2010 Time:10am to 11:00am PST(1pm to 2:00pm EST)
Topics Include:
· Email Campaign Planning
· Building and Maintaining Your List
· Design and Content Best Practices
· Improving Deliverability
· Email Metrics, Testing and Analysis
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Active Customer Portal - All Users
Active Educators –
I hope 2010 is treating you well and participation is on the rise. Please let me know if there is anything you need, I look forward to hearing from you.
Last month The Active Network launched the Active Customer Portal and many of you have been actively using it. There is a lot of information in the Customer Portal and if you have any questions please let me know how I can help. For a quick tutorial check out the welcome video.
Active Customer Portal >> Community Discussion>> Frequently Asked Questions >> Video: Welcome to the Active Customer Portal
Active Customer Portal:
• Visit the eMarketing Center for tips, tools and other resources to help you increase participation
• Check out PRODUCT specific information to help answer any questions
• Submit SERVICE REQUESTS for any issues or immediate needs
• COMMUNITY DISCUSSION - Connect with and share ideas with other great minds in your industry across the entire Active Network!
Here is a link for the Training and Informational video
Please let me know your feedback and if I can help you with maximize participation.
I hope 2010 is treating you well and participation is on the rise. Please let me know if there is anything you need, I look forward to hearing from you.
Last month The Active Network launched the Active Customer Portal and many of you have been actively using it. There is a lot of information in the Customer Portal and if you have any questions please let me know how I can help. For a quick tutorial check out the welcome video.
Active Customer Portal >> Community Discussion>> Frequently Asked Questions >> Video: Welcome to the Active Customer Portal
Active Customer Portal:
• Visit the eMarketing Center for tips, tools and other resources to help you increase participation
• Check out PRODUCT specific information to help answer any questions
• Submit SERVICE REQUESTS for any issues or immediate needs
• COMMUNITY DISCUSSION - Connect with and share ideas with other great minds in your industry across the entire Active Network!
Here is a link for the Training and Informational video
Please let me know your feedback and if I can help you with maximize participation.
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
Facebook Webinar - Active Educate Newsletter
http://www.activeeducate.com/Assets/Emails/2010/01-Edu/Jan10-TheBoard-web.html
Don't miss our next Webinar topic: Facebook Tips and Tools to Increase Participation.
If you run your school like a small business, take a lesson from major brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, and many more, that are taking advantage of Facebook to engage audiences, drive interaction, and increase sales and participation.
Join us on Thursday, January 28, for a free webinar on Facebook Tips and Tools to Increase Participation. In this webinar, Active Network's Director of Social Media, Justin Ramers, will provide an in-depth look at Facebook and show you how to leverage it to create a powerful marketing and student communication tool for your organization.
You will learn:
* How to establish a Facebook Fan Page for your organization
* News Feed and what it means to you
* Tips and tricks to grow your fan base
* Effective messaging for Social Media
* Analytics through Facebook Insights
When: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time
(1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
Cost: Free
Register today, space is limited!
Did you miss a previous webinar? You can view any ActiveEducate webinar on-demand by following these links:
Social Media Tips and Tools to Increase Participation
Fundraising 2.0 - Quick & Easy Ways to Attract Online Donors
Drive New Revenue for Your Schools & Districts with Partnership Marketing
How to Boost School Funds, Fitness and Community Support
Best Practices for Internal Funds
Let me know if you need help signing up.
Jeff McHugh
Don't miss our next Webinar topic: Facebook Tips and Tools to Increase Participation.
If you run your school like a small business, take a lesson from major brands like Coca-Cola, Nike, Starbucks, and many more, that are taking advantage of Facebook to engage audiences, drive interaction, and increase sales and participation.
Join us on Thursday, January 28, for a free webinar on Facebook Tips and Tools to Increase Participation. In this webinar, Active Network's Director of Social Media, Justin Ramers, will provide an in-depth look at Facebook and show you how to leverage it to create a powerful marketing and student communication tool for your organization.
You will learn:
* How to establish a Facebook Fan Page for your organization
* News Feed and what it means to you
* Tips and tricks to grow your fan base
* Effective messaging for Social Media
* Analytics through Facebook Insights
When: Thursday, January 28, 2010
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m. Pacific Time
(1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. Eastern Time)
Cost: Free
Register today, space is limited!
Did you miss a previous webinar? You can view any ActiveEducate webinar on-demand by following these links:
Social Media Tips and Tools to Increase Participation
Fundraising 2.0 - Quick & Easy Ways to Attract Online Donors
Drive New Revenue for Your Schools & Districts with Partnership Marketing
How to Boost School Funds, Fitness and Community Support
Best Practices for Internal Funds
Let me know if you need help signing up.
Jeff McHugh
Monday, January 18, 2010
THRIVA Users - Active Customer Portal Information
Active Network's New Customer Portal has Launched!
http://customerportal.activenetwork.com
Access it anytime! The new portal is completely separate from the Thriva system so you can access it from any web browser. On January 19th we will be adding access from within the system under Help > Support Requests > Submit Requests. Full login details can be found on the right side of this email.
Active Network's New Customer Portal gives you quick and easy access to our user community, support, product information, and the NEW eMarketing Center - all from a single location. Get the most out of your Active Network application by accessing the following Customer Portal areas:
Search the Knowledge Base. Get answers to your product questions by browsing our FAQs.
Access Support Requests. See the status and updates on any requests you have submitted.
Access the new eMarketing Center. Marketing resources to help you increase your online services, including custom templates and marketing tips and tricks.
Connect and Share with other Active users. Connect with other Active users in our discussion forums.
There's always a quick search area at the top of every page to help you find any related FAQs, forum discussions, or old service requests. Easy.
Let me know what you think!
http://customerportal.activenetwork.com
Access it anytime! The new portal is completely separate from the Thriva system so you can access it from any web browser. On January 19th we will be adding access from within the system under Help > Support Requests > Submit Requests. Full login details can be found on the right side of this email.
Active Network's New Customer Portal gives you quick and easy access to our user community, support, product information, and the NEW eMarketing Center - all from a single location. Get the most out of your Active Network application by accessing the following Customer Portal areas:
Search the Knowledge Base. Get answers to your product questions by browsing our FAQs.
Access Support Requests. See the status and updates on any requests you have submitted.
Access the new eMarketing Center. Marketing resources to help you increase your online services, including custom templates and marketing tips and tricks.
Connect and Share with other Active users. Connect with other Active users in our discussion forums.
There's always a quick search area at the top of every page to help you find any related FAQs, forum discussions, or old service requests. Easy.
Let me know what you think!
Friday, January 15, 2010
Interview with Merit School of Music - Active Net user
School Standout: Merit School of Music
Sarah S. Wright, Director of Student Services
The Merit School of Music was founded in 1979 on the desire to provide life-changing experiences for children through music. This year, the school will reach 7,000 young people, in ages ranging from newborn to 18 years, at nearly 90 locations throughout metropolitan Chicago. Merit offers a sequential continuum of music education for children, from early childhood classes and vocal group instruction, to private lessons, theory classes, musical theater and jazz studies.
With a growing student population, Merit selected Active Network’s ActiveNet registration software to integrate the work of three separate systems into one centralized, Web-based system. “We aim to eliminate duplicate efforts and better utilize the talents of our admissions staff, affording us more time to spend with families and less time correcting or proofing data entry errors. So far we have the full admissions team on the system producing all work related to enrollment, our front desk operations staff using it daily to assist families making payments and inquiring about class availability, and our programming staff using it to produce reports, attendance, faculty and student schedules, and soon, payroll. Using the ActiveNet system, we expect to have better information, consolidated efforts surrounding workload, and trusted information for our families, faculty and staff.”
Thursday, January 7, 2010
Thriva Statements - Accounting Reports
What matters most? You getting your money! and this information is available in THRIVA Statements found under the help file. Below are some definitions that will help you use the statements to pull key financial information.
Thriva Statements additional information can be found - Help > FAQ > FAQ for Statements/Payments within your database.
Report Name - All Transactions
· Overview – Displays each transaction at the Financial Option level. Contains name of program (a) registered for, transaction type (payment, refund, purchase, etc…), GL codes (GL code will be blank if it has not been entered by the organization in the Programs area of the system) and both Account (b) and Individual(c) information for each transaction.
Report Name - Registrations
· Overview -- The Registrations summary will a breakdown of each registrant that signed up for an event. This includes how much they paid for the program and how they were put into the program (ie. New, Transferred in or Transferred out) and how they registered (online or internal).
Report Name - Event Summary
· Overview – The Event Summary report summarizes the allocation of each transaction, by program, producing a summary of each program’s financial information in a single row. If you select a category, it will display the category option which the program belongs too; if no option is selected the column will be blank.
Report Name - Event Detail
· Overview – The Event Detail report summarizes the allocation of each transaction into both the Program level and its corresponding individual financial option purchased, within that program, in a single row. If you select a category, it will display the category option which it belongs too; if no option is selected column will be blank.
Report Name – Category Summary
· Overview – The Category Summary report summarizes the allocation of each transaction into a category option and summarizes its financial information in a single row.
· Keep in Mind: You can create additional category types and category options, to better group Programs and create specific financial reports.
· Note: It is necessary to choose a Category Option for this report.
Report Name – Financial Option Summary
· Overview – Sums the allocation of each transaction by Financial Option displaying the name of each financial option, with the corresponding GL Code, and the total amount paid toward the Financial option in the given billing period. Each Financial Option is displayed row by row
· (a) – Program is our default word for what you may consider an event, conference, camp, session, etc…
· (b) – Account is our default word for what you may consider a family, group, etc…
· (c) – Individual is our default word for what you may consider a participant, player, camper, attendee, etc…
Thriva Statements additional information can be found - Help > FAQ > FAQ for Statements/Payments within your database.
Report Name - All Transactions
· Overview – Displays each transaction at the Financial Option level. Contains name of program (a) registered for, transaction type (payment, refund, purchase, etc…), GL codes (GL code will be blank if it has not been entered by the organization in the Programs area of the system) and both Account (b) and Individual(c) information for each transaction.
Report Name - Registrations
· Overview -- The Registrations summary will a breakdown of each registrant that signed up for an event. This includes how much they paid for the program and how they were put into the program (ie. New, Transferred in or Transferred out) and how they registered (online or internal).
Report Name - Event Summary
· Overview – The Event Summary report summarizes the allocation of each transaction, by program, producing a summary of each program’s financial information in a single row. If you select a category, it will display the category option which the program belongs too; if no option is selected the column will be blank.
Report Name - Event Detail
· Overview – The Event Detail report summarizes the allocation of each transaction into both the Program level and its corresponding individual financial option purchased, within that program, in a single row. If you select a category, it will display the category option which it belongs too; if no option is selected column will be blank.
Report Name – Category Summary
· Overview – The Category Summary report summarizes the allocation of each transaction into a category option and summarizes its financial information in a single row.
· Keep in Mind: You can create additional category types and category options, to better group Programs and create specific financial reports.
· Note: It is necessary to choose a Category Option for this report.
Report Name – Financial Option Summary
· Overview – Sums the allocation of each transaction by Financial Option displaying the name of each financial option, with the corresponding GL Code, and the total amount paid toward the Financial option in the given billing period. Each Financial Option is displayed row by row
· (a) – Program is our default word for what you may consider an event, conference, camp, session, etc…
· (b) – Account is our default word for what you may consider a family, group, etc…
· (c) – Individual is our default word for what you may consider a participant, player, camper, attendee, etc…
Friday, December 18, 2009
Active Net Users - Incorporate Social Networking
Ever wish ActiveNet incorporated some SOCIAL NETWORKING mechanisms? Here is one way to get you closer!
Check this out, and notice the top of the screen: http://activenet1ca.active.com/tan09/servlet/adet.sdi?activity_id=2799&_not_show_links=&paid=0&show_all=false
Want to know how to "AddThis" to your public access site?
- first go here: http://addthis.com/
- select your options -- website, button style, etc.
- copy your button code
- on ActiveNet: Administration > Web Admin > Online Headers/Footers
- select "Activity Detail"
- paste the button code into the Header
- (add to additional public access headers if you desire)
- go to your public access site and find an activity
- send yourself a test email
- Welcome to the 21st Century!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Thriva - 9.2 release
Thriva version 9.2 was released on 12/7/09. The Communication Center's layout of the message editor has been updated for ease of use.
A Preview HTML button has been added to the message editor. This allows you to
view the formatting of a message as if it were opened by an HTML Email viewer.
In the main Communication Center area, the Preview button has been renamed to
Preview with Fields to explain that mail merge fields will appear in the preview.
Emails have a 4MB limit on attachments per email. There is now a pop-up notice if
you try to save an email with more than 4MB of attachments. You can skip this
warning under certain circumstances. For instance, if you have dynamic logic in
your email which limits attachments to be less than 4MB, this notice would not
affect you. Have fun!
To meet new PCI standards, The Active Network MUST be displayed on the Billing page to identify Active as the organization responsible for actually processing the payment. Currently, this will NOT display until the form has been published. You will also notice that there is no more “Active Waiver”. Only your organizations waiver will display in the Waiver module. IF the organization does not have any text in the waiver, or the waiver module is deleted, then no waiver is required to sign. Your customers can see our policy and terms of condition next to the “Powered by Active” section. Please take a moment and log into all of your database and re-publish all of your forms. You can do this fairly easily by going to the Form Builder (Settings > Form Builder), loading up one of your forms, and going to Step 5. Publish. Here you will see a “Publish All” button (shown below in Screen Shot above). This will go through all of your Forms, and publish them.
Active Net Users - iPhone
Quick Tip - you can use your iPhone to take pictures in place of a web-cam in ActiveNet. If your iPhone is plugged into the computer (if your charging it for example), ActiveNet will detect it as a viable camera and will let you select from the images you have stored on the phone, including any pictures you decide to take at that moment. Many organizations add a picture to an Account so they can verify identity.
Monday, December 7, 2009
Holiday Fun - this is not me FYI
Good news is that I truly out did myself this year with my Christmas
decorations. The bad news is that I had to take him down after 2 days. I had
more people come screaming up to my house than ever. Great stories. But two
things made me take it down.
First, the cops advised me that it would
cause traffic accidents as t...hey almost wrecked when they drove by.
Second, a 55 year old lady grabbed the 75 pound ladder almost killed
herself putting it against my house and didn't realize it was fake until she
climbed to the top (she was not happy). By the way, she was one of many people
who attempted to do that. My yard couldn't take it either. I have more than a
few tire tracks where people literally drove up my yard.
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Thriva - updates and notices!
http://www.activenetwork.com/thriva-notices.htm
Version 4.0 clients can subscribe to the following lists:
Check out the Thriva Notices page! By subscribing to the lists below you can receive the information you wish at any email address. You can change your subscriptions or unsubscribe at any time.
View the Archive for past updates on the Thriva system, including releases, issues and new features.
Version 3.1 clients can subscribe to the following lists:
- Maintenance Downtime - dates and times that there is planned maintenance for system hardware
- Emergency Notices - any issues the system is experiencing that may cause downtime for registrations
Version 4.0 clients can subscribe to the following lists:
- Release Notices and Notes - information on all the system updates, including new feature and bug fix notes
- Maintenance Downtime - dates and times that there is planned maintenance for system hardware
- Emergency Notices - any issues the system is experiencing that may cause downtime for registrations
- Webinar Schedule - notification when new FREE classes are being offered via webinar
- Thriva Tips and Tricks - training hints and links to new videos with "how-to" info on timely topics
Friday, November 20, 2009
Emarketing Center - Full of Tips, Tools and Templates
We are very pleased to announce the launch of the new, redesigned
- Graphic templates
- Marketing tips and tactics
- Customer case studies
New Login Required!
The new
Below is a link to the new Center and to the registration page where you can set up access.
New
Registration page: http://emarketing.activenetwork.com/register.htm
Please take some time to check out the
If you have any questions regarding the eMarketing center please email eMarketing@activenetwork.com.
Webinar - Social Media Tips and Tools
Hello Active Educator,
Join ActiveEducate on December 3 from 10 am - 11 am Pacific Standard Time for a free webinar on Social Media Tips and Tools to Increase Participation. In this webinar
In this free webinar, you will learn:
- The basic tools of social media
- Real-world examples of how schools are using social media to increase participation
- Best practices for effective messaging to your audience
- How to assess which social media will meet your needs
- How to develop and implement a social media strategy
- Tracking success through analytics
Don't miss this webinar! Register now, space is limited.
After registering you will receive a confirmation email containing details on how to join the webinar.
Sincerely,
ActiveEducate
Part of Active Network
Active.Educate@ActiveNetwork.com
P.S. Receive a FREE Social Media Needs Assessment after attending this webinar. This is a great opportunity to learn how social media can fit in with your unique organization. Register now!
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
All Thriva Users- Auto Confirmation and Reminder Emails
It is possible to set an email up to go out automatically for confirmations and reminders. Here are the steps on how to set this up:
First we must set up a confirmation email:
1. Go to Tools > Communication Center.
2. Click ‘New’ to create a new message.
3. From the drop down menu next to ‘Email Type’ select ‘Confirmation Email’ and ‘Online Registration Confirmation.’
4. Select Account Fields from Fields to Include
5. Enter an email address in the 'From' text box if different from the default email address; add your email address to the 'BCC' text box if you want to receive a blind carbon copy whenever a confirmation email is sent.
6. Type a subject in the 'Subject' box (this is required).
7. Create your message in the message area – you can use the fields to the left to make the message more customized (i.e. Dear Mr. And Mrs. <
8. When you are finished creating your email, hit 'Save'.
We can now set this email up to go out automatically:
1. From the Communication Center, click on the large gold button that appears at the top of your screen labeled ‘Open Automatic Emails’.
2. From the dialog box that appears, click the gold ‘Add’ button to add an Automatic Email task.
3. Please give your task a name, then choose the task type Program Date.
4. Set the email to send 700 days After the Start Date
5. From the drop down menu labeled ‘Select the email that will be sent for this task:’ choose the email message you wish to automate.
6. Click the gold ‘Save’ button to save your task.
7. Please note that this email will continue to send unless you delete the email or the task.
Tuesday, November 3, 2009
The Great Pumpkin is here!
Emerson Grace McHugh
8lbs 7 ozs 20 inches and all HEART
sleepy
Daddy's Little Pumpkin
Tuesday, October 20, 2009
Thriva - Feedback
Many schools start with registering for one event. You use online registration for all of programs, events, classes, donations and supplies.
"Thriva has been great for us; we now use the system for all major dances, our student fundraiser, and athletic booster signups. We are hopeful that in the future this will be the ONLY way people donate to make the process more streamlined...and so we have less money changing hands on campus (the IRS folks are happier with online!) and we can process everything in the same place."
Katie Pittman
Dir. of Student Activities
Bishop O' Dowd High School
"Thriva has been great for us; we now use the system for all major dances, our student fundraiser, and athletic booster signups. We are hopeful that in the future this will be the ONLY way people donate to make the process more streamlined...and so we have less money changing hands on campus (the IRS folks are happier with online!) and we can process everything in the same place."
Katie Pittman
Dir. of Student Activities
Bishop O' Dowd High School
Friday, October 16, 2009
All THRIVA Users
Rick Berggreen, will be hosting a live training session for our Active Educators using Thriva, he will be covering FORM BUILDER.
The webinar will be on Wednesday, October 28th at 10:00 AM Pacific (PST). To register, you will need to go to https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/598253136
Monday, October 12, 2009
All Users - Connect With FACEBOOK
Connecting With Facebook
Social media is a great way for organizations to connect with the customers and participants. One of the most popular social networking sites is Facebook. To start taking advantage of this media create a Facebook page for your organization. These pages look like an individual’s Facebook page and your patrons can “fan” you and follow your posts. You can include information like open and close times, invite people to upcoming events and even share media like photos and videos. It’s an easy way for your participants to stay connected and for you to get the word out about upcoming events and activities.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
All THRIVA Users
Here are a few points of information regarding system requirements that may aide in the speed and usability of the Thriva system:
2 GB of RAM
Minimum 1 GB hard drive
High speed Internet (Ethernet Preferred)
Windows XP or later, preferred
Current Version of Flash (downloadable at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)
Internet Explorer Version 7 or 8 or FireFox 3.0.8
Clearing the computers temporary internet files (Cache) regularly will also increase system speed and usability. To clear your cache on your computer, please follow these steps.
1. Go to Tools in your Web Browser (not Thriva) and hit Internet Options.
2. Click on the Delete button for Browsing History.
3. Then delete your Temporary Internet Files and Cookies.
4. Once completed you will then hit OK and then close down your web browser completely.
5. Then open a new web browser window and log back into your management system. This should fix the issue you are experiencing with the management system showing Homepage configuration hidden.
If you are still experiencing issues after your cache has been cleared, please contact Support and they will be able to investigate this issue further for you.
2 GB of RAM
Minimum 1 GB hard drive
High speed Internet (Ethernet Preferred)
Windows XP or later, preferred
Current Version of Flash (downloadable at http://get.adobe.com/flashplayer/)
Internet Explorer Version 7 or 8 or FireFox 3.0.8
Clearing the computers temporary internet files (Cache) regularly will also increase system speed and usability. To clear your cache on your computer, please follow these steps.
1. Go to Tools in your Web Browser (not Thriva) and hit Internet Options.
2. Click on the Delete button for Browsing History.
3. Then delete your Temporary Internet Files and Cookies.
4. Once completed you will then hit OK and then close down your web browser completely.
5. Then open a new web browser window and log back into your management system. This should fix the issue you are experiencing with the management system showing Homepage configuration hidden.
If you are still experiencing issues after your cache has been cleared, please contact Support and they will be able to investigate this issue further for you.
All Schools - Webinar - Increase Revenue Streams
How to Boost School Funds, Fitness and Community Support
Please join us for this free webinar. Space is limited so please register in advance.
Register here!
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=g6bl272n4lvk
Meeting Description:
ActiveEducate is proud to introduce Allison Reutter, Business Manager of Active Wellness, The Active Network, who will present this seminar on how schools and districts can partner with athletic events, leading the way to improvements in a multitude of issues of key concern to educators:
Raising funds to supplement your school budget
Promoting fitness and an active lifestyle to your students & faculty
Enhancing morale and unity among staff and faculty
Partnering with local businesses to recruit both participation and financial support
We’ll show you how simple it can be to build relationships with non-profit and corporate partners, promote participation, raise money and awareness, and develop community outreach.
You’ll learn best practices schools have adopted to recruit local businesses, thereby increasing community support and participation. You’ll walk away with the key steps to develop your own plan, and learn about a turnkey solution to ensure success. Up-to-date statistics on wellness will be presented, along with ways they can be used to develop partnership programs.
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=g6bl272n4lvk
Please join us for this free webinar. Space is limited so please register in advance.
Register here!
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=g6bl272n4lvk
Meeting Description:
ActiveEducate is proud to introduce Allison Reutter, Business Manager of Active Wellness, The Active Network, who will present this seminar on how schools and districts can partner with athletic events, leading the way to improvements in a multitude of issues of key concern to educators:
Raising funds to supplement your school budget
Promoting fitness and an active lifestyle to your students & faculty
Enhancing morale and unity among staff and faculty
Partnering with local businesses to recruit both participation and financial support
We’ll show you how simple it can be to build relationships with non-profit and corporate partners, promote participation, raise money and awareness, and develop community outreach.
You’ll learn best practices schools have adopted to recruit local businesses, thereby increasing community support and participation. You’ll walk away with the key steps to develop your own plan, and learn about a turnkey solution to ensure success. Up-to-date statistics on wellness will be presented, along with ways they can be used to develop partnership programs.
https://cc.readytalk.com/cc/schedule/display.do?udc=g6bl272n4lvk
Monday, September 28, 2009
All THRIVA Users
-Freezing Screen-
There are generally a few very simple steps you can take to remedy a freezing screen. If you see any screen in the management system cutting part of it off, I would try re-sizing the browser window. You can do this by double-clicking on the title bar or hit the ‘Maximize’ box.
- Open a new browser window, preferably not the Thriva login page.
- From the menu options, choose Tools > Internet Options
- Under the section titled ‘Browsing History’ click the ‘Delete’ button
- Under the section labeled ‘Temporary Internet Files’ click the ‘Delete files…’ button.
- Optionally, click the ‘Delete cookies’ button under the section labeled ‘Cookies’.
For Mozilla Firefox version 3.0.8 for PC or Mac:
- Go to Tools > Clear Private Data
- Check the boxes to clear your ‘Cache’ and ‘Cookies’
- Click the ‘Clear Private Data Now’ button.
After completing these steps please be sure to close the browser down completely to finalize the process, and then re-log in and things should load a bit quicker and hopefully any strange display issues will also be cured.
Please let me know if you have tried these steps and are still having issues, but I think you’ll be happy with the results!
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
All THRIVA Users (training resources)
Here are the most recent training resources for you and your team to use.
http://www.thriva.com/onlinehelp/newversion/html/index.html. --- most recent online help videos (4.0 version) These are continually updated so check back frequently.
Thriva Support - apart of the Active Network
· Phone: 1-877-996-2267
· Support Request can be submitted through your database
Thursday, September 17, 2009
All Schools - Increase Revenue Streams
Drive New Revenue for Your Schools & Districts with Partnership Marketing
Please join us for this free webinar. Space is limited so please register in advance.
Thursday - October 1st, 2009 1:00pm PDT - 1 Hour
Meeting Description:
ActiveEducate is proud to present the first in a series of Webinars that will explore the avenues available to school and district administrators to develop new revenue streams.
By implementing partnership marketing strategies and using technology, cities, communities, schools and universities are effectively battling their budget issues. You’ll learn, for example, how the City of Long Beach, CA, has leveraged their access to the private sector and developed a partnership with Coca Cola to raise critically needed funds, and how schools and districts like yours can do the same.
In addition, we’ll discuss how to:
Please join us for this free webinar. Space is limited so please register in advance.
Thursday - October 1st, 2009 1:00pm PDT - 1 Hour
Meeting Description:
ActiveEducate is proud to present the first in a series of Webinars that will explore the avenues available to school and district administrators to develop new revenue streams.
By implementing partnership marketing strategies and using technology, cities, communities, schools and universities are effectively battling their budget issues. You’ll learn, for example, how the City of Long Beach, CA, has leveraged their access to the private sector and developed a partnership with Coca Cola to raise critically needed funds, and how schools and districts like yours can do the same.
In addition, we’ll discuss how to:
- Identify unique and different ways to raise revenues for schools
- Understand Green marketing partnerships
- Use school system assets in an appropriate manner
- Leverage fallow assets
- More than just advertise – it’s about access and distribution
- Create partnerships with long-term benefits
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
