Awana Record-keeping Update for the 2016-17 Year

(Posted July 5, 2016)

Each year I try to keep you updated on the options available for electronic record-keeping for your Awana club. I strive to maintain an accurate list with a basic description of each on the record-keeping page of the site. If you know of a record-keeping program that is available that I do not have listed, then please let me know.

Here is the update for this year….

Here is what all of the record-keeping products have in common:

• They will all be updated to handle the new T&T material, Trek Book 3, and the new Journey Book.
• All of the developers make base what updates are made to their product based on customer feedback.

Here are somethings on the specific products:

 

A.R.K. has been around the longest of any of the current record-keeping programs for Awana.  Some of the features added over the last year include online Check-in synchronization (everyone sees others information) and detailed individual information on smart phone app allowing quick links to map, call or text and email directly from phone app.  Track dates for clubbers receipt of Book, Uniform and Book Award.  These will be available sometime in July 2016. Click here for more information about A.R.K. and to get a demo of the software and app.

Approved Workman has made several enhancements for the desktop version of the product.Here are just a few:

• the ability to mark sections for multiple members at once. To do this, select* all of the members you want to mark, then click the “Done” checkbox of a specific handbook section, and the same section will be updated for all selected members with the same book. This will be a great feature for the new T&T material and clubs who use the “Together we Move” method.
• Database Check-out/Check-in: Secondary Databases may now be created by selecting specific Club Names, Team Colors and Team Names (instead of being limited to selecting only Club Names).
• Updates to the software are now easier to perform.
• and many more…
• Another feature planned for this club year is a new Kiosk mode so the Windows app may be run on kiosk PCs to make it easy for clubbers and leaders to do self-check-in.

Approved Workman will be introducing their new web version this summer.  Users will be allowed plenty of time for a hands-on demo so they may evaluate the features before purchase.  If any of the current AWdb Windows app users decide to migrate to the web version, they will import their data at no cost.   They will also have a low-cost option to import basic data for any clubs who are completely new to AWdb but who can provide their data in MS Excel or in .CSV  files. I have seen the initial product and I like what I have seen so far.

Click here to learn more, download a demo of the desktop software, and keep up to date with the progress of the web version.

TwoTimTwo’s improvements this year include

• New pages targeted to mobile phones & allowing leaders to enter checkin info & book activity directly.
• Ability to take a picture of a clubber & upload to the site
• Ability to use Google or Facebook for authentication (so a separate TTT password doesn’t have to be remembered)
• Additional reporting options
• More flexibility tracking household charges & payments

Click here to find out more information or request a demo

Awana entered the electronic record-keeping arena last year with mixed reviews. It was designed to make the club night recordkeeping easier allowing leaders to focus more on the children. It met that goal. Since its launch, Awana has added the following new features:

• Quick view of total attendance, by club
• Progress status bar for handbook sections completed
• Points/shares tracking and deducting
• Full report capabilities for attendance, points and awards
• Added Puggles and Journey tracking info to complete the full program line-up
• Added ability to inactivate (hide) a child record throughout the system

Awana has several features planned for this summer includin:

• a child info upload feature to make it quicker for clubs starting with Mozo to add their kids into the system. (Note that this first iteration will upload only basic identifying information on each child; not past handbook or award history)
• a much-requested custom groups feature in which leaders can be assigned to the kids they work with frequently, thus enabling leaders to quickly find and work with the specific child information they need in Mozo
• a new and improved Manage Leaders function featuring a cleaner, mobile-friendly design and more information available to connect leaders to each other
• and they will introduce a Free Trial so a church can try it risk-free. This means:

• Church will receive 90 days of free access to Mozo
• Church can invite as many leaders as you want to use Mozo during the trial
• Church can choose when the trial begins
• All leader and child information will remain in the system when the trial ends. If church later decides to purchase Mozo, the data would be available.

. Click here to learn more about Mozo.

There have been many updates since last year – a change log is maintained here with details, but some highlights include an advanced search page that has a number of sorting and filtering options, a few new stats sections- a histogram of check-in times and general database stats (number of clubbers, etc), and a number of improvements to the functionality of section marking and awards.

The primary goals for this summer include making the sections/awards section more flexible and able to handle multiple books at once (and the cumulative T&T awards), adding to the advanced search page with the ability to export data directly from a search, perform some bulk actions from a search (for example, assign to a handbook group) as well as additional sorting and filtering options. There are also plans to improve how friends are handled in the database. Click here to learn more about Shine Record-keeping

Clubberdb is a new entrant into the record-keeping. This is the 2nd year that it is being made available. Click here to learn more about Clubberdb.

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I encourage you to look over the record-keeping options that are available and select the one that fits the culture and needs of your club. When you look at, or purchase one of the software options, please let them know that you heard about it from “Commander Bill”.

Thank you, and may you have a great Awana year!