Tips & Tricks for Ward / Stake Websites

Share discussions around the Classic Local Unit Website (LUWS).
atticusewig
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Posts: 308
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:48 am

#11

Post by atticusewig »

margiestroble wrote:Sounds interesting! I know that when you add someone for a calling, it shows their full legal name and DOB, but it does not show their address or email address, so where do you get the new contact info at?
If from the "normal user" side you access the ward directory
you can get their contact info. I think for addresses you
might have to use the "Format for Printing" option.

- Atticus Ewig
atticusewig
Member
Posts: 308
Joined: Fri Jan 19, 2007 9:48 am

#12

Post by atticusewig »

RussellHltn wrote:You can try. I've seen that before where names of departed members show up, but if you keep poking around the site, the list seems to rebuild itself and the names will disappear.

In other words, I'm not sure as the bug is reliable enough to be exploited for other purposes. :D
I just found this "Bug" ( I like to think of it as a feature::D ),
but if the list rebuilds itself as you say, it would be a
real shame, as the current methods of tracking move-outs
are less than stellar.:(

- Atticus Ewig
margiestroble
Member
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:54 am
Location: Wisconsin, USA

#13

Post by margiestroble »

atticusewig wrote:If from the "normal user" side you access the ward directory
you can get their contact info. I think for addresses you
might have to use the "Format for Printing" option.

- Atticus Ewig
So, you're saying that if someone has a "calling" in a ward and it's not deleted from the webpage, that their info will stay in that ward as well as going to their new ward's webpage? If the info stays in the old ward, and is not redirected to the new ward webpage, that wouldn't be right to keep their names on the old ward webpage. Probably once they logged in, it should direct them to their new ward webpage.

It would be nice to have a way of getting the tax statements to people that have moved so that the clerk's aren't at a loss of how to try to find the info for the people, but I don't know if the LUWS software was meant to do such a thing.

I wonder if there would be something in MLS that could help in this situation? MLS has a member move out report and if it could keep the people on there until the ward clerk deletes them and would provide the new address that they moved to, anything that would need to be sent to them could be done in a timely manner. How about that?
russellhltn
Community Administrator
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Joined: Sat Jan 20, 2007 2:53 pm
Location: U.S.

#14

Post by russellhltn »

margiestroble wrote:It would be nice to have a way of getting the tax statements to people that have moved so that the clerk's aren't at a loss of how to try to find the info for the people,
Question: How much effort should a clerk go to to get those statements to the members? As far as I know, it's only useful if the member does a tax write-off and hasn't kept careful records. In that case, they'll hunt the clerk down.

By all means, send them out to the people you do have contacts for. The rest ... store them safely according to policy and then dispose of them with the financial records for that year.

That said, it would be nice if the clerk of the current unit can produce a print-out of all contributions made by the member in the prior year - all tracked according to membership numbers. I'm sure there are a number of policy and tax law issues that will need to be consulted to make sure everything is "good".
margiestroble
Member
Posts: 148
Joined: Tue Jan 30, 2007 7:54 am
Location: Wisconsin, USA

#15

Post by margiestroble »

RussellHltn wrote:As far as I know, it's only useful if the member does a tax write-off and hasn't kept careful records. In that case, they'll hunt the clerk down.
Even though people keep good records, if they itemize on their tax filing, they do need the final tithing settlement paper to show their contributions. If they only have the one from their current ward, that is not going to be the full amount paid and they do need the reports from their previous ward.
russellhltn
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Location: U.S.

#16

Post by russellhltn »

margiestroble wrote:they do need the final tithing settlement paper to show their contributions.
Only if they get audited. I know what the instructions on the 1040 say, that you must have the form, but you're not required to send it in when you file.
gamoody
New Member
Posts: 9
Joined: Mon Feb 04, 2008 11:52 am
Location: South Bend, IN

What I do

#17

Post by gamoody »

RussellHltn wrote:Question: How much effort should a clerk go to to get those statements to the members? As far as I know, it's only useful if the member does a tax write-off and hasn't kept careful records. In that case, they'll hunt the clerk down.

By all means, send them out to the people you do have contacts for. The rest ... store them safely according to policy and then dispose of them with the financial records for that year.

That said, it would be nice if the clerk of the current unit can produce a print-out of all contributions made by the member in the prior year - all tracked according to membership numbers. I'm sure there are a number of policy and tax law issues that will need to be consulted to make sure everything is "good".

When I don't have a forwarding address for previous members to send their tax form to, I go to the Members Who Moved Out of the Ward report which shows which unit # they went to. I can then look up the unit in COI and then send it to the listed bishop/branch president on the basis that they have a far better chance of finding the member in their unit than I. This is only for those people that have moved into an actual unit and not the Unknown unit holding tank.
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Mikerowaved
Community Moderators
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Joined: Sun Dec 23, 2007 12:56 am
Location: Layton, UT

#18

Post by Mikerowaved »

gamoody wrote:When I don't have a forwarding address for previous members to send their tax form to...
I first try sending it to their prior address with a note on the envelope for the postmaster to please forward. If that fails, the Bishop will get these returned to him. I can then make a choice to either try some other means of locating them, or just put them in the archive.

Oh yeah, make sure you also blot out the words "Address Correction Requested" if they appear on your envelope. This instructs the Post Office to return the envelope to you with the new address label on it without forwarding it, requiring you to add another 1st Class stamp on it and send it out again. (I made the mistake one year of NOT blotting those words out.) :(
So we can better help you, please edit your Profile to include your general location.
zaneclark
Senior Member
Posts: 1266
Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Las Vegas, NV
Contact:

New Trick?

#19

Post by zaneclark »

I'm not sure if this is a trick or not, but I have to use it all the time. In sending a broadcast email, when I go to preview, I often find errors in typing or decide I want to change a word. As it is now, when you go back, it erases your message and you have to start over. I have learned to copy the message and paste it in if I have to go back. This way I don't have to rewrite the whole message again. If anyone has a better solution to this, I would be glad to hear it.
mprusse
Member
Posts: 257
Joined: Sun Jan 28, 2007 9:01 pm
Location: Littleton, CO-USA

Sending event emails

#20

Post by mprusse »

Here's a work around I've used when I want to notify members of a calendar event right before the event occurs but for which the event was already on the calendar. Since LUWS only allows you to send emails when you create the event, I will copy the details of the event, delete the event, and then re-enter the event exactly as before with the exception of adding the emails to be sent.
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