Elks.org Online Secretary Manual.

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Eileen Atkins
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1 Elks.org Online Secretary Manual Revised: May 21, 2007

2 Chapter One: Getting Started Page 2 Chapter Two: Getting Around Page 4 Chapter Three: Submitting Updates with the Rolodex Page 5 Chapter Four: Grand Lodge Reports Page 8 Chapter Five: Reconciling Your Membership List Page 13 Chapter Six: Appointing a Cyber-Assistant Page 14 Chapter Seven: Validating Online Users Page 15 Chapter Eight: Ordering Lodge Supplies Page 16 Chapter Nine: Secretary-only Message Board Page 18 Chapter Ten: Contact Us Page

3 Chapter One: Getting Started The Elks.org Secretary Resource Center is a free service of the Grand Lodge. The Resource center will allow you to: Submit membership changes to the Elks Magazine Order lodge supplies Submit your annual and semi-annual membership reports online Submit your charitable giving report online Reconcile your local membership list to the Grand Lodge database Update your local lodge Virtual Home Page Participate in a private, secretaries-only message board Access to the Elks.org Secretary Resource center is restricted to current lodge secretaries only, as listed in the Grand Lodge database. How do I know who the Grand Lodge database lists as secretary? If you re not sure who s currently listed as secretary of your lodge, it s easy to find out. Simply type your lodge number in the Keyword Search box on the Elks.org home page: Then, click the Contact Us link on your lodge page to view the members currently listed in the Grand Lodge database as Exalted Ruler and Secretary of your lodge: - 2 -

4 Hey, I m not listed! How do I get that corrected? If you re the secretary of your lodge but aren t yet listed on the Contact Us page, notify the Office of the Grand Secretary via (grandlodge@elks.org). Once you re listed in the Grand Lodge database, you ll be able to access the Elks.org Secretary Resource Center with your regular Elks.org user name and password. How do I get a password? If you don t yet have an Elks.org user name and password, you can register online here: Registration Reminders: 1. You ll need to submit your membership number in order to register, so be sure to have that handy. 2. Your password will be sent to you via , so be sure you have access to your account. 3. The address you submit must be unique. If another member is already registered under that address, your registration will be rejected. (Note that free web-based addresses are available from Hotmail.com, Yahoo.com, and other sites on the Internet.) 4. If your name is not recognized by the system, follow the links to request a manual registration, and your registration will be handled personally by the Elks.org webmaster. Your password will be ed to you within two business days. What if I forget my password? No problem. Type the Elks.org keyword reminder to have your password ed to the address at which you originally registered. If your address has changed since you originally registered, use the Elks.org keyword reset to delete your original registration so that you can register again. How can I change my password? Although your initial password is assigned automatically by the system, it can be changed at any time by typing the Elks.org keyword password. This form will also allow you to change your user name and address. What if my password doesn t work? If you re prompted repeatedly to supply your user name and password, your browser is probably rejecting our "cookies," which are a device used by web browsers to remember your identity as you move from page to page on the web. Check the options, preferences or privacy menu and set your browser to accept cookies and you should be able to access the site without difficulty

5 Chapter Two: Getting Around Type the Elks.org keyword secy to go directly to the Main Menu of the Elks.org Secretary Resource Center: Click around and explore! You ll probably spend most of your time in the Rolodex (see Chapter Three), but be sure to check out the other features of the service as well: Home: News & Links of interest to secretaries. Be sure to visit at least once a week for updates from the Grand Lodge. Order lodge supplies, membership cards, or labels for your newsletter. Rolodex: Submit membership updates to the Elks Magazine. Add members, drop members, update postal addresses. Reports: Submit your annual or semi-annual membership reports, or access your current lodge roster. PDF Forms: Download a variety of printable forms in Adobe PDF format. Message Board: Participate in a private message board for lodge secretaries only. Local Data: Upload information from your local lodge management system to reconcile your membership list with the Grand Lodge database. Elks.org Users: Validate the identity of Elks.org users from your lodge, or appoint a Cyber-Assistant to assist you with updates to your Virtual Home Page. Contact Us: Find telephone numbers and addresses for the Elks Magazine and the Grand Lodge Internet Department

6 Chapter Three: Submitting Updates with the Rolodex Submitting membership updates to the Elks Magazine has never been easier. Use the Rolodex to submit adds, drops, or mailing address updates: How do I add a new member to my membership list? Easy! To add a brand new member to your list, click the link labeled Add Member: Then type the information requested: That s it. Click the button labeled Add Member and your new member will be added to your membership roster immediately. How do I change a member s mailing address? Also easy. First, look up the member s record by selecting the first letter of their last name from the Rolodex. Then click their name from the list. Finally, update their address as required, and then click the button labeled Update Member: - 5 -

That s it. You re done. If you need to change the spelling of a member s name, click the link labeled Revise Spelling.

To drop a member from your list, look up the member s record, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to select the appropriate drop code: Click the button labeled Drop This Member and the

If you re unsure of the spelling, type the first few letters only, and the system will look up all of the former members of your lodge that match that spelling.

7 That s it. You re done. If you need to change the spelling of a member s name, click the link labeled Revise Spelling. If you need to change a member s membership number, click the link labeled Revise Membership Number. How do I drop a member from my list? To drop a member from your list, look up the member s record, and then scroll down to the bottom of the page to select the appropriate drop code: Click the button labeled Drop This Member and the member will be dropped from your list immediately. How do I reinstate a former member of my lodge? Click the Rolodex link labeled Reinstate Member: You ll be prompted to type the member s last name. If you re unsure of the spelling, type the first few letters only, and the system will look up all of the former members of your lodge that match that spelling. Click the appropriate name from the list, make any necessary changes to the member s address, and click the button labeled Reinstate Member. That s all there is to it. The member will be reinstated immediately to your membership list. What if the system can t find the member I want to reinstate? In that case, after you search for the member, click the link labeled manual reinstatement form : - 6 -

Supply the information requested by the form, and Grand Lodge personnel will handle the transaction manually. How do I add a member who has transferred into our lodge?

8 Supply the information requested by the form, and Grand Lodge personnel will handle the transaction manually. How do I add a member who has transferred into our lodge? Click the link on the Rolodex menu labeled Transfer In: Supply the data requested by the transfer form, and then click the button labeled Transfer Member In. That s it. Note that transfer transactions are processed manually by Circulation Department personnel, and will not be reflected immediately on your membership roster. How can I keep track of all the information I m submitting? For your convenience, all of the information you submit through Elks.org is stored in logfiles that you can access at any time. Simply click the link labeled Logfile from the Rolodex menu: You ll see links to three different logfiles: To view the transactions submitted through the Rolodex, click the link labeled Membership Transactions: - 7 -

Click the transaction date to view details of the transaction, or click Display Full Logfile Entries to view details for all of your transactions.

Chapter Four: Grand Lodge Reports The main menu Reports tab provides access to your lodge roster reports, as well as links to submit your annual and semi-annual membership reports, and your lodge

9 Click the transaction date to view details of the transaction, or click Display Full Logfile Entries to view details for all of your transactions. To delete entries from your logfile, click the link labeled Maintain logfile entries, but be careful: deleted transactions can not be undeleted. Chapter Four: Grand Lodge Reports The main menu Reports tab provides access to your lodge roster reports, as well as links to submit your annual and semi-annual membership reports, and your lodge charitable giving report: Click the link labeled Lodge Roster & Recent Changes to view the all the current membership information for your lodge, including any undeliverable addresses as reported to the Grand Lodge by the U.S. Postal Service. How do I submit my Annual Membership Report? Starting April 1 st of each year (or the first business day after April 1 st ), a link to submit your Annual Membership Report will be available through the Reports menu: - 8 -

10 Clink the link to display the online version of the annual membership report, sections A, B, C, & D: Supply the information requested. Note that certain fields (lines 5, 11, 12, 13 & 27) are calculated automatically, and will not display until you ve submitted your report. When you re ready to submit, you have two options: - 9 -

Click Save to Submit Later if you haven t been able to complete your report, but want to save your work and come back later. Click Submit to Grand Lodge Now to submit your report to Grand Lodge.

If you don t know your FEIN number, check with your lodge Treasurer, or any correspondence you ve received from the Internal Revenue Service.

11 Click Save to Submit Later if you haven t been able to complete your report, but want to save your work and come back later. Click Submit to Grand Lodge Now to submit your report to Grand Lodge. Note that you will need to click the check box affirming your identity, and also supply your lodge Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN). If you don t know your FEIN number, check with your lodge Treasurer, or any correspondence you ve received from the Internal Revenue Service. IMPORTANT NOTE: You must click the Submit to Grand Lodge Now button to complete your submission. Save to Submit Later will save your data online, but will not submit your report to Grand Lodge and will not fulfill your Annual Reporting requirements. Your Annual Report is due by May 1 st of each lodge year. Can I print of copy of my report after it has been submitted? Yes. After your report has been submitted to Grand Lodge, you ll see two links in the upper right corner of the report: Click Printer Friendly Format to display the report in your browser without any of the surrounding menus. Then, use your browser s print command to send the report to your printer. Do I still need to submit a hard copy of my report to Grand Lodge? No. Once you ve submitted your report online, you do not (and should not) submit a hard copy to Grand Lodge. You do, however, still need to submit copies of your report to:

Your PGER Sponsor(s) Your District Deputy Your State Secretary Your State Membership Chairman At the discretion of the individuals listed above, you may be able to submit your report as an email

12 Your PGER Sponsor(s) Your District Deputy Your State Secretary Your State Membership Chairman At the discretion of the individuals listed above, you may be able to submit your report as an attachment. In that event, open your report in PDF format by clicking the PDF Format link. (See page 10.) Then click the Save icon to save the PDF report to your hard drive: You ll be prompted for the location on your hard drive where you d like to save the report. Remember this location, because you ll need it when you want to attach the report to your . (NOTE: be sure to ask permission of the recipient before you send your report as an attachment.) Can I submit my November Membership Report online, also? Yes. Your Semi-Annual Membership Report, covering the period from April 1 st to November 1 st, can submitted online using the same procedures outlined for the Annual Report submission. A link to submit your Semi-Annual Report will appear automatically on the Reports menu starting on or around November 1 st. Can I submit my Annual Charitable Survey online, also? Yes. The Annual Charitable Survey, also know as Page 2 of the Annual Report, can be submitted online. In fact, you can track your charitable programs online throughout the year, and then submit your report in April with the simple click of a button. (Note: this feature is the online equivalent of the hardcopy Charity Record Booklet, code ). To get started, click the link labeled, Charitable Giving Report: You ll be prompted to select a charity program from the drop down menu:

After you ve selected the program you d like to submit, click the Add New Program button and you ll be presented with a data entry grid representing the twelve months of the current lodge year: Type

You can add new program data or add additional data to an existing program at any point during the lodge year.

13 After you ve selected the program you d like to submit, click the Add New Program button and you ll be presented with a data entry grid representing the twelve months of the current lodge year: Type the appropriate values in the appropriate month or months, press Submit, and your data will be saved. You can add new program data or add additional data to an existing program at any point during the lodge year. After April 1 st, when your data entry is complete, you can submit your report to Grand Lodge by clicking the button labeled Submit Charitable Report to Grand Lodge. That s all there is to it! As with Page 1 of your Annual Report, you ll be able to print a copy of your Charitable Report after it s been submitted, and you ll also be able to save a copy in PDF format for distribution:

14 Chapter Five: Reconciling Your Membership List If you use a lodge management software program such as Yuma or Elms, you can use the Elks.org reconciliation feature to make sure your locally-managed names and addresses exactly match the names and addresses held in the Grand Lodge database. Here are the steps to follow: First, use your lodge management software to create an export file that conforms to Grand Lodge specifications: Your export file must conform precisely to this standard, or the process won't function properly. Save this file to your computer hard drive. Next, click the Secretary Resource Center s Local Data tab: Upload your export file to Elks.org by clicking the "Browse..." button on the Upload Export File page: Navigate your hard drive until you find the file, and then click "Upload the File" to upload your data to the Elks.org server. Okay, I ve created and uploaded my export file. Now what? Once your file has been successfully uploaded, click the link labeled "Process Export File" to continue the reconciliation process. This process will generate a report that will tell you: 1. How many members appear in your uploaded membership list that are not listed in the Grand Lodge database for your lodge. These records are potential adds, and you'll have the opportunity to click through the records one by one

15 to add them automatically to your membership list. (Alternatively, you may need to drop them from your locally managed membership list.) 2. How many records do not appear in your uploaded membership list but are listed in the Grand Lodge database for your lodge. These records are potential drops, and you'll have the opportunity to click through the records one by one to drop them automatically from your membership list. (Alternatively, you may need to add them to your locally managed membership list.) 3. How many records appear on both lists, but with mis-matched addresses. You'll have the opportunity to click through these records one by one to correct the incorrect addresses. (Alternatively, you may need to revise the addresses within your locally managed list.) 4. How many records appear on both lists, but with mis-matched names. You'll have the opportunity to click through these records one by one to correct the errors. (Alternatively, you may need to revise the names within your locally managed list.) Click the button(s) labeled Reconcile Data to walk through the various datamismatches one at a time. Remember, in some cases you may need to make a change to your locally managed data. In that event you can upload a new export file when you ve completed the changes to confirm that your revised data now matches that data held in the Grand Lodge servers. Chapter Six: Appointing a Cyber-Assistant One of the most powerful features of the Elks.org website is the ability to create a Virtual Home Page for your local lodge. This option is available automatically as part of your secretary access privileges. Download a copy of our Virtual Home Page Owners Manual for more information: Although it s easy to update your own Virtual Home Page, you may prefer to appoint another member to assist you with this responsibility. Such a member is called a Cyber-Assistant, and you can make the appointment online by clicking the Elks.org Users tab from the main menu: Click the link labeled Appoint Cyber-Assistant and you ll see a list of all the members of your lodge that have an Elks.org user name and password:

16 To appoint a member as Cyber-Assistant, simply click the button beside their name labeled Appoint as Cyber-Assistant. Your appointee will be given immediate Cyber- Assistant access privileges, and will be sent an confirmation message. Your lodge will be invoiced for the $25 registration fee. What if I want to change Cyber-Assistants later? No problem. Once you appoint a Cyber-Assistant, the button beside their name will be displayed like this: To transfer the appointment to a different member, select the new appointees name from the Select New Appointee drop down box, and then press the Transfer Cyber-Assistant Access button. That s all there is to it. The transfer will be effective immediately, and an confirmation will be sent to your new appointee. There is no charge for a Cyber-Assistant transfer. Chapter Seven: Validating Online Users Over time, as members drop from your lodge and new members are added, you may discover that some former members of your lodge have Elks.org accounts even though they re no longer members, or have transferred to a different lodge. Or you may discover that some new members of your lodge have Elks.org accounts even though they haven t yet been added to your membership roster. These situations are easy to remedy by clicking the Elks.org Users tab:

17 You ll see a list of any Elks.org members from your lodge that don t have matching lodge and membership numbers in the Grand Lodge database. Click the link next to their name to address their particular situation: Chapter Eight: Ordering Lodge Supplies Ordering manuals, meeting supplies and lodge supplies is easy through the Grand Lodge website. Click the link labeled Order Supplies from the main menu: Products are divided into several categories, or you can search by keyword: Once you ve found the product you need, specify the quantity and click the button labeled Add to Shopping Cart:

ll be asked to confirm your order and supply your billing and shipping address.

18 That s all there is to it. Keep adding items to your cart until you re ready to check out, then click the button labeled Proceed to Checkout: You ll be asked to confirm your order and supply your billing and shipping address. Be sure follow all prompts your order won t be complete until you click the Finalize Order button. Note that tax and shipping, if applicable, will be added separately to the total displayed. Your lodge will be invoiced for the total amount due

19 Chapter Nine: Secretary-Only Message Board Even the most experienced lodge secretary has questions occasionally, and the Elks.org Secretaries-only message board is a great place to go for answers: Submissions to the board are organized into topics: Click around and explore! If you d like to add a message to an existing topic, simply scroll down to the bottom of the messages and click the link labeled Add New Message: You ll be presented with a simple online form where you can type your message:

When you re done typing, press the button labeled Add New Message and your submission will be

Remember that messages can t be edited or deleted after they re posted, so be sure to check for

This time you ll also be asked to supply a topic name: Submit the form and your topic will be

20 When you re done typing, press the button labeled Add New Message and your submission will be added automatically to the current topic. Remember that messages can t be edited or deleted after they re posted, so be sure to check for typos before you submit, and be sure to respect the privacy of your members. If you d like to start a brand new topic, click the link labeled Add New Topic at the bottom of the topic list: Again, you ll be presented with a simple online form. This time you ll also be asked to supply a topic name: Submit the form and your topic will be added to the message board. Be sure your topic pertains specifically to local Lodge Secretaries. For topics of a more general nature, click the Forum Menu link to visit the General Membership Forum:

21 Chapter 10: Contact Us Still have questions? Comments? The best way to reach us is via Department Address Regarding: Magazine Circulation Dept. Membership submissions. Grand Lodge Shipping Dept. Supply Orders, Membership Card Orders. Office of the Grand Secretary Annual Reports, Semi- Annual Reports, Charitable Giving Survey. Grand Lodge Internet Dept. Website technical support

Revised 6/7/2013. Now Available on ALL Platforms! Desktop, Laptop, Tablet

Revised 6/7/2013. Now Available on ALL Platforms! Desktop, Laptop, Tablet Revised 6/7/2013 Now Available on ALL Platforms! Desktop, Laptop, Smartphone Revised and 6/6/2012 Tablet Elks.org Chapter One: Frequently Asked Questions Page 2 Chapter Two: Getting Started Page 5 Chapter