Custom Member Prospect Connect Form Settings

For prospective Troop members, the Find a Troop website and map is a great way to locate and connect with nearby Troops. However, some Troops may want to provide a customized interface to allow interested families to connect through a different source (such as a church or Troop website.) This guide will demonstrate how to configure, customize, and present a Member Prospect connect form in a more personalized manner.

Traillifeconnect

Find a Troop

The Find a Troop website presents prospective members with a way to search by address, zip code, etc. to locate Troops near a specific location. The map shown on the right denotes physical locations with map pins, and the list shown on the left displays Troop names and addresses (along with distance from the central search point.) When the individual who is searching locates a Troop they would like to connect with, they can click the button to "Connect with Troop..." which then results in a short "I am interested..." form window to send their basic contact information to the Troop to begin a dialogue through the Member Prospects tool in Trail Life Connect.

Your Troop may wish to provide a more personal, customized way to present and collect this information. The steps below will show how to configure and present this additional method.

By default, only Core Leader roles can access the page and section to customize and adjust the relevant Member Prospect or Find a Troop settings.

Using a Customized Connect Form

While logged in to Trail Life Connect with the appropriate role, expand the **"Troop Settings"** menu on the left sidebar and then click **"General Settings."**

Scroll to the bottom to locate the "Use Connect Form" setting.

Check the box to "Use a dedicated contact form..." Then scroll down and click "Update" to save your changes and enable this feature.

You will not have the ability to **"Click here to customize"** until first checking the "Use a dedicated contact form..." box and clicking the **"Update"** button to save your changes.

A green message bar will appear at the top of the screen to confirm your settings have been updated. Now that the "Use a dedicated connect form..." settings is saved, return to **"Troop Settings"** in the left-hand menu and click **"General Settings"** again.

Since the "Use a dedicated connect form..." box is checked and saved, you can now click the **"Click here to customize"** link to personalize your Troop's custom contact form.

The "Connect Form Settings" page will open in a new tab.

Near the top of the page, you will now see a link labeled "Your Troop's Connect URL." This is the unique link to your Troop's custom Connect form. You can copy and share it wherever it's needed - on your website, in emails, or social media - to help others get in touch with your Troop easily.

To the right of the URL link, you will also see a **QR code** for your custom Connect form. This QR code can be copied, shared, or printed - perfect for flyers, event tables, or bulletin boards.

Additionally, an iFrame code is provided under "iFrames can be embedded on your Troop's website." This code can be used to embed the custom form into your Troop, Church, or Charter Organization's website (or similar web location.) \*Inserting this embed code will require someone who has the ability to make edits to the website in order to add the code into an existing or new page on the site.

To add/edit the content for your Troop's customized Contact form, start with adding a personalized welcome message. Typical text formatting options are available and images can be inserted if desired. (you can utilize images or logos from your Charter Organization, as well as making use of official Trail Life images or logos.)\*\* Below the customized messaging, select whether you will display the Troop Address, Meeting Times, and/or Show the location on a Map within your customized Contact form.

\*\*If you choose to utilize any Trail Life USA images, logos, or branding items - be sure to first visit and consult the official "Branding" page to ensure proper usage. Within the Trail Life "Branding" page, you will find official logo, template, and image file downloads, as well as other helpful branding information to help guide you in the proper usage of these resources. The Trail Life Branding page can be found within Trail life Connect, by expanding "Trail Life Resources" on the left menu (above "Help") and clicking "Branding."\ A direct link to the page can be accessed by clicking [HERE](https://www.traillifeconnect.com/page/branding).

In the example below, a Trail Life logo image has been added and a message provided with some basic text formatting.

Scrolling further down the page is a section where you can decide which fields to show on your customized form. \*Note: certain fields are checked by default and cannot be unchecked.

You may choose to only utilize the default form fields, but can add additional fields to display for collecting more information up-front, if desired.

When all customizations have been finalized, click "Update" at the bottom of the page to save the changes.

A green bar along the top indicates that the connect form settings are updated. \*Remember that the customization opened into a new tab. You may have multiple tabs open, and may wish to close the additional tabs to return to one Trail Life Connect tab/window.

Using the Embed Option

Return to the "General Settings" page (under "Troop Settings" on the left menu) and select "Click here to customize" below the "Use Connect Form" option.

Within the field displaying the custom iFrame code, highlight the entire box of text. Then, right-click and select **"Copy."** This is the embed code you will need to paste into your desired website or send to your website manager in order to display your custom Connect form directly on your site.

Below are two screen shots that show an example of the Connect form - configured using the steps above - embedded into a page on an existing website. (The form was too tall to capture in a single screenshot, so it is shown in two parts.) **Custom Embedded Connect Form Screen Capture #1:**

**Custom Embedded Connect Form Screen Capture #2:**

Using the Link or QR Code Option

Right-click the full URL link for your Troop's custom Connect form and select **"Copy,"** or click the clipboard icon to the right of the link to copy the URL to the clipboard.

You can use the Connect Form link in a variety of ways—within content on an existing web page, embedded in a shared document, or included in an email message. The full URL can be used as-is, or you can make it more polished by hyperlinking it to a phrase like “Click here.” In the example below, the custom form link has been embedded in the text “Click here” at the bottom of this church’s Trail Life USA webpage.

Clicking the link will bring the individual to the custom form within Trail Life Connect. **Custom Connect Form in TLC Screen Capture #1:**

**Custom Connect Form in TLC Screen Capture #2:**

To use the QR code option, right-click the QR code image and select **"Copy."** You can then paste it onto an existing web page, include it in an email, or add it to printed materials like church bulletins or info sheets. It’s also great for signs or posters around your Charter Organization so visitors can easily scan and connect.

The URL associated with the QR Code is the same URL used in the previous steps; just presented as a QR Code instead. Anyone who scans the QR code will be taken to the same TLC-hosted, customized Connect form shown in the prior steps of this section when someone clicks the link for the custom URL.

Final Notes

When an interested individual fills out the custom form (using any of the above methods) and clicks the button to "Submit," their information will populate into your Troop's "Member Prospects" tool in Trail Life Connect; in the exact same way prospective member inquiries arrive when submitting the interest form from the Find a Troop website.

You may return at any time to the Troop's "General Settings" page in order to edit or further customize your Troop's personalized connect form. After making changes and clicking **"Update,"** anyone who clicks your URL link, scans the QR code, or visits the embedded form on your website will see the updated form with your latest information and layout.

The settings for the information displayed on the *separate* "Find a Troop" website are found in the middle of the Troop's "General Settings" page. - The 'Troop Meeting Location' controls the location of the map pin - You can provide a Troop website link or social media link if desired - The 'Basic Troop Overview' is what displays only on the Find a Troop site (this can be different messaging from the 'welcome message' in your customized connect form) - Choose whether to show meeting days and times on the Find a Troop site