HelpYou can reach our Customer Support Center in a variety of ways. We strive to respond quickly and give you the best Customer Service possible. If you can't find the answer to your question in our Frequently Asked Questions please feel free to contact our Customer Support Center via email or telephone. You should receive a response within 24 hours -- if you don't we're not doing our job!
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):
FAQ
Email Support:
support@youthtracker.net
Telephone:
360-450-3542
How Much Does YouthTracker.net Cost?
YouthTracker.net is a subscription-based service and the cost is dependant on the number of Areas (or databases) you want within your organization and whether you are being billed Monthly or Year-in-Advance. There are considerable savings for organizations choosing to subscribe multiple areas and for organizations that choose to pay Year-in-Advance. Learn more about areas and databases and our complete price list on our pricing page.
Can I Try YouthTracker.net Before I Sign Up?
Absolutely, you can use our demo site to give YouthTracker.net a try. The demo username and password has full permissions for the organization and any areas within it. Don't enter anything but demo information into that site though, because it's subject to periodic cleaning and other demo users can view and edit the data. If you would like a private database for your own testing please contact customer service to arrange for a private demo area.
What payment methods does YouthTracker.net accept?
We accept Visa and Mastercard only via the Web site sign-up process. However, we can take personal or corporate checks as well. In the event you need to pay with a check, please call customer service. We'll give you a method to get signed up online instantly and then send in your payment within 30 days.
Why does sending a TXT message cost 2.5¢ per message recipient?
When YouthTracker.net started sending TXT messages in 2006 the cost was 10¢ per message. Since then we've been able to lower the cost 3 fold and continue to push for even lower cost messaging. The messaging costs are associated with purchasing the bandwidth and credits from our provider necessary for delivering the messages.
TXT messages are sent from an email address that you provide so you can receive replies to the message. If you know the email address for your cell phone you can use that email address to send the message from and get replies on your mobile device as TXT messages. You do need to know the Cell Provider Company for the cell phones in your database in order for them to receive the messages. This is a relatively new requirement but allows us to offer services at 2-3 ¢ per message instead of 8-10¢ per message.
We continue to investigate the use of a 5-digit short code for sending messages but have found the $5,000 monthly fees prohibitive at this time. Shared-short code services are available but don't cover all providers (for instance Sprint/Nextel does not work with any share short code providers). So in order to keep the costs as low as possible we have designed our existing system and hope that it provides the best service possible.
What is the difference between YouthTracker.net TXT messaging and SimplyYouthMinistry.com TXT messaging?
SimplyYouthMinistry.com offers bulk TXT messaging service for a relatively low cost using the email to TXT gateways, but you need to keep a separate list of your student's phone numbers in a separate application and or sync your lists in multiple places. With YouthTracker.net you use one application for all your needs and can create dynamic lists to send to based on any search criteria at any time. There is also no monthly cost for YouthTracker.net messages so you only pay for what you use when you want to use it.
As always we encourage to you to explore all your options and make the decision that's best for your ministry. Hopefully the above information helps you make a more informed decision about TXT messaging options.
After signing up how long does it take for my database to be active?
After signing up for YouthTracker.net your database is active immediately. You will be shown a temporary URL on the confirmation screen as well as emailed a copy with your email confirmation. Use this temporary URL to access your YouthTracker.net database immediately. Our staff will then set up your custom URL that takes approximately 12-24 hours to propagate across the internet. Once you receive notice that your custom URL is set up, use it from that point forward.
I don't know how many ministry areas to sign up for?
YouthTracker.net subscriptions are based on the number of ministry areas (think databases) that you want to track in your organization. We don't require you to purchase multiple areas, but we certainly suggest it if you're trying to track more than about 150 students in an area. Each ministry area (database) has it's own students, staff, events, and statistics.
You can always use the "advanced search" feature to print labels or send email to just the junior high students, for example, even if you have both junior high and high school students in the same area. However, if you want to track your Junior High ministry completely separately from your High School ministry then you'd want to subscribe to two areas. (Don't worry, you can move students from one area to another once they graduate and their entire record will follow them. Also staff and volunteers can be assigned to more than one area and share a single profile between them.)
So in short, we don't restrict your usage of a single area (or database) but we certainly suggest that if you have over about 150 students that you purchase more than one area (database) for efficiency and organization. An example church situation may look like this: 1 area for children's ministries and junior high students (total 100 students). 1 area for High School and College ministries (total 150 students). The church would subscribe two areas. You can always add or subtract areas at a later time and your usage will be pro-rated.
How do I get setup with my new database?
View this video tutorial which walks you through setting up your preferences in your new YouthTracker.net database.
What technology do I need in order to access YouthTracker.net?
All you need to access YouthTracker.net is a current web browser (like Safari 1.3.1 or better, Internet Explorer 5.5 or better, FireFox 1.0.7 or better -- other browsers that support W3C standards probably work too) that supports 128 bit SSL. The 128 bit SSL is built-in to most browsers and is required for the strong security of YouthTracker.net. It helps to have a fast internet connection such as DSL or Cable also, but any connection to the internet will work -- it might just be a little slow.
Can I give my volunteers and other staff different permissions?
Absolutely. There are a variety of permissions that you can give staff. The permissions are actually "levels" so if you have level 3 then you also have level 1 and level 2. Read the complete description of the permission levels that you can set for a staff person.
What do the different permissions available for staff in YouthTracker.net?
The following permissions are available. You may not see every permission in the menu as you create staff as you're only allowed to create staff with the same permission or less than you have. So if you don't have Edit permissions then you won't be able to grant someone else edit permissions.
The permission levels build on each other. If you have a high numbered permission level then you also have each of the levels below it (for instance if you have permission level 4 you also have level 1, 2, and 3.).
How secure is YouthTracker.net?
We believe YouthTracker.net offers you the best security available. All your information is stored in a secure data center that includes power backup, firewall monitoring, and intrusion detection. Our code has been written with security in mind from the ground up. We have received the highest level of security certification from TrustGuard for the way we handle student data as well as your financial information.
All users are required to have a username and password in order to access your site and you can grant specific permissions to each of your staff. Any information that passes between the server and your browser is encrypted using 128-bit SSL encryption (the same as your bank's Web page.) Since your student information doesn't reside on your laptop you aren't exposing your student information if you laptop is stolen or hacked. Each and every connection to your information is logged for security and tracking. We manage the backups, security, and technical details so you can work with students.
We will never share your student information with anyone. It is your information and we protect it with the utmost of care. You can view our commitment to privacy in our Privacy Policy.
I have my student data in Microsoft Excel® already, can I import that into YouthTracker.net?
There's no sense in you retyping most of your data just so that you can copy it into YouthTracker.net. Because everyone's data is a little bit different we don't offer a generic service to import Excel files, but we will do custom imports. A custom import is where our Customer Support Center takes a copy of your Excel file and imports as much of the data as possible into YouthTracker.net. The cost for this service is $25 per 1/2 hour with a minimum $25 charge. Most files can be imported in 1/2 hour or less. Contact Customer Support if you're interested in importing your data.
Can I get my data out of YouthTracker.net?
You can export your student information into Microsoft Excel® from the Report menu in YouthTracker.net. As the need arises we'll be developing more reports so you can download additional information if you need to.
Print mailing labels on Mac OS X with Adobe Acrobat
View this video tutorial on how to get Adobe Acrobat to properly print the YouthTracker.net Mailing Labels on Mac OS X.
Print mailing labels on Mac OS X with Preview
View this video tutorial on how to get Preview to properly print the YouthTracker.net Mailing Labels on Mac OS.
Print mailing labels on Windows IE with Adobe Acrobat
View this video tutorial on how to get Adobe Acrobat to properly print the YouthTracker.net Mailing Labels on Internet Explorer on Windows.
Which browsers do the labels work with?
Unfortunately after the release of our label features Firefox 3 was released without PDF plug-in support. Firefox 3 does not have a built-in PDF plug-in and Adobe's PDF plug-in has yet to be updated to support Firefox 3. There is a third part plug-in for Firefox 3 but it does not support printing. Until Adobe is able to update their PDF reader we encourage you to use Safari on any computers that require label printing to the Dymo LabelWriter printers.
How do I print labels for Children's Ministry?
View this quick video tutorial on how to print labels for Children's Ministry sign-in.
What label printers should I use for Children's Ministry labels?
We recommend the DYMO LabelWriter® 400 or 400 Turbo. Labels are designed for address labels that are 1 1/8" by 3 1/2".
What file formats can I upload into student Documents?
Right now the Documents are configured to support the following file formats:
| Type | Extension | MIME Type |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe PDF Document | application/pdf | |
| JPEG Image | .jpg or .jpeg | image/jpeg |
| GIF Image | .gif or .giff | image/gif |
| PNG Image | .png | image/png |
| TIFF Image | .tif or .tiff | image/tiff |
| Word Document | .doc | application/msword |
How much Document storage space do we get with our subscription?
Student profile photos (one per student profile) are not counted against your storage space. Documents you upload to a student's profile (like their scanned medical release form) are counted against your 50 MB quota. 50 MB is the amount of disk space you are alloted for free. You may purchase increments of 1 GB of space for just 99¢/month. Your current usage is shown on each student profile page in the Documents section or on the Your Account screen.
How many documents can I store in 50MB?
The answer to this question depends on how your scan your files and what file type you use to store your scanned images. Here at YouthTracker.net we tested with scanning 8.5 x 11 pages into PDF files using the suggested options below and most pages were around 200 KB. With files that are 200 KB You could store 256 docments in the FREE 50 MB of storage space you were allotted. If you purchase an additional 1 GB of space for just 99¢/month then you could store up to 5,498 documents with files around 200 KB each.
What is the best resolution to scan in documents?
If you are scanning medical release forms or other documents into a file to upload into the YouthTracker.net Documents section you should use the following settings:
Do not scan into RGB (full color) at higher than 150 dpi. The quality you see in printed pages will not be significantly better and the file size will be huge, quickly eating up your allotted quota space.
How secure are the documents I upload?
Like all of YouthTracker.net the documents uploaded are limited to viewing only by authorized staff members. Documents cannot be added or edited unless a staff member has editing permissinos. Additionally, the Documents are protected by a "time-out" feature whereby the link to download them is not valid after 15 minutes has passed. Any documents must be downloaded shortly after viewing the page. They cannot be downloaded after 15 mintues of inactivity.
Can I access YouthTracker.net with my cell phone?
The latest cell phones (e.g. Apple's iPhone, Blackberries, Moto Q's, etc.) support YouthTracker.net just as if you were using it on a desktop computer. If you don't have a complete Web browser on your cell phone, you may still be able to use YouthTracker.net from your cell phone. Make sure your phone's Web browser supports 128 bit SSL encryption. You're welcome to test your cell phone against the demo site before you sign up.
YouthTracker.net is a subscription-based service and the cost is dependant on the number of Areas (or databases) you want within your organization and whether you are being billed Monthly or Year-in-Advance. There are considerable savings for organizations choosing to subscribe multiple areas and for organizations that choose to pay Year-in-Advance. Learn more about areas and databases and our complete price list on our pricing page.
Absolutely, you can use our demo site to give YouthTracker.net a try. The demo username and password has full permissions for the organization and any areas within it. Don't enter anything but demo information into that site though, because it's subject to periodic cleaning and other demo users can view and edit the data.