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Set up People

In this section:

People is Planning Center's free membership database, where contact information, ministry activity, and communication history for everyone at your church lives in one place. By the end of this guide, you'll have your database populated, your team set up with the correct permissions, and your first list and workflow ready to use.

Add people to your database

Everything in Planning Center starts with your database. The more information you add for each person in People, the more useful it becomes.

If you're bringing contacts over from another system, export your data as a CSV file and import it into People. During the import, you'll match your spreadsheet's column headers to fields in People and get to preview the results before you finish.

Or if you're starting fresh, you can add people manually or let them trickle in as they fill out forms, which is covered below.

Set up your team's permission levels

Before you share People with your staff and volunteers, assign each person the correct permission level so they can do what they need to do without overreaching.

In People, go to each team member's profile, select the Actions button, and choose Manage permissions from the dropdown.

A few things to keep in mind as you set permission levels for your team:

  • Managers can create and edit forms, run imports, and manage workflows.

  • Editors can add and edit people's profiles and manage automations.

  • Viewers can look up profiles, create lists, and send emails.

  • Workflows only is the right option for follow-up volunteers who just need to work their assigned workflow cards.

For a full breakdown of what each level can do, refer to Permissions in People.

Create your first list

Lists are how you find and act on groups of people—they filter your database based on conditions you set. Once you have a list, you can email everyone on it, export the results, and more.

To create a list, choose the Lists page from the top navigation in People, and then select the New list button at the top of that page. Add a rule, set your conditions, and save! A few good ones to start with:

  • New attendees in the last 90 days (great for first-time guest follow-up)

  • Active members by membership type

  • People who've attended but haven't signed up for a group

For a full walkthrough of building rules and conditions, check out the Lists overview article.

Build a follow-up workflow

Workflows let your team track people through multi-step processes like following up with first-time guests, walking someone through a membership class series, or onboarding a new volunteer. Each person gets a card that moves through the steps as your team completes them, and team members get notified when a card is ready for them to take action.

To create a workflow, choose the Workflows page from the top navigation in People, then select the New workflow button at the top of that page. Add your steps, assign team members, and then add people to the workflow manually or through a list or form.

For a step-by-step guide to building and managing workflows, here's how to create a workflow.

What's next

With congregants in your database, your team set up, and your first list and workflow running, People is ready to do its job. Here are a few things to explore as you settle in: