Members should be able to see and change their own information, reply to events and accept jobs, without being able to look through everyone else’s phone numbers and notes. The answer is a page per member that shows only what is theirs, plus a directory that people choose to appear in.
What a member page should show
- Their upcoming events, with going, maybe and can’t buttons.
- The jobs they are down for, with accept and decline.
- Their groups, and a place to talk to their group.
- Their attendance and their giving, with a statement they can download.
- The details they are allowed to change: phone number, whether they get emails or texts, and whether they appear in the directory.
What it should never show
Other people’s records, private notes, medical information and giving. Hiding them on screen is not enough: the database itself should refuse to hand them over, so a curious member cannot get them another way.
Make the directory opt-in
A member directory is useful, but people should choose to be in it. Show only the names and contact details of people who said yes, and let anyone change their mind from their own page.
Give helpers only the part they need
A treasurer needs the money records, not the pastoral notes. A check-in volunteer needs check-in, not giving. Give each helper a role that opens just their area.
Doing this in Kanbei
When a member signs in, Kanbei shows them their own page: upcoming events with one-tap RSVP, their jobs, their groups and group message board, their attendance, their giving with a year-end statement, and the details they can update. Their account links to their record by email. The database only gives a plain member their own record, never private notes. The directory is off until you turn it on, and then shows only people who chose to be listed. Custom roles open single areas to helpers, such as Money for a treasurer. Members can add Kanbei to their phone’s home screen like an app.