New Tendenci Help Files, Video Training, and Updates for Your NonProfit Website!

Looking for Help with Your Tendenci Website?

Check out these recent additions to our Help Files and Training Video Files!

Help Files: 

Find width x height sizes for common Tendenci Template images like your logo, rotator stories, and sponsor boxes

Learn how easy it is to Import your members from another website into Tendenci with a CSV file

Add a PayPal Online Payment button to a page on your Tendenci Website

Sign-up for our month to month hosting plan after your free trial, and then use your own custom domain name

Have a little fun with your Tendenci website content and change your bullet lists to custom icon lists with this intermediate level help file

Video Training:

Watch our new series to take you through setting up your Tendenci Website from the very beginning.

Find all our individual training videos to watch and learn how to set-up and use all the features included with Tendenci

We also add new content weekly to our YouTube and Slideshare pages, so follow Tendenci and get notified when we add new webinar presentations, video and help files, and more resources to help your nonprofit shine on the web!

Come Find Tendenci at These Events!

We would love to meet up with you in person to answer your questions about Tendenci and get to know you and what you are doing to make the world a better place.  Let us know if you’ll be at one of these upcoming events and want to hang out with us!

SXSW Interactive Festival – March 8th through March 13th, 2012 – Austin, TX

NTEN’s 2012 NonProfit Technology Conference (NTC) – April 3rd through April 5th, 2012 – San Francisco, California

Houston NetSquared Meetup – Monthly – Houston, TX

Tendenci Software Updates Has Moved!

For a long while, we’ve been posting Tendenci’s software version updates here on the blog.  We decided to move those updates onto our Tendenci website moving forward.  You’ll still find the updates we’ve already posted on the blog here forever and always, and head to Tendenci Software Updates to find the new updates starting with this past week.

From the Tendenci Homepage, just scroll down to the footer and you’ll find the new link to our weekly version update announcements:

We’ll still share some of the highlights of our weekly software updates here on the blog with you – for example, this week we have made some great updates to Tendenci that make it easier for you to manage your corporate members and set permissions controls!

Corporate Membership Updates

  • The corporate representative page now displays a list of all members associated with that corporation.
  • The creator and owner of a Corporate Membership can add additional representatives under this Corporate Membership.
  • The creator and owner of a Corporate Membership can also assign new memberships.
  • Added permission control settings to ensure that Anonymous users cannot be assigned to a corporate membership.

Better Permissions Control Viewing

I’m really excited about this update! 

We widened and updated Tendenci’s Group and Profile Permissions Control View to resolve the issue with some permission settings being truncated and unclear.

Import Your Members from Your Old Site to Tendenci Faster

We made some improvements to our member import with clearer error messages, better file and application mapping, and now membership fields are no longer case-sensitive in the import CSV file.  You can also separate membership fields with spaces, underscores, or dashes without interfering with the import.

Use the Help File for Importing Your Members to see how to import members from a CSV into your Tendenci website.

Find Answers Faster with Tendenci’s New Support Menu

The next time you are looking for support for your website – Look Up.  We moved the support menu from your website footer up to the admin navigation bar that sits at the top of each page of your website.  The new Support drop down menu lists all the helpful links you need to learn to use your website, contact our Support team when you have a problem, search our Help Files, and make a payment.

 

What is This Tendenci Guide?

We also added a new Support tool to the menu – a Tendenci Guide.  This walk-through tutorial shows you how to use the different features and tools included with your Tendenci online membership management software.  This nifty guide is a mini-version of your website and is designed to quickly and easily show you how to add new pages and articles, update your home page, create photo albums and more with your association’s Tendenci website.

Easily Update Your Home Page Content!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Find Tips that Will Drive New Visitors and Revenue to Your Website!

 

 

 

 

Looking for More Tendenci Training and Support Resources?

We will be continuing to add new tips and pages to the guide and would love your help. Send us your questions and suggestions on what You would like included in the Getting Started Guide.  You can also come search our Tendenci Help Files for additional help and join our newsletter to receive updates on Tendenci Training, software changes, and web marketing tips to grow your nonprofit or professional association’s membership community directly in your email box.

Wondering If You Should Migrate to the Newest Version of Tendenci and How Much It Will Cost?

Should You Make Room in Next Year’s Budget for a New Website?

Photo by Ed Schipul
We’ve made a lot of changes with our newest version of Tendenci this year including re-coding certain key modules and features in Python and Django.  As you prepare your marketing and IT budget for next year – you may be considering whether or not it is time to update your Tendenci website CMS software to the latest version and wondering what the changes we’ve made will change for your website.

A few of you may not need to update just yet and your organization’s website doesn’t require all of the cool new bells and whistles we’ve piled into Tendenci this past year.  Most of our clients find they accomplish better results with their online marketing initiatives when they update their website every 2 years or so.  When to update also depends on your online objectives, the purpose of your website, how large your organization is and how fast it is growing.

Change is a Good Thing

If you are curious about the changes we’ve made in Tendenci – we invite you to come learn more about them through one of our Tendenci Training webinars or call us to schedule a demo for your staff.  We have been getting a lot of questions from clients trying to understand the costs and the work involved in migrating from your existing Tendenci website to the latest and greatest.  Our programmers are adding incredible new functionality almost daily to our Tendenci Online Membership Management Software and we know you’ll just love the new changes as much as we do!

Most importantly, we want you to have all the information you need to clear up any confusion about the process involved with a Tendenci website migration.  I want to clear up any confusion and answer your most common questions today so you will have all the details to add a website upgrade in your 2012 budget.  I also encourage you to Contact Us if I don’t get to your question in this post.

How much will it cost to migrate?

Migration costs will vary from client to client depending on the complexity of your website Design and Layout.  An initial Tendenci migration project can cost anywhere from $2500 to $5000.  This is an average range to tell you what you can expect and we would be more than happy to provide you with a specific quote for your organization’s website – just ask us and you’ll have an exact dollar amount to budget for within 2-3 business days.

We have completely revamped our monthly software and hosting fees alongside the changes in our software’s programming language.  The new pricing plans are month to month, and will flexibly adjust based on the amount of actual traffic and your website asset usage.  You can check out our new monthly software and hosting plans and just ask us if you have any questions.

Will I lose my data from my existing website?

Your data is protected and backed-up throughout the migration process.  In rare cases, something from the old version may not translate in the original format to the new version and may require a change in format.  During the migration, your old website remains live and your visitors and members won’t experience any disruption.

What about my members, events, invoices, etc?

The migration of content will move your member and user databases, events, invoices, files, and other data from your current Tendenci website to your new website.  Some of our modules have been redesigned to include more customization and better functionality.  Memberships, for example, now offer a ton more options and customization and your Project Manager will work with you to help you determine if you want to keep your membership types the same or select to update and take advantage of the new features during the migration.  The event calendar and event types has a brand new look that we think you’ll prefer over your old version.

What is so awesome about this new version anyways?

Our Tendenci Programming team has made so many new feature changes even we are having trouble keeping up with all of them.  Take a look at the still-growing Full List of Tendenci Features and check out what these associations are doing with their new Tendenci websites for some examples.

Schedule a demo and we will walk you through all the new changes and show you how awesome your new Tendenci website would be after migrating as well as answer all of your questions.

Should I update my website design also?

The short answer is Absolutely!

New innovations in web design come out almost every day, site visitor behavior changes over time, and then there is compatibility with different browsers and mobile devices that didn’t even exist a year or two ago.  A redesign will freshen up your association’s online Brand and ensure the best possible user experience for your members and online community.  Migration to the newest version will address and update certain things, like better search engine optimization and improved navigation and user accessibility features.

These updates are your “under the hood” features that your website visitors will experience without really knowing it.  A full redesign is like getting a spiffy new paint job on each of your website’s page templates.  If your website hasn’t been touched in more than 2 years, you will definitely want to consider adding this into your budget for 2012.

For clients who want the newer software and just don’t have the budget for custom design – we understand completely.  We have added new TendenciApp Themes that you can customize color-wise and add your organization’s logo to at a much lower cost than a custom redesign.  Check out our theme gallery and tell us which ones you like best.

Can you make my life sending email newsletters easier while you are at it?

You betcha!  We were feeling the same frustration all of you were with our older email newsletter module in Tendenci.  Our newest version of Tendenci software comes integrated with Campaign Monitor’s Email Marketing Software and gives you the tools you need to create, send, and manage your email newsletters.

In addition to how easy the new email marketing tools are to use, Tendenci’s newsletter integration offers you all the reporting and measurement tools you’re marketing team has been dreaming of – just in time for Christmas.  And the best part is – wait for it – create your email newsletter campaign and schedule it to send any day and time of the week you want and it is sent IMMEDIATELY when it is supposed to.  (Yea – you all know what I’m talking about… ) 😉

Sign-up for the Tendenci Newsletter to receive our own Campaign Monitor-Integrated Newsletter and find out about upcoming Tendenci events, training, and feature changes.

Watch our new WYSIWYG editor video!

Our new WYSIWYG editor is up and running! Featuring an all-new beautiful layout designed to make it easy for you to create content for your website. With these new changes, we have created a video to help understand the new features and layout. If you want to find more information be sure to check out our icon help file and our newsletter article. We hope you enjoy the new editor and we would love to hear your feedback!

Share your Tendenci ideas and needs on Get Satisfaction!

 
Getsatisfactiontendenci
The Tendenci team is now using Get Satisfaction to give you another way to keep in touch, share your ideas and software desires and find some extra help for your Web site.

While this doesn't replace our Support services, this is yet another great resource for you to review other Tendenci users' questions, tips and advice – as well as get connected with our Support team.

Have feedback, a Tendenci wishlist or looking for some collaboration with other Tendenci users?  Check it out!

We post regularly 'Give us Your Feedback' topics on new and improved features and functionality, so be sure to check back regularly and give us your two cents!

Awesome Tendenci Takeaway from SchipulCon09!!

Our first annual Schipul Web Marketing Company was a huge success and we want to thank all of our awesome clients for making it a possibility. The Tendenci Track was a blast!!

Couldn’t make it out to SchipulCon this year? Never fear! We have some great resources you can check out.

  1. Follow (and contribute to!) the SchipulCon-Versation
  2. Check out our speaker slides on our SchipulCon Presentation Page
  3. Peruse the SchipulCon videos on our Events page
  4. Get a photo play-by-play on Flickr (Thanks to Eye-Fi!)

If you are new to Tendenci – The Open Source AMS, you must check out the Tendenci 101 presentation! JJ Lassberg is AMAZING!

Confused about newsletters? We’ve got you covered! Stay updated with The Tendenci the Open Source News.

As always, let us know if you have questions. Our support team is here to help!!

Let us help you with your organization’s newsletter!

Sending out newsletters to your clients and members is a great way to communicate quickly and effectively.  With all the content, the rich media and the formatting, we get that it can be a challenging and labor-intensive process.  

We've got some great newsletter help files that will hopefully assist in the process, specifically:

But if you'd like a little extra help, we've got a few extra opportunities happening in the upcoming week:

  • Newsletter re-design time!  Get a fresh new look for your newsletter with a basic template design starting at $300.  In addition to your new svelte look, our team will even create your first newsletter for you with the content you provide.  All you'll have to do is click send.
  • Free Newsletter 101 Webinar – On Wednesday, August 12th at 2pm CST, our team will put on a Tendenci newsletter creation step-by-step training where you can get new tips and tricks on making your newsletters a smash hit!  Sign up today!

The Schipul team is always ready to hear your feedback and give you a helping hand.  Give us a call at (281) 497.6567, ext. 411.  Thanks!