• Start Here
• Program Stages
• Contact Info

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A Snapshot of each student is super important!

• This Intake Form eases the burden on your end of acquiring important info, and gives them the flexibility to share what they are comfortable with.
  • Support level needed (independent, check-ins, 1-on-1 buddy, etc.)
  • Important medical and contact info
  • Safety considerations
  • Communication preferences
• The Student Bios give a snapshot to Buddy volunteers and other relevant staff so that you can best care for them and their family.

Functionally = “Disability Intake Form”. Inclusively = “Accommodations Request Form”

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With Software (not recommended)

• If using Planning Center (or related software), all forms must be built inside your account.
  • These will not properly interact with our other resources, hence not recommended.

Click below for a simplified software template with directions on field types etc.

Disability Intake Form (Software Template).pdf

Without Software (recommended)

We recommend Google Forms for easy access and organization.

Not using Google Forms = No Auto Bios!

The form and student bios are setup for both individuals and guardians of people with disabilities.

• [ ] Directions: Fill in the 4 bolded all CAPS items at the top, and 1 at the bottom (ministry name, contact person, and website link) </aside>

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Disability Intake Setup

This takes 5 minutes. No technical skills needed.

You will set up two things in your own Google Drive:

1. Your church’s copy of the VIP Intake Form
2. Your church’s copy of the VIP Intake + Bio Generator Spreadsheet

Once connected, all VIP submissions will flow automatically into the spreadsheet and generate bios for your volunteers.

***Make sure it’s your church, not personal Google account

STEP 1 — Make a copy of the Intake Form

1. Click the Intake Form link below.

2. Google will open a message saying “Make a copy?”

3. Click “Make a copy.”

4. Rename it to something like:

   YourChurchName – VIP Intake Form

This form now lives in your Google Drive and belongs fully to your church.

STEP 2 — Make a copy of the VIP Student Bios Spreadsheet

1. Click the spreadsheet link below:

2. Click “Make a copy.”

3. Rename it to:

   YourChurchName – VIP Intake + Bios

DO NOT edit formulas or structure — everything is already set up for you.

STEP 3 — Connect your Intake Form to your Intake + Bios Sheet

This is the most important step.

1. Open your newly-copied YourChurchName – Disability Intake Form

2. Click the Responses tab at the top

3. Click the small green Sheets icon

4. Choose “Select existing spreadsheet”

5. Pick the spreadsheet you copied in Step 2:

   YourChurchName – VIP Intake + Bios Sheet

6. Click Select

Google Forms will automatically:

• Create a tab inside the sheet called “Form Responses 1” (DO NOT CHANGE THIS!)
• Send every new VIP submission into that tab
• Trigger the bio generator to update automatically

Your setup is complete!

STEP 4 — Test your setup (takes 10 seconds)

1. Open your Disability Intake Form
2. Submit a test entry (any example data is fine)
3. Open your VIP Intake Sheet
4. Go to the tab called “Bio Generator”
5. Use the student dropdown at the top to select the test name
6. You should now see the bio fields fill in automatically

If you see the test information correctly, the system is fully active.

STEP 5 — Add real VIPs anytime

Just use the form normally.

You do not need to set anything else up.

Each new submission automatically generates a new bio.

Selecting the student name in the Bio tab will show their complete profile.

No manual typing. No spreadsheet editing. No tech work needed.

STEP 6 — Share the form with parents/guardians

You can now safely share the form link (click the paperclip icon).

• Include in your Accommodations Welcome Packet
• Add it to Planning Center/alt software registration workflows
• Add it to your church website (embed)
• Email it to parents
• Print a QR code for check-in areas

STEP 7 — Share the bios with Buddy volunteers

1. After the form is filled out, go to the tab called “Bio Generator” and select the student’s name.
2. Select: File (top left)>download>pdf>export (top right)
3. Email to assigned Buddies and relevant ministry leaders

Common Questions

Where do volunteer bios come from?

All bios are automatically generated from the intake form.

Do we ever edit the spreadsheet?

No. You never need to change formulas or structure.

Just use the dropdown to select a student.

Can we customize the form?

You may customize it, but it may break the bio generator.

In general, you can add questions, but altering or removing questions will break it.

*If you add questions, those will not auto populate in the bio generator, so you will have to find the answers manually in the “Form Responses 1” Sheet.

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