• Start Here

• Program Stages

  3. Forms

• Contact Info

<aside>

Every person with disability will present differently, so having an archive of what works best is a HUGE help!

• It makes future interactions much easier and deepens your relationship with the VIP’s caregivers.
• Takes volunteers <3 minutes! </aside>

<aside>

Example

</aside>

<aside>

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 template with directions on field types etc.

VIP Update Form (Software Template).pdf

Without Software (recommended)

Otherwise, we recommend Google Forms for easy volunteer access and organization.

</aside>

<aside>

VIP Updates 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 Updates Form
2. Your church’s copy of the VIP Auto Updates

Once connected, all VIP updates will flow automatically into the spreadsheet.

***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:

   VIP Update Form - YourChurchName

5. Add each VIP name into Question 1 replacing “FULL NAME 1 … FULL NAME 2” etc.

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:

   VIP Auto Updates - YourChurchName

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 VIP Update Form - YourChurchName

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:

   VIP Auto Updates - YourChurchName

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 update into that tab
• Trigger the update generator to archive all weekly updates

Your setup is complete!

STEP 4 — Test your setup (takes 10 seconds)

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

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

STEP 5 — Add updates anytime

Just use the form normally.

You do not need to set anything else up.

Each new submission automatically logs the update.

Selecting the VIP name in the Auto Updates tab will show their complete profile.

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

STEP 6 — Share the form with volunteers

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

And the Updates database link (share button top right in Sheets)

• [ ] Volunteers select VIP name, briefly jot down updates, and hit submit.
• Include in your “First-Time Visit” VIP Checklist
• Add it to Planning Center/alt software volunteer workflows
• Email it to volunteers or share in group chats

End Result

Weekly updates will be stored for each student which will make serving that much easier!

Consider updating VIP bios quarterly so volunteers have all the important info in one place.

Common Questions

Where do updates come from?

All updates are automatically generated from volunteers filling out the 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 setup.

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

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

</aside>