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Support Help for Routing Information

This portion will assist you in quickly assembling your routing to the congregations, to notify them, and to allow you to see where conflicts are possible with other circuit overseers.

Routing

See various ways to use the "Routing" portion of the program!

Entering Necessary Data First

Before you can begin your routing to the congregations, your congregation data must be entered. This is done through the Congregation Form. Also you must have at least member in the congregation for the congregation to show. (You can't schedule a congregation if there is no one in it!)

Once your initial data is loaded such as circuit overseers you may conflict with in the Kingdom Halls as well as Congregation information as well as information on CBOE's, you are ready to start scheduling congregations to be served.

Quick Links for Information

Routing Panel

Mailings Panel

Attachments Panel

Schedule Panel

Routing Notes Panel

Email Notes Panel

Adding Weeks

Click "+" This will ask if you want to enter a date manually or automatically after the last week currently scheduled. If you are starting to schedule congregations for the first time, then pick a date to start, making sure you pick Tuesdays. From this point, you can simply add a week at the end of the routing automatically if you like. (You can also add a week at the end of the current routing through the "Listing Tab")

Pick a Congregation - Next, select the congregation to served that week from the drop down list. If a congregation name looks incorrect, then it is probably entered incorrectly under the "Congregations" form. For example, if your congregation is listed as “English, English Anytown, MI” then you need to rename your file to show correctly.

Activity - Note any the activity in the box under “Activity”. "Congregation Visit" may be entered, but you can change it. If it is a Personal Time Away week then nothing will show in the Congregation box.

Note on Multiple Weeks Served (Using a Sub CO)

At times, you may be serving congregations simultaneously with your Subs. To do this, simply add the week and congregation the sub is serving, even if it is the same date as the week you are serving in another congregation. When you go to add information to your report for the week later, you will be asked which week you would like to add data to. There, you can also import data from your sub for the week he is serving. Click on "Alt" and this will identify the week as a Sub CO week and the week portal record will turn yellow to set it apart.

Sending s302's

Sending s302's - Sending s-302's is only done through one button in the portal. It sends for one week, by way of your email client at a time. It generates the email, attaches a fillable from from the branch, ready for emailing. You can also send it to your desktop if you like to save these for later or print them. After sending, the program asks if you want to mark it as sent. Also there is a checkbox for when the recipient tells you he received the form.

Branch Form - You can use the branch form to send to the congregations. This is a fillable PDF form that you can download from jw.org. After downloading, you can then insert this form into the program under PDF storage accessible from the Main, Directory pafe. and the program will keep track of it for you. You only need to enter it once.

  • To read this form, perhaps after producing it to your desktop, you must have Adobe Reader (or Adobe Acrobat if you have this program) installed on your computer.
  • You can add more addresses if you like to the email and tailor it to the congregation if there are special instructions. Don't forget to add some predetermined notes to your email. For instructions see this help file on Sending by Email. You can view the 302 in your email client or click on the attachment to be sure the s302 is correct for the congregation intended. Note: Fillable PDF forms are not viewable at present on IOS devices such as the iPad. The fields will not show data. Brothers will often write and ask why the fields are not filled. Let them know these fillable PDF files must be viewed on a regular computer or an app that allows field editing and viewing.

  • Create You Own Form - Some brothers have chosen to create their own form to send to the congregations, perhaps with some additional notes to the congregation to be posted on the information board. This can easily be done IF you have a copy of Adobe Acrobat. It means using the three key fields from the branch s302 form on your own form. View the s302 form from the branch in Adobe Acrobat. Either Copy or name fields in your own form to be the same as the branch form. Save the form and then insert this into the program instead of the branch s302. When your program fills out the form in Adobe, it will now open and fill your form. Very easy to do, but you must have Adobe or another PDF editing program to accomplish this.

Sending Letters

Searching for Letters to Send - Click the button with the Printer symbol under "Letters" to search for letters to be sent. After sending, you will receive a question dialog box asking if you want to search for more weeks.

Sending Letters - Works similarly to sending s302's. Select the week you want to send the letter for in the routing portal and the information entered in the "Letter Composition Tab" as well as the songs and talk titles will be sent. You have option to create your main letter for the visit, an alternate letter for weeks that are out of the ordinary such as serving foreign language congregations or a substitute Circuit Overseer. To preview a form before printing or sending, hit the button under the search for letters to send form that shows the printer icon. This will allow you to view the form before printing and/or sending. If you click “Print to PDF” you will then be able to save the file as a PDF.(See Talks and Songs for more information as well as How to Compose Your Letter for more information on how to get your letter ready.) Once composed, the letter will automatically be sent to the correct CBOE for the congregation, with all the correct information 'merged in'. No need to understand Word Mail Merge. It is all done for you.

HTML or Email Client - If set up under Circuit Info and Settings, you may be able to send letters to congregations using professional and polished looking emails using HTML sending this through SMTP email. All the functions are built into the program, you can select this option under the "Support" menu at the top of the screen and it is only available on Mac and Windows. You can select from several different templates. You need to check to be sure this method actually sends the letter, since it is only available on Google Mail or Gmail and you have to change Google's settings to Allow Less Secure Apps. If you update, upgrade or get a new computer or don't use this function for a while, Google automatically turns this off, so if it stops working, go back to Google and turn this back on again!

Meeting Schedule - A new feature allows a Meeting Schedule to be sent to the congregations prefilled with your data for the week, such as songs etc and even meeting times based on your Congregations data you have stored for the congregation. Then, there are fillable fields that the CBOE can fill out for the visit, very handy to use. There are many settings for this discussed below, but if it is a Sub CO week, the data for his talks etc will be included on the form.

Export to Calendar

Export to iCal - You can export your week’s visit information to Calendar. Enter the name of a calendar you are already using. Or enter a name and iCal will create the calendar for you and enter the appointment. Using sync programs you can then sync what you are doing perhaps to “Google Calendar” or to iCloud and others such as CBOE’s can see where you are quickly. These calendars can be set for limited viewing by only certain people. See documentation on these outside calendars for more information. You may need to give your Program to access to Mac through System Preferences allowing Filemaker to access your calendar. (Note: Export to iCal is not available on Windows.)

Routing Button

Routing Button Overview - This allows you to Preview the routings, send routings to the CBOE's and to CO's. Routings to the CBOE's are always sent to all CBOE's in the circuit. The Emails to the CO's are always to the ones you share Kingdom Halls with, selected under the Kingdom Hall Form or accessible through the Congregation Form where you store data for the congregations. You can also fill out various forms connected with your routing.

Fill s-300 Form -In some branches or situations, the brothers may still use the s-300 form. We will continue to keep this function in the program as long as the branch provides the form.

Fill s-305 Form - This is a helpful form for sending in weeks you are asking for Personal Time Away. This function allows you to enter certain weeks into the PDF form getting it ready to send to the branch. Again, as noted with the s-300, as long as the branch provides this form, we will keep it in the program.

Routing Conflict Avoidance System©

Avoiding Conflicts - This allows you to quickly see where you may conflict. You can create weeks in advance and fill in under notes when a certain circuit overseers has informed you regarding the use of a Kingdom Hall. This will help avoid conflicts in the future. When a circuit overseer sends you his routing, click the little "+" on the right side of the portal and enter the Kingdom Hall or congregation to avoid. Maybe they are having a CO visit for another language, or an assembly in another language. Maybe there is maintenance being done on the Kingdom Hall that week. Whatever it is, place an alert in the program and you will not be able to accidentally schedule a visit with that congregation or in that Kingdom Hall. Also, add a quick brief note as to why there is a conflict and that will help you later if you need to remove it if it changes.

Automated Next-In-Line Congregation

Picking the Next Congregation - to serve is now a breeze! When you go to select the next congregation to be served, you can quickly pick the one that is next by using the portal that opens up and the congregation that is next in line will come up at the top and tell you when it was served. If you try to enter a congregation where there is a conflict it will quickly tell you and you can pick another one in line. This way they are always covered and stay relatively in the same sequence. So cool!

Standard Weeks

Standard Weeks - by clicking at the top you can select which type of week you want to work in. For your weeks as the regular CO visit, you will use the "Standard" week format. You can also adjust the letter and compose from this panel as well. Everything you place here will end up on the Meeting Schedule if you want to provide this to the congregation as well as in your letter wherever you choose to place it. The Attachments as shown on the next panel will also go with just the Standard CO visit week.

Alternate Weeks

Alternate Weeks - or mainly for weeks for the Sub CO weeks. Your sub may supply you with his own talks and songs. These can be used in the letter if you want as well as the Meeting Schedule. The attachments you place in the next panel will also be strictly for the Sub CO or Alternate week.

Compose Letters

Composing or Writing Letters -You can write the letters to the congregations here. Click on the button to compose the Standard or Alternate letter for the congregations being served. They can be a little tricky at first to set up because you have to remember to use spaces where needed and to think through how you want the letter to read. But once composed, it saves it and then you simply have to adjust from visit to visit. You'll get the hang of it, just preview a lot and you can see where you need to adjust! (See How to Compose Your Letter for more information.)

Talks and Songs - You can enter the songs and talks for the weeks to be served and this will show up in your letter and meeting schedules. Notice you can enter different songs for alternate weeks as sometimes foreign language congregations may need to use a different songbook. (See Talks and Songs for more information.)

Attachments Basics

Attachments - This is pretty straightforward, if you select Standard at the top, you will be dropping and dragging your attachments into fields for your email for standard regular visits. If you select Alternate you will then be able to add attachments sent for that week! Super helpful to keep them separate.

Meeting Schedule

Meeting Schedule Basics - You can now produce a fillable or editable Meeting Schedule in PDF format now made possible with our new DynaPDF plug in software which saves a ton of time and allows us now to do things which were impossible before. You can create a schedule with your own fonts and colors and backgrounds or you can make your own form completely customizable to your liking and have it filled from the program. Experiment by changing the looks and printing to PDF to the Desktop. When sending, brothers should be able to fill out the schedule in Adobe Reader and then have it ready for the week. You can turn this off and on and choose whether to send or not. Always remember to adjust the meeting times under "Congregations" to be sure that it fills correctly for that week. On Mac you can also open the Digital Color Meter to pick just the right colors. (Not Available on Windows but you can do similar with other apps and websites.)

Additional Thoughts - You can also choose to send an editable schedule with your mailing. This will make it easier for a foreign language congregation to adjust the schedule to Meeting Titles etc, that the friends in the congregation will understand! You can set this to be automatic, based on the language of your circuit you enter under "Circuit Info" and the language of the congregation, entered under Congregation information. You can also send the editable routing to all congregations in your mailing. Remember, the buttons on the editable forms by user will NOT print. Be sure to always use Adobe Reader to view and print the Meeting Schedule.

Routing Notes

Routing Notes Tab - Place detailed notes that might be included in your email to the other traveling overseers, or CBOE's. (See Sending by Email. for more information.)

Email Notes

Email Notes Tab - Place notes that will go along with your s302 and letter to the congregations here. You can also include things like, the meeting time to go over the records as well as the date to send in recommendations and so on. All will be included in your email.

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