Registration Coordination Checklist

Updated September 2019

This process description includes an end-to-end list of how to get students through the many programs we offer.  Registrars are able to handle all paper and electronic transactions with a smile to get program applicants registered and eventually noted as having completed a program so students can proceed on their Way of Shambhala path.  This checklist document also references Program Coordinator and System Administrator activities associated with the registration process. Registrar duties include:

  1. Understand how to broadcast messages to “registrants” and to “participants” via the Shambhala Database (SDB) and how the Webmaster sets up a new program in the database including all date/time, cost, and assignment of roles for an upcoming program. For the key entry screen, see Attachment A-1.
  2. Contact the webmaster, when necessary, to confirm who is identified as the “Registrar” for receiving registration application emails for the upcoming program.
  3. The System Administrator will determine that the applicant meets the prerequistes for the program, if any, and either approve or disapprove the application and get back to the applicant regarding any denial. For prerequisites for all Way of Shambhala programs, see Attachment A-2 which is linked from our “Core Path webpage: http://davis.shambhala.org/getting-started/the-way-of-shambhala/ (Attachment A-3).
  4. The revised Shambhala Database does a good job during the online registration process in letting the registrant know the status of their registration. Firefox is considered the best browser to use. Here is the set of screens documenting the online registration process.Attachment B-1.  Program Description
    Attachment B-2.  Registration Process – Step 1
    Attachment B-3.  SDB System-generated Acknowledgement of Step 1
    Attachment B-4.  Registration Process – Step 2a (select PayPal or Debit/Credit Card)
    Attachment B-5.  Registration Process – Step 2b (pay via Debit or Credit Card)
    Attachment B-6.  “PayPal Checkout – Payment Completed” Acknowledgement of Step 2b
    Attachment B-7.  SDB System-generated Acknowledgement that “Program Registration Complete”
    Attachment B-8.  SDB System-generated Notice to Registrar that someone intends to attend
  5. In addition to the above screen prints that the registrant sees, the Registrar receives an email alert that someone has registered for a program. We know that in some cases, the Registrar receives this notification within three hours (see Attachment B-8). We also know that the Webmaster can add multiple “Registrars” for a single program, and each would receive this email.
  6. The Registrar must know how to get to the PayPal.com screen with the email address and password. Secondly, the Registrar must be able to get to the Registration Program for the particular program by going to Shambhala.org, getting into the “Members” area (with your individual userID and password) and then clicking on “Email & Web Services”, and then Member’s View of the Shambhala Database.” Then click on the “Staffing Administration” link. Finally, select the program of interest.
  7. Go to the DSMC PayPal account and if there are PayPal or Bank Transfer registrations that do not appear on the Registration Form, then add these in handwriting  so that there are no disputes at the registration table. Conversely, each PayPal/Bank Transfer item listed on the Registration Form must be looked up in PayPal to confirm that payment has been received.
  8. The first day of the event activities include:
    1. Perform the above reconciliation of PayPal vs. Registration Form.
    2. Print out the current Registration Form. Print at least two copies, as one will go to the Program Coordinator.
    3. Set up registration table including tablecloth, two chairs, optional flower arrangement, literature/books, sign-in sheet in case of a backlog at the registration table, name tags, magic markers and ballpoint pens, two copies of Registration Form to be marked up.
    4. Greet people walking through the door, and determine if the Coordinator has already designated a staff person to do this.
    5. Finalize pre-registered folks by taking checks and currency, and if requested, filling out and handing over a receipt for cash collected. If someone successfully registered via our website, but the Registration Form shows they did not pay, which they dispute, ask whether they used PayPal and if “yes,” how much they paid, and place that amount in the Reconciliation Form notes sheet.  If the Registrar is sitting at the table, this should not be a problem as s/he will have already updated the Registration Form for any PayPal transactions viewed from DSMC’s PayPal account for any registrations that failed to show up on the Registration Form per item #6 above. If a registrant says that they will pay at the second meeting, let the Coordinator know of this as the Registrar often attends only the first session of a class.
    6. Register folks who did not pre-register by taking their name, phone, email, and USPS mail address. Take money; make change if possible, fill out and hand over a receipt for cash collected. Post all contact information and all fees collected at the table onto the Registration Form.
    7. Provide the Coordinator with his/her copy of the Registration Form including the names of any walk-ins, if applicable, and identify those who pre-registered but did not show up for the first meeting.
    8. Retain the checks and cash received, expenditure receipts, and the Registrar’s marked-up copy of the Registration Form (see 8f above).
  9. Registrar must confer with the Coordinator as to whether the Registrar needs to come back for the second meeting (if applicable) as Coordinators can possibly take attendance, pick up a late registrant’s fee, etc. thereby letting the Registrar off the hook for this workload.
  10. The end-of-the-program activities include:
    1. Find out from the Coordinator which registrants actually completed the class/program. The Coordinator and the Director make this call. There is a check box at the right-hand edge of the Registration Form that can be used to track this information. The Registrar then updates the database moving “registrants” to “participants.”
    2. If there is a contact information update required for a registrant, advise the System Administrator what update(s) are required. Again, the Registration Form is the key entry document.
    3. Complete and print out the Excel spreadsheet entitled Program-Reconciliation-Workbook-1
    4. Open the envelope containing all checks and cash remaining from the program advance, if any, plus the cash collected from registration, and, finally, all expenditure receipts. Confirm there is a name on each expenditure receipt identifying who made the purchase. Confirm that the cash remaining + expenditure receipts = the amount of the advance, if any, plus the cash collected from registration.
    5. Teacher’s gift cash or checks should be kept separate as historically at the DSMC, this accounting is generally handled by the Coordinator.  Teacher’s gift (aka Heart gifts) accounting is NOT the responsibility of the Registrar.
    6. If there are books purchased for the program (or in that incredibly rare instance of other course materials), simply have the purchaser place a check or cash into a separate envelope explaining the purpose of the money and stick the envelope into the donations box. These DSMC revenues will be deposited by the accounts receivable volunteer.  They are subject sales tax as DSMC has a “reseller’s” license, and therefore, we are obliged to pay the CA Department of Tax and Fee Administration (formerly Board of Equalization) the end of the year for all books sold.
    7. Determine with the assistance of the Program Coordinator that all expenses have been paid.
    8. Fill out the Program Reconciliation Workbook in its three parts: Income Form,  PR form and the Notes. Share it with the Coordinator if the Registrar has any qualms re: program revenues or expenses. The “Instructions” tab helps to explain how to fill out the three sheets.
    9. Some additional background information on how the SDB Registration Form works:
        1. All PayPal and Bank Transfer transactions showing up on the Registration form should show up on the PayPal screen, but they don’t always.First, if a registrant places a dollar amount on the front online screen maintained by Shambhala International and that person fails to click on the PayPal button or goes there but aborts the transaction, the database will show the payment but PayPal will not.Secondly, we’ve seen (once with Christopher Gibbs) the opposite case when a registrant’s PayPal transaction did not show up as having been paid per the Registration Form, while the registrant was able to show us at the registration table his PayPal receipt on his phone. Ideally, this was merely a timing issue due to when we printed the Registration Form.
        2. All PayPal and Bank Transfer items must be reconciled with the PayPal screen.Both transaction types show up on PayPal. This look-up should be done at least twice for each program: once just before setting up the registration table so that any discrepancies can be worked out face-to-face, and finally, before emailing the Program Reconciliation Workbook  to the Comptroller.
        3. After reconciling the Registration Form’s PayPal/Bank Transfer entries against the PayPal screen, the Registration Form has essentially served its purpose. We no longer really care about the $$$ data on the Registration Form. At this point, the Registration Form should be considered as merely a key entry document into the Shambhala Database for two update processes: (1) all registrant address information revisions, if any and (2) documenting who completed the program. In other words, it is the Program Reconciliation Workbook that is ultimately sent to the Comptroller and therefore is THE document that has to correctly explain all program revenue and expenses. This is why we will not put any effort into updating the Registration Form for any money data.
    10. Deposit into the checking account at First Northern Bank.
    11. Copy (when required) and retain the following for the Registrar’s records:
      1. the Registrar’s marked-up Registration Form (Attachment C)
      2. the Program-Reconciliation-Workbook-1 including the PR Form, Income Form, and Notes (Attachment D).
      3. all checks (Attachment E), and
      4. all expenditure receipts (Attachment F). Please ensure the name of the person turning in the receipt is written on each receipt.
      5. On the Notes sheet, (1) include an explanation when necessary to clarify any revenue or expense transactions; and (2) staple to Notes the checking account Deposit Transaction Receipt confirming the deposit date and amount on the Program Reconciliation Workbook.
    12. About one to two weeks after the last meeting of a program, the System Administrator and Registrar will each receive an email from the Shambhala Database team (see Attachment G) requesting that anyone completing the program be updated from “registrant” to “participant. ”Ideally, before that email is sent and to stop it from being sent, the Registrar has gone into the SDB and updated that program’s registration to include walk-in attendees, and forwarded to the System Administrator any contact information changes for anyone in the program, if applicable, and finally recorded those people who completed the program.
    13. Email the Program Reconciliation Workbook to the Comptroller and to the Head of Practice and Education.
    14. If a refund is necessary, confirm the registrant’s mailing address and notify the Burser to write and mail a check.
  11. Keep current the Registrar documentation in the Volunteers’ Manual (hardcopy and website) including Registrar’s duty statement description and this Registration Coordination Check List.

 

Registration Coordination Check List Attachments

A-1 Webmaster’s SDB Screen Used to Set-up an Event (5 pages)
A-2 Pre-requisites for Way of Shambhala (WOS) Classes – at a Glance
A-3 Pre-requisites for WOS Classes – Detailed Narrative (5 pages)

B Series Re: the On-line Registration Process as Seen by the Registrant

B-1 The Program’s Description
B-2 Registration Process – Step 1 (Provide Contact Info. + Intended Payment Amount)
B-3 SDB* System-Generated Acknowledgement of Completed Step 1
B-4 Registration Process – Step 2a (Select PayPal or Debit/Credit Card Payment Method)
B-5 Registration Process – Step 2b (Enter Debit/Credit Card Info.) (2 pages)
B-6 “PayPal Checkout – Payment Completed” PayPal’s Acknowledgement of
Step 2b (2 pages)
B-7 SDB System-Generated Acknowledgement that “Program Registration Complete”
B-8 SDB System-Generated Notice to Registrar that Someone Intends to Attend

C SDB “Registration Form” (3 pages)

D Series Re: Program Reconciliation Workbook

D-1 The Reconciliation “Form”
D-2 “Income” Form
D-3 “Notes” Form + Bank Deposit Transaction Receipt
D-4 Instructions for the Entire Spreadsheet

E Photocopy of Checks Received

F Photocopy of Expenditure Receipts (2 pages)

G Shambhala DB Team’s Reminder to Close the Program (2 pages)

* SDB = Shambhala Database