The back to school season brings with it a ton of new extra-curricular activities. Whether you are a Mom or a college student, that means new groups, new contacts and logistics to coordinate.
There are two online software applications I would like to bring to your attention. They are full function activity managers.
Both are free programs that you and members of your group can access anywhere you have an internet connection. The programs have features that will help you to plan, track, and coordinate all aspects of a group’s activities. You can set up a private listing or website for each group you are involved with. All members of each group can access it using their password.
You can maintain group calendars and action lists so that everyone in the group can keep in touch and on top of events and individual responsibilities. Both have messaging capabilities and reminder features.
Here is a list taken directly from the two sites for suggested uses.
- carpool
- volunteer organization
- snack duty
- event/party planner
- sports groups/team roster
- clubs
- study groups
- play groups
- faith groups
- extended family/reunions
You could also use them for book clubs, wedding events, charity functions, babysitting rotations, craft clubs, committees, work groups, and any other number of possibilities where several people are involved.
Take a minute to check them out. Let me know what you think. Let me know if they help you in some way. Let everyone know of other ways you imagine utilizing the programs.
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Just wanted to pop in and add that another great website for managing kids’ activities is UpToUs – http://www.uptous.com/
UpToUs is centered on communities, such as classrooms or sports teams. Once the classroom parent or coach starts an UpToUs community, all the community needs – including calendar, volunteering, photo sharing, event planning, discussions and more – can be privately managed through UpToUs.
UpToUs also has a nice social aspect, because it enhances the sense of community in real-life groups. Parents who sign up and join an UpToUs community can post a photo and tell a little about themselves. It’s nice to be able to make the connection between a name in the class roster and the faces you see at school.
I agree with everything said about Jooners. I have been using it for Girl Scouts and my AYSO soccer team. My favorite feature are the ready made sign up sheets. If you go to Jooners.com and click on the Popular Planner tab you’ll see many of them. I found the AYSO Soccer Coach Planner a very easy way to sign up the volunteers for all jobs throughout the season.
They just introduced a feature to create a group from an existing Yahoo Group. I know that many teams, classrooms and clubs already have Yahoo groups. Try the import feature to easily put your Yahoo group into Jooners. Then send out a request for volunteers with one of the Planners.
I just wanted to let all of you know I found another one today. I have not had a chance to check it out yet. Take a look at Tab Up.