Overview

A Signup page (also known as a registration page) enables users and organizations to independently register and gain access to your SmartSimple instance. It is common to have multiple signup pages depending on the types of people and organizations you want to register and the languages your community speaks.

Configuration - Essentials

You must have Global Administrator setup or modify signup pages.

Creating a user signup page

The user signup page creates people in the system. Users created via a signup page typically login and do something in the system, such as applying for a grant or reviewing a grant application.

Before you create a signup page, you will need to create an Associated Organization. An Associated Organization can be seen in the organization hierarchy and acts as a holding organization. Any new users or organizations created will appear under the Associated Organization in the hierarchy. Typically, you will create an organization in the External Hierarchy and name it something like Web Registrants, US Organizations, International Organizations, Non-profits, etc. Once you have an associated organization setup, you will need a role to assign to new users. Roles are a way of grouping like users together and we use roles to control what the user can see and do in the system. Lastly, you may want to setup a status for users. Statuses are like a place in time; for example, you might use a “New Registrant” status for new registrants, and later once they have been vetted or approved, you switch them to an “Active” Status.

When you create a user signup page, make sure you enter a description. You will likely have multiple signup pages attached to the same associated organization, and the description input will be the only way you can tell them apart on the organization signup configuration page.

How to setup a user signup page

Go to the Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users Tab and click on the Signup Pages Link.
Click the New Signup Page button in the action bar. It looks like a plus sign.
Choose an Associated Organization via the lookup. New users will be created under the associated organization. Generally, you want to select an external organization.
You may want to consider disabling the CAPTCHA; see below for more details.
If you want the user to be able to login, change the Access Type to User Access.
You may wish to set the Default status. For example, if you have a manual vetting process you could start all users in a New Registrant status and then move them to a Vetted status once your internal process is complete.
Add/remove any roles desired. Roles group like users together and control what they can see and do in the system.
Change the content on the signup page and confirmation page with a custom message. Typically, you will want to add something like Fields marked with a red asterisk are required. And then append that with who to contact for assistance. On the confirmation page you may want to add something to the affect of Your username and password have been emailed to you or check your email for instructions on how to gain access to the system.
Drag and drop the fields from the Available Fields list into the Selected Fields list. You can also drag and drop to reorder fields. Lastly hover over a field to remove it via the small grey x button.
Click Save.

Creating a organization signup page

The organization or company signup page creates organizations within your system. Before you create an organization signup page, you need to create a category that you will use to group like organizations together and control what the organization and its users will be able to see and do. Likewise, you will also need an Associated Organization as new organizations will be created under the associated organization in the hierarchy.

How to setup an organization signup page

Go to the Menu Icon > Global Settings > Organizations tab and click on the Signup Pages Link.
Click the New Signup Page button in the action bar. It looks like a plus sign.
Choose an Associated Organization via the lookup. New users will be created under this organization. Generally, you want to select an external organization.
You may want to consider disabling the CAPTCHA; see below for more details.
You may want to consider using statuses for your organizations: for example, New Organization status for newly registered organizations if you want to vet them internally.
Choose the organization categories you want to add or remove. Categories are used to group like organizations together as well as control what the organizations and users can see and do.
Change the content on the signup page and confirmation page with a custom message. Typically, you will want to add something like Fields marked with a red asterisk are required. Then, append who the user should contact should they need assistance.
Drag and drop the fields from the Available Fields list into the Selected Fields list. You can also drag and drop to reorder fields. Lastly, hover over a field to remove it via the small grey x button.
Click Save.

Creating a combined User and Organization signup page

Typically, you will want to create one or more users and an organization at the same time. This is easily done with a setting called User Signup. You have two options with this setting. Create single user or create multiple users. Note when you choose a user signup page, it will show up inside the organization signup page in its own section that appears under the organization details section. Also when a user signup page is attached, the user signup confirmation page is used, so you will need to navigate to the user signup page if you want to make changes to the confirmation page that will be displayed upon submission. You will add each signup page and choose the minimum and maximum number of users. If you set a minimum the user will be required to enter that number of users into the form.

How to setup a combined User and Organization signup page

Create a user signup page as per the above. Make sure you enter something meaningful in the description, as that is used to differentiate the user signup pages on the organization signup pages.
Create an organization signup page as per above.
On the setting Attach Contact Signup Page use the drop down to select the desired user signup page.
Toggle on Enable Same Address Button; this will save your users time, as they can click a single button to copy the address from their organization into their profile for scenarios where the user has the same address as the organization they belong to.
Click Save.

How to make changes to fields on your signup page

Let’s say you want to make the email field on your user signup page mandatory. Navigate to the User standard field for email: Menu Icon > Global Settings > Users Tab > Standard Fields link and edit the Email field by toggling on the “Mandatory” setting. Now when you go back to the signup page and preview it, you will see the email field we modified has been set to mandatory and the relevant validation was automatically added.

Any changes you make to any fields that are included on a signup page will be updated right away on your signup pages. You can also go back to the signup page at anytime to change the order of fields and add new fields using drag and drop. To remove a field, hover over the desired field and click the button marked with an x.

How to modify the New User Email Template

If you are giving new users the ability to login in via the Access Type setting, they will receive an email based off the new user email template. You can see the email template used to construct the email sent to all new users by going to the Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security Tab > Password and Activation Policies > Activation Email Templates tab. You will notice a number of variables in the new user email template which will be converted into information (such as the username and password) when the email is sent to the user.

How to setup Privacy Policies

A privacy policy details your company’s views and procedures related to the collection of information on people who use your system. Its important to let your users know how you are going to use the information you are requesting, and to tell users who to contact should they have questions. In some jurisdictions such as California, you are required to post your privacy policy by law. In the EU, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and the e-privacy directive oblige you to put a privacy notice containing specific elements on your system; failure to do so can result in fines.

You can create a privacy policy for your system by going to the Menu Icon > Global Settings > Security Tab > Privacy and Security Policies link. We suggest you start by creating a policy for the Default Country and Languages of your choice. The default country is displayed until the user has logged in, at which point the system shows you the policy for the country you have chosen as your primary residence. We also suggest you toggle on User Acceptance Required for your privacy policy. Once you have a privacy policy created, go to the desired user signup page and select the desired policy from the Attach Policies drop down. Then, save your signup page. Now, when anyone is sent to your signup page, they will first be required to read and accept your privacy policy before they can register and gain access to your system.

How to modify the Duplicate check settings

Choose a field, such as the user’s email. If a user tries to enter an email that is already in the system, it will be flagged as a possible duplicate and prevent the user from registering again. Optionally, you can conduct a duplicate check on multiple fields. It is important to note that when you check on multiple fields it is an and, not an or. For example: if you chose email and first name, it will only flag users that have the same email and first name as another user in the system. By default, email is typically used as a unique identifier of users in the system and Name is used for organizations.

Configuration - Advanced

Creating language specific signup pages

Each language you want to support requires a separate signup page. Create the type of signup page desired and choose the language you want. If you chose Español (Spanish) as your signup page language, and if you have entered Spanish translations for your field captions, then you will see Spanish field captions on your signup page.

Typically, you will route your users to the correct signup page via the routing page on the login. Example: your Spanish login page will route users to the Spanish signup page, the English login will route users to the English signup page. To add a caption translation, go to the desired field and beside the caption click on the button called Edit Language Caption. Choose the desired language and enter the desired translation.

Creating a routing page

Routing pages are created to direct the user to the appropriate signup page in the desired language. Typically, the user clicks a button on the login page that takes them to an intermediary page where they can see the list of available signup pages. You can create a routing page by going to Menu Icon > Global Settings > Branding tab > Login Pages link > edit the desired login page > Routing Page tab.

If you paste the URL of your signup page into a routing page, make sure you use the relative path example: /s_csignup.jsp?token=XVtQHUUGYVpQRhRRXxNRS1BWZEl2HnFsFA%3D%3D&ptoken=XVtQC1oGYVpQRhRRXxNRS1BWZEl2HnFsFQ%3D%3D. Relative paths will resolve correctly and work on production as well as development/backup.

Creating an organization lookup (Ajax) style signup page

Reduce the amount of duplicate organizations in your system by using an organization lookup. Some organizations, like a university, may want new users to register under an existing organization in your instance. This can be achieved by allowing new users to search and select their organization from the existing organization already in your system. The new user can then register under the desired organization. For example: in the research space, you may want to allow researchers to independently register for, and apply to, grants under an existing research body. You can use the Ajax verification option on signup pages to achieve this. You can also put a manual vetting process in place to approve applicants, if desired. Note selecting existing organizations from your instance reduces the chance of duplicate organization creation, and may be fine for research organizations, but may pose a problem in other verticals such as case management, where you may not want a list of organizations you deal with exposed to the public.

When the user navigates to the lookup signup page they can start typing the name of their organization and they will see a list of organizations meeting that criteria. Once the user selects the desired organization, they enter their user information, and upon submission, the user is created under the chosen organization. Note you can restrict which organization will appear in the lookup by both category and status.

How to setup an organization lookup signup page

Setup a user signup page as per above.
Setup an organization signup page as per above.
Attach the contact signup page to the organization signup page as per above.
For the Selected fields, you only need the Name field.
For External Verification Service choose Ajax.
Choose the Category of organization you want users to be able to see and select. Categories are a way of grouping like organizations together and permissions what they can see and do. For example: you may put all non-profits or all educational organizations into a category and allow the user to pick from those.
Choose what Organization Status you want users to see and choose from. For example: only allow users the ability to see and pick from Organizations with a status of Active or Vetted.
Modify the message content as desired. You will likely want to add something like Start typing the name of your organization and select it from the list. Fields marked with a red asterisk (*) are required. If you need assistance contact Fake@fake.fake.
Click Save.

Using external verification services in your signup page

Confirm an organization’s charity status or other types of statuses prior to registering. The IRS/CRA/UK/ABN/CRO/NCES lookup enables users to find an organization in a 3rd party database. Once the organization is selected, the information from the selected database is used to populate the signup page. This lookup can be used to confirm or deny the status of an organization as a charity. You can also optionally exclude types of organizations; for example, on the IRS search you could choose to exclude churches.

Service	Description	Update Frequency
IRS	The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) lookup contains a list of 501(c)(3) and other charitable organizations. https://www.irs.gov/charities-non-profits/exempt-organizations-business-master-file-extract-eo-bmf	Monthly
CRA	The Canada Revenue Agency (CRA) lookup contains a list of T3010 Registered Charities. https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/charities-giving/list-charities/downloading-instructions.html	Monthly
UK	The Charity Commission lookup contains a list of registered charities in England and Wales. http://data.charitycommission.gov.uk/	Monthly
ABN	The Australian Business Number lookup contains a list of businesses that have registered with the Australian Business Register. https://abr.business.gov.au/	Real Time
CRO	The Companies Registration Office (CRO) is the central repository of public statutory information on Irish companies and business names. https://www.cro.ie/Services/Access-to-CRO-Data	Real Time
NCES	Public Elementary/Secondary School database of all public elementary and secondary schools in the US. https://nces.ed.gov/ccd/pubschuniv.asp	Annually

How to setup a signup page that uses the a verification service

Generally you setup each verification service in a similar way. Below we show you how to setup a signup page using the IRS verification option. Before you begin you need to setup a custom field to hold the Employer Identification Number (EIN) value. The Federal Tax Identification Number, is a unique nine-digit number assigned by the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) to business entities operating in the United States for the purposes of identification. This is typically created as text box type field on organizations and then you will want to permission the field based on which types of organizations in your system will have this number.

Setup an organization signup page the same way as above.
Add the EIN custom field to the Selected Fields area using drag and drop. You need to create this custom field in order to use the IRS verification feature (see above).
For External Verification Service choose IRS.
Add the Sample Instructions.
For Additional Automatic Field Population click the plus sign to create a new row.
From the drop down select Lookup Field ID (EIN).
In the next input start typing the name of the EIN field you created and select it from the list.
Click Save.

How to Attach Workflows

You can attach an existing workflow to a signup page using the Attach Workflow setting. You can create Workflows under the Menu Icon > Global Settings > System Tab > Workflows. Workflows may be used to notify someone that a new user has been registered and some action is required, such as approving the user based on a vetting process.

How to setup an eligibility questionnaire

If there are criteria that would render an applicant ineligible to gain access to your system, you may want to setup an eligibility questionnaire that a user must fill in before you let the user register. This is typically done with a Universal Tacking Application (UTA). In the UTA, ask any questions that would cause an applicant to be ineligible. If the applicant meets your desired criteria, you send them on to the desired signup page. If they fail your criteria, you send them to a page letting them know they are ineligible. Using this method saves the user time by letting them know up front if they are not going to be given access and it saves you time by reducing the number of users created in your system. Common eligibility questions include “Are you requesting monies on behalf of a religious organization?” or “Are you requesting monies on behalf of an organization that is located and operates inside the USA?”.

Other vetting processes

Some organizations require users and organizations to be manually vetted or approved before the user gains access. This is typically done by using the User/Organizationstatus in conjunction with workflows to notify the appropriate internal staff.

Some organizations also require regular OFAC checks to be conducted on the organizations they fund, to ensure they are not in violation of economic and trade sanctions based on U.S. foreign policy, and national security goals against targeted foreign countries and regimes, terrorists, international narcotics traffickers, those engaged in activities related to the proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction, and other threats to the national security, foreign policy or economy of the United States.

OFAC publishes a list of individuals and companies owned or controlled by, or acting for or on behalf of, targeted countries. It also lists individuals, groups and entities, includes terrorists and narcotics traffickers designated under programs that are not country-specific. Collectively, such individuals and companies are called Specially Designated Nationals or SDNs. Their assets are blocked, and U.S. persons are generally prohibited from dealing with them.

You can learn more about OFAC here https://www.treasury.gov/about/organizational-structure/offices/Pages/Office-of-Foreign-Assets-Control.aspx

How to delete/purge your information

When users sign up to gain access to your system, they provide you with personal identifiable information (PII). We suggest you should provide users with information of who they should contact in regards to purging or deleting any personal information held within your system. Some organizations will setup data retention policies to remove PII after a set period of time, whereas other organizations may remove PII upon request. Either way you should provide some way to contact someone in regards to privacy concerns.

How to enable/disable reCAPTCHA

CAPTCHA stands for “Completely Automated Public Turing Test to tell Computers and Humans Apart”. CAPTCHA is used to minimize the occurrence of spam records being submitted via bots. Toggling this setting on will reduce the amount of spam you receive, but it will not block all spam from bots. Note: there is some debate over the usability and accessibility of reCAPTCHA, especially among people with disabilities. It is on by default but you may want to be judicious in its adoption.

You can toggle the CAPTCHA setting on/off from both the Organization or User Signup configuration pages.

Update behavior explained

When you create a new organization signup page, there are multiple behavior options you can choose from. Typically, you will only allow user to create new organizations, but there are scenarios when one of the following may be more appropriate.

Setting	Description
Create new or update matching organization	This setting is not recommended. Allows the direct update of organizations when existing duplicate matches are found, or create new organization when no match is found.
Only create new organizations	This is the default setting. It only allows the creation of organizations as new when no existing duplicate match is found. No updates are made to either organizations or contacts when existing duplicate organizations are found.
Always create new organization	Always create an organization as new, regardless of whether any existing duplicate match is found.
Only create new organizations and allow contact signup	Allows you to create a new organization or create a new contact under an existing organization. No updates are made to either organizations or contacts when existing duplicate organizations are found.
Always move new and matching users to new organizations	This toggle setting is only available for organization signup pages with a user signup page attached. If toggled on, it allows the direct update of the user’s organization when an existing duplicate match is found. If an existing user registers a new organization the user will be moved to the new organization.

Tip: Keep signup pages short

You don’t need to ask everything on the signup page. The shorter your signup page, the greater your completion rate will be. Ask the minimum amount of questions possible. If a question is not required you probably don’t need to ask it. Remember: once a user has registered and logged into the system, you can ask them more questions as part of your process. Don’t overwhelm your users with too many questions upfront or ask for information you don’t really need.

Signup Page

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