ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Payment Plan Enhancements

1. Exclude store items and/or donations in payment plans – In Events - Setup - Payment Plan Setup, users can now determine if giveaway upgrades, store items, and donations should be included in payment plans or charged in full with the first payment. Checkout page messaging has been added to reflect this setting.
2. Online payments only for payment plans - Also in Payment Plan Setup, payment plans can now be limited to online payment methods, including credit card, bank (ACH), and wallet payments.
3. End payment plans after a set date - Lastly in Payment Plan Setup, payment plans can be disabled after a selected date, requiring full payment at checkout for later registrations.
4. Improved receipts - Payment Plan receipts (subsequent to the initial receipt) now display the remaining balance due, the number of payments remaining, and indicate when the payment plan is complete.

Team Enhancements

1. Team Questions in Custom Questions – When an event is configured with Teams, Question Groups can be applied to Teams (per team created) and are displayed on the Create a Team page between the team name and store sections.
2. Enhanced Team Record - Team records now include dedicated subtabs for Team Details, Team Members, Team Questions, and Team Store Items.

Happy Holidays!

Wishing everyone a happy holiday season! Our office will be closing at Noon today (12/24) as our team takes time to recharge and will reopen on January 5. If support is needed during this time, please email support@pinwheel.us and we will be glad to help.

 

 

Wallet Pay for Events

Wallet Pay is now available as a payment option for event registrations in Pinwheel! This allows participants to complete registrations using supported digital wallets for a faster, more convenient checkout experience.

To enable Wallet Pay for an event, open the event and navigate to Setup > Settings > Payments, then set the Accept Wallet Payments toggle to Yes.

Using Wallet Pay can help reduce checkout friction, support mobile-friendly registrations, and improve completion rates by allowing participants to pay without manually entering card details.

Sponsorship Directory Added

The Double the Donation Sponsorship Directory is now available in Pinwheel and can be accessed from the Organizations tool and from Events > Sponsors under the Sponsor Finder buttons. This makes it easier to research corporate sponsorship, grant, and in-kind donation opportunities.

The Sponsorship Directory provides a searchable database of companies that offer corporate giving programs. Filters can be used to narrow results by program type and organizational focus, helping surface opportunities that align with specific missions and events. Each listing includes eligibility details and links to next steps, reducing the need for manual research across multiple sources.

After opening the directory, use the toggle buttons to switch between Grants and In-Kind opportunities, then apply filters to view relevant companies and application information.

Event Dashboard Update

In the Categories graph, clicking a bar now opens the corresponding category record directly from the dashboard.

Financial Assistance Changes

• Show and Hide toggles have been added to the Income, Household Size, and Lunch Program tabs. These toggles allow each set of questions to be turned off in registration while keeping all configured data intact in Pinwheel.
• The Additional Adjustments tab now includes an editable section header. This allows the label shown on the checkout page to be customized. For example, the header can be changed from “Additional Adjustments” to “What are you able to pay?”
  

We’ve published a new blog post focused on helping organizations grow recurring donations during year-end giving. The post shares practical best practices for encouraging monthly gifts, highlighting the value of recurring support, and making small adjustments that can lead to more consistent, long-term fundraising. This resource is especially helpful for organizations planning end-of-year donation campaigns. Click here to read it.

 

People Reports Updated for Consistency

Several People reports have been refreshed to present a consistent set of fields across all list views. All reports in this group have been renamed to start with People List, such as People List - Board Members and People List - Volunteers. The reports also now also use the exact report name in the filename instead of the previous generic People List label. The following reports now use the updated field layout:

• People List - All
• People List - Board Members
• People List - Contacts
• People List - Donors
• People List - Employees
• People List - Users
• People List - Volunteers  

The following changes have been made to each report:

1. First and Last Names moved to the first columns
2. Spouse added
3. Contact Roles added as a new Pinwheel field
4. Volunteer Login column updated to Pinwheel Username
5. New columns added for social media accounts
6. Gender, Date of Birth, Ethnicity, and Languages added where not previously shown
7. Background Check, Text Consent, Do Not Solicit, Alumni and Alumni Where, and Referral Source (new Pinwheel field) added where not previously shown

The Volunteers by Organization report has been retired. Users are encouraged to use People List - Volunteers instead, which includes more data and allows for filtering.

New Awards List Report

A new Awards List report has been added to People Reports to support the People Award functionality released last week. This report lists all awards assigned to individuals and includes Award, Award Category, Award Date, Presentation Event, Notes, and other relevant fields.

Volunteers by Organization

A new Awards List report has been added t

Site Contact Enhancements & PTA/Principal Changes

Pinwheel has released several updates to improve how Site Directors/Principals, PTA Presidents, and other site contacts are created, managed, and maintained. These changes strengthen site record quality, organize contact relationships more clearly, and simplify the site acceptance process in recruitment campaigns.

Contact Roles - A new Contact Roles setting is available under People Roles in Account Settings. This update:

1. Introduces two standard and system‑controlled contact roles: Site Director/Principal and PTA President.
2. Allows accounts to add additional custom contact roles
3. Supports assigning contact roles directly on a person record
4. Custom roles added by accounts will not have system functionality tied to them but can be used for filtering and general contact management.

Site and Organization Contacts Tabs - Site and Organization records now include two sub-tabs in the Contacts tab:

1. Current Contacts – Anyone currently associated with the site or organization
2. Former Contacts – Any person previously attached and then removed

When removing a contact:

1. A new confirmation window asks the user to confirm
2. The removal date is recorded
3. The person moves automatically to Former Contacts
4. Association Status updates to Former on the person's record
5. Start Date and End Date fields help preserve an accurate history of site involvement.

Person Record Association Enhancements - A person’s Associations tab now shows:

1. Connected Account
2. Contact Role
3. Status (Current or Former)
4. Association Start Date
5. Association End Date

These values reflect real‑time changes when a contact is added, updated, or removed.

Site Application Acceptance - In Recruitment Campaigns, the Site Application acceptance process has been redesigned. When a site is accepted:

1. Site Director/Principal and PTA President details can be converted into person records.
2. Roles are automatically applied upon acceptance.
3. All accepted contacts are added to the site’s Current Contacts tab.

If the site already exists:

1. Existing site contacts are displayed.
2. Users can choose to keep or remove each contact.
3. Removed contacts automatically transition to Former status.

Site Application Form Updates - The Site Application’s Standard Questions - Contacts section has been expanded to include:

1. Site Director/Principal first name, middle name, last name, phone, and email
2. PTA President first name, middle name, last name, phone, and email

Section headers now allow the title to be customized and the contact block to be published or hidden. 

People List Filters - The People List now supports:

1. A contact role column
2. Filtering by all contact roles
3. Filtering by current or former contact status

Reports - The following standard reports were updated to reflect recent data changes, with layout, formatting, and select name updates:

1. Site Reports - Site Contacts - This report has been reorganized to provide one line per contact associated with a site.
2. Site Reports - Site Grouping - This report has been renamed Site Participation Trends by Grouping. Formatting and layout improvements were made.
3. Site Reports - Site Historical Data - This report has been renamed Site Historical Data by Season and Year.
4. Site Reports - Site List - This report has been reorganized to align with the order of tabs and fields in the site record.
5. Site Reports - Site Notes List - This report has been reorganized to add one column each for notes.
6. Site Reports - Site Recent Assignment - This report has been renamed Site Recruitment Campaigns & Event Assignments.
7. Site Reports - Site Retention by Site Type - This report has been renamed Site Type and Title 1 Retention Comparison.
8. Site Reports - Site Season - This report has been renamed Site Season Preferences. It has been expanded to show all season combinations.
9. Site Reports - Site Summary - This report has been renamed Site Record Report. Formatting and layout improvements were made.
10. Site Reports - Site Type - This report has been renamed Site Type & Title 1 Season Snapshot. The data has been updated to remove the season preference and compare sites in one program/camp to the entire site portfolio.
11. Site Reports - Site Utilization - This report has been renamed Site Season Utilization and Retention. Report labels have been updated for clarity, additional data has been added, formatting has been improved, and explanations of data have been added throughout, including an "Understanding the Report Metrics" section at the end.
12. Site Reports - Site Type Over Time - This report has been retired. The information in this report can be retrieved in the Site Type and Title 1 Retention Comparison.
    
13. Site Reports - Sites by Organization - This report has been retired. The information in this report can be retrieved in the Site List.
14. Site Recruitment Campaigns - Application Information - All Questions - Formatting and layout improvements were made.
15. Site Recruitment Campaigns - Applications List - Unnecessary columns have been removed, and some columns renamed for clarity.

Data Conversion for Existing Site Director/PTA President Data - Existing Site Director and PTA President values on site records were converted into person records.The conversion process:

1. Created new person records when no matching person exists.
2. Merged data into existing records if matching emails are found.
3. Applied appropriate contact roles.
4. Placed the person on the site’s Current Contacts tab.
5. Added an association history and status to the person's record.
6. Validation rules were used to weed out placeholder data, such as "N/A" or "Unknown".

 

Referral Source Added to Person Records

Referral Sources can now be created in Account Settings under Person Record Settings and assigned on person records. Accounts can enter and manage custom referral options, such as social media, board member, community event, or outreach efforts, to track how individuals first connected with the organization. Once created, referral options appear as a drop-down field on person records under the Account Info tab, below the Alumni field. Referral Source will also be added to the People List in People Reports next week.

New Award Management Tools

Person Awards can now be created in Account Settings under Person Record Settings and assigned on person records. A new Awards section has been added to Person Record Settings, including values for Award names and Award Categories. Award options can be defined, activated or deactivated, controlled at the parent level, and shared with child accounts where permitted. A dedicated Awards tab has also been added to person records, allowing account-specific recognition to be assigned and tracked. An Awards List report will be added to People Reports next week.

 

1. Donation Receipt Update - Pinwheel’s donation receipts generated from fundraisers now include additional details. Each receipt displays a unique receipt number, the receipt issue date, and the donor’s address and email. These additions help donors maintain accurate tax records and support Canadian receipt requirements.
2. Pinwheel Website Refresh - The Pinwheel.us website has been updated with a fresh layout and improved navigation. It’s now easier to explore Pinwheel’s features and the industries we support.

 

Event Store Products Are Now Available at Three Levels

Pinwheel now allows event store products to be offered in three different places within registration: Team, Participant, and Registration. For example, Participant Products might include a personalized shirt, Registration Products could include parking passes or tote bags, and Team Products might include a 2-person kayak rental for a 2-person kayaking team. This update provides flexibility in how and when products are presented to participants during registration. 

Store Settings - Store Settings now includes three subtabs: Participant Store, Registration Store, and Team Store (visible if the event uses teams). Each subtab allows users to update the store title and message, with support for Spanish and French translations. Existing event Store Messages will be automatically placed into both the Participant and Registration tabs.

Product Setup - The Product screen has been reorganized for improved usability and has a new section called Location Availability, where users choose where each product should appear:

• Registration – offered once, after all participants are entered 
• Participants – offered to each person registering
• Teams – offered when a new team is created

Registration Form - During registration, products display in the appropriate sections:

• Team products appear on the Create a Team page.
• Participant products appear during each participant’s setup.
• Registration products appear after all participants are added.

All products follow inventory, category, and team type settings.

Participants Grid, Team Grid, and Reports - The Participants grid now separates products into three columns: Participant Products, Registration Products, and Team Products. The Team Grid displays Team Products purchased. All related reports have also been updated to reflect these new product levels.

Report Name Changes - The following event reports have been renamed:

• Store Item List is now Giveaway/Store Product List
• Giveaway/Store Summary by Grade/Age is now Giveaway/Store Summary by Age Requirement
• Teams with Captains List is now Team Information List

1. Active and Previous Fundraiser Lists - a new column called Received has been added next to the Raised column. If the Raised and Received amounts differ, check the fundraiser for donations that haven't been received yet. Open the fundraiser, go to Management Menu > Donations, then filter by Received = No." 
2. Fundraiser Dashboard - the Received value has also been added to the Fundraiser Dashboard, under the progress bar.
3. UserWay Accessibility Tools are now incorporated in all event registration, recruitment campaign, and fundraiser forms. The tools can be accessed by clicking the blue person button in the bottom right-hand corner of the screen.

Pinwheel’s Attendance App helps accounts track participant and volunteer attendance, give volunteers access to participant details, allow volunteers to send email or text updates to participants and caretakers, collect session feedback, and generate reports to monitor program delivery. Inside Pinwheel, there are 11 built-in reports designed to deliver insights your team can use to improve programming and address issues quickly.

We’ve recently updated these Attendance App reports to make them clearer and easier to use:

• Report names and descriptions have been refined for clarity. See the list of updated names below.
• Formatted reports (not spreadsheets) now include footers with the report date and page numbers.
• The Attendance Submission report has been retired. We recommend using the Attendance App Submission Dates report instead.
• Consistent logic across all reports:
  • Excludes canceled teams with no attendance
  • Excludes inactive teams with no attendance

Updated Report Names (previous to new):

• Attendance App - Person Attendance → Attendance App - Participant and Volunteer Attendance
• Attendance App - Participant Attendance → Attendance App - Overall Participant Attendance
• Attendance App - Participant by Session → Attendance App - Participant Attendance by Session
• Attendance App - Statistics → Attendance App - Statistics, Awards, and Notes
• Attendance App - Submission by Category → Attendance App - Session Submission Dates
• Attendance App - Transportation/Activity Notes → Attendance App - Session Notes (now includes session feedback notes)
• Attendance App - Volunteer Attendance → Attendance App - Overall Volunteer Attendance

If you aren't using the Attendance App yet but are interested, contact support@pinwheel.us to learn more!