Getting Started Overview
Your complete guide to setting up and launching your troop's financial management system
Welcome to TroopForge! This guide will help you get your scout troop's financial management system set up and running. Whether you're a treasurer setting up a new account or a leader getting familiar with the platform, follow these steps to ensure a smooth onboarding experience.
Who Should Use This Guide?
- Treasurers: Complete all steps to set up your troop account from scratch
- Leaders: Review sections 3-6 to understand member and event management
- Parents & Scouts: Skip to section 7 to learn about your dashboard and account features
Step 1: Choose Your Subscription Plan
TroopForge offers three subscription tiers designed for troops of different sizes. Your first decision is selecting the right plan for your organization.
Trailhead
$0/month
- • Up to 15 active members
- • 1 sub-troop only
- • 3 active events at a time
- • Basic transaction tracking
- • 1 year history retention
Best for: New troops, pilot programs, very small troops
Basecamp
$29/month
- • Up to 75 active members
- • Up to 3 sub-troops
- • Unlimited events
- • Full banking features
- • Advanced event planning
- • 5 years history retention
Best for: Typical scout troops (15-75 scouts)
Summit
$79/month
- • Up to 300 active members
- • Unlimited sub-troops
- • Unlimited events
- • All Regular features
- • Transaction reversals
- • API access
- • Priority support
Best for: Large troops, district organizations
30-Day Free Trial: Basecamp and Summit tiers include a 30-day free trial. You'll need to add a payment method to start your trial, but you won't be charged until the trial period ends. You can cancel anytime during the trial.
Step 2: Create Your Account & Organization
As the treasurer, you'll create the account and become the account owner automatically. During signup:
- Complete your user registration with your name, email, and password
- Choose your subscription tier (Trailhead, Basecamp, or Summit)
- Add payment method if selecting Basecamp or Summit tier
- Set up your troop's basic information (name, location)
What Happens Automatically:
- ✓ Your treasurer role is assigned
- ✓ A Family record is created for you
- ✓ A Member record is created and linked to your user account
- ✓ You become the account owner with full administrative access
Step 3: Configure Your Organization Structure
Set up your troop's organizational structure by creating sub-troops. Sub-troops help you organize members into groups like:
- Linked Troops: "Troop 135B" (boys) and "Troop 135G" (girls) under one organization
- Patrol Groups: Separate patrols within your troop
- Age Groups: Different rank levels or age-based groups
Note: Sub-troops are required for assigning leaders. Even if you have a simple structure, you'll need at least one sub-troop. Trailhead tier accounts are limited to 1 sub-troop, Basecamp tier to 3 sub-troops, and Summit tier allows unlimited sub-troops.
Step 4: Create Families and Members
Before anyone can use TroopForge, you need to create their records. This is done in two steps:
4a. Create Family Records
Families are the organizational units for scouts and their parents. Each family should include:
- Family name (e.g., "Smith Family", "Jones Family")
- Primary contact information (will be used for notifications)
- Contact email and phone number
4b. Create Member Records
For each scout and parent in the troop, create a Member record with:
- Full name
- Email address (required for sending invitations later)
- Member type (Scout or Parent)
- Assign to appropriate family
- Assign to sub-troop(s) as needed
Important: Member records are created BEFORE user accounts exist. This allows you to set up your entire troop roster and start tracking finances before anyone logs in. You'll invite members to create their user accounts in Step 6.
Step 5: Assign Roles and Permissions
TroopForge uses four distinct roles to control what users can see and do:
Scout Role
Available for scouts age 13+
- • View own member profile
- • View scout account balance
- • View and sign up for events
- • Submit payment requests
- • View own transaction history
Parent Role
For adult family members
- • View entire family information
- • Manage family members' profiles
- • Sign up family members for events
- • Submit payment requests for family
- • View family transaction history
Leader Role
For troop leadership
- • All parent permissions
- • Create and manage events
- • View all members in assigned sub-troops
- • Manage event rosters and attendance
- • Invite new members (optional permission)
Treasurer Role
Full account administrator
- • All leader permissions
- • Manage all members and families
- • Process payment requests
- • Manage financial accounts
- • Access all reports and analytics
- • Configure organization settings
- • Invite and manage all users
Step 6: Invite Members to Create User Accounts
Once you've created member records for your troop, you can invite them to create their user accounts and access the system.
Navigate to Member Record
Find the member you want to invite in your members list
Send Invitation
Click "Invite to Create Account" - an email will be sent to their email address
Select Role
Choose the appropriate role (scout, parent, leader, or treasurer)
Member Creates Account
They click the invitation link and create their user account
Automatic Linking
Their user account is automatically linked to their member record
Best Practice: Start by inviting leaders and active parents first. This allows them to help manage events and member engagement while you continue setting up the system.
Step 7: Understanding Scout Financial Accounts
Every member automatically has a scout account for tracking their financial activity. Understanding how these accounts work is key to using TroopForge effectively.
Account Balances
- Current Balance: Total funds available (can be negative if overdrawn)
- Available Balance: Funds currently usable after active holds
- Reserved Funds: Funds reserved for pending scout account payment requests or manual treasurer holds
Transaction Types
- Deposits: Money added to accounts (fundraiser earnings, family contributions)
- Withdrawals: Event fees, gear purchases, trip costs
- Transfers: Moving funds between family members
How Scout Accounts Work:
- Scouts earn money through fundraisers (credited to their accounts)
- Parents can contribute additional funds to family members' accounts
- When scouts sign up for events, their amount owed increases (no hold is created yet)
- When a scout account payment is requested, that amount is placed in pending hold for treasurer review
- When approved, the withdrawal posts and the pending hold is released
- All transactions maintain a complete audit trail
Step 8: Create Your First Event
Events are how you organize activities and track payments. Your first event will help you understand the workflow.
Essential Event Information:
- Event name and description
- Event dates (start and end)
- Cost per participant
- Registration deadline
- Maximum participants (optional)
- Assigned sub-troop(s)
Advanced Features (Regular & Summits):
- • Multiple fee components (base fee, optional gear, meals, etc.)
- • Inventory tracking for limited items
- • Mixed payment methods (scout account + external payments)
- • Event templates for recurring activities
Step 9: Learn About Payment Processing
As treasurer, you'll process two main types of payments:
Transaction Requests
Scouts and parents submit requests for:
- • Deposits (received payments)
- • Withdrawals (reimbursements, purchases)
- • Account adjustments
You review and approve/deny these requests from your dashboard.
Event Payments
When events are completed:
- • Review event roster and attendance
- • Review and approve scout account payment requests
- • Handle partial payments if needed
- • Record external payments (cash, check)
Approved scout account requests move funds from pending hold to completed transactions.
Next Steps: Ongoing Management
Once your initial setup is complete, you'll settle into regular management tasks:
Daily/Weekly Tasks
- ✓ Review and process transaction requests
- ✓ Monitor event registrations
- ✓ Respond to parent questions about balances
- ✓ Create new events as needed
Monthly Tasks
- ✓ Process completed event payments
- ✓ Run financial reports for troop meetings
- ✓ Update fundraiser earnings
- ✓ Add new members as scouts join
- ✓ Archive departed members