This article provides a step-by-step guide on launching a holiday visitor form to collect information about new visitors to your parish. You'll learn how to add these visitors to a workgroup within the ParishSOFT system, helping you maintain organized visitor lists and easily gather email addresses for follow-up communication. We'll also walk you through the process of sending emails using your preferred method, and we’ve included ready-to-use templates to save you time and provide a strong starting point.

These steps are designed to help your parish build healthier ministries and seamlessly integrate the ParishSOFT platform into your daily operations. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to email us at support@parishsoft.com.

Giving Platform: Create a Digital Visitor Card

1. Select Form in the navigation bar on the left side
2. Start a new form by clicking Create New Form in the top right corner
3. Begin by choosing one of the existing templates and then add to it. For this example, we will select the Contact Form template.
   • Enter the form name in the place provided toward the bottom. 
   • Click Start Building Form
4. Once you click Start Building Form, we will begin populating the form with fields and adding properties.
5. Wait for submissions, once you start receiving submissions best practice is to add these as new families in the system. You can learn more from the article, Register a New Family.

Check out our Video Guide on creating a Digital Visitor Card.

Family Suite: Adding Visitor Card Submitters to a Workgroup

1. From Family Directory, Click on Family Workgroups
2. In the Workgroups section, click the Plus "+" Icon to display the Add Family Workgroup window.

Note: Asterisks Indicate required fields and Must be filled out. 

3. Type a Name and Description for the workgroup. For this example, some suggestions are: Holiday Visitors, Visitors, or Christmas/ Easter Visitors.

Note: There is a character limit for the name field, which is 100 characters.

4. Do one of the following:
   • Click Save to save the workgroup
   • Click Cancel to exit the window without saving your workgroup. 
5. You can now select the name of the workgroup. 
6. Click Add Families to display the Add Families to Workgroup window. 
7. Search for the Family or Families you wish to add to the workgroup and select them.
8. Click Accept

How to Send an Email:

1. Go to Family List
2. Click on the Funnel Icon and Select Workgroups. Select any other filters and Click Apply.
3. Back on the Family List, Click the Email Icon.
4. To send email to all families in the workgroups, Click the Load from Grid link on the right side of the email window.
5. Select Web-Based or the Outlook option that applies.
6. Compose your message, feel free to use our templates linked below to find a good starting point. 
7. Click Send. If you still have questions or wish to learn more, check out the article Email More Than One Workgroup at a Time.

Click to Download Email Templates

By completing this guide, you've learned how to create a holiday visitor card, enabling you to track and engage new visitors to your ministry effectively. You've also explored setting up a workgroup to stay organized and efficiently gather email addresses for outreach. Additionally, you've walked through the steps of sending emails and using the collected emails from your workgroups to connect with visitors. 

With access to our ready-made templates, you can save time while fostering healthier ministries and building stronger connections with prospective parishioners during the holidays. These tools are designed to help you efficiently follow up with visitors after the holiday season, strengthening relationships and encouraging them to become long-term contributors to your parish community. 

We hope this guide supports your efforts during the holidays and beyond as you welcome and nurture the growth of your ministries.

Updated November 19, 2025 15:28