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Manage Your School Clubs and Extra-Curricular Groups

How can I use Minga to organize club communication, track attendance, and manage student leaders?

Minga provides a central, secure hub for all your school's clubs and teams, replacing messy group chats and scattered documents. This guide will help you set up your group, manage members and leadership, and use engagement tools like polls and digital hall passes to keep everyone informed. By following these steps, you will streamline your communication and increase student participation in your school community.

Permission Level Required: Owner | Manager | Teacher | Staff | Student Leader (with permission)

In this article:

Create Your Group

The first step to streamlining your club communication is creating a dedicated home for your content in Minga.

Step-by-Step Guide to Creating Your Group

  1. Click on Groups located in the main menu.

  2. Click the Create Group button at the top of the page.

  3. Toggle the Private switch to ON if your group is invite-only or requires a tryout.

  4. Set your Posting Permissions by selecting which roles (e.g., Teacher, Student Leader, Student) can post to the feed or comment on content.

  5. Enter your Group Name (e.g., "Algebra Alligators").

  6. Select a banner image from the options provided or upload a custom image.

  7. Select a Group Category: Class, Team, Club, School, or Other.

  8. Add a brief description in the Group Description field to tell students what your club is about.

  9. Click Save Group to finalize your new group.

Add and Manage Members

Once your group is created, you need to add your members so they can see your updates on their home feed.

Step-by-Step Guide to Adding Members

  1. Navigate to Groups in the left menu and click on your specific club or team.

  2. Click the Manage Members button or the Member Count icon.

  3. Choose your method for adding members:
    a. Search manually: Type a student's name in the Search bar.
    b. Bulk Upload: Click the upload option to import a list of student ID numbers.
    c. Group: Use existing groups to select members to add to your new Group.
    d. Filter by Grade/Role: Use the Filter dropdown to select specific grades (e.g., Grade 9) or roles.
    E. User List: Use an existing User List to add people to your Group.

  4. Select the students you wish to add and click Save.

  5. Confirming your list: Your new members will receive a notification and will now see your group’s posts in their main Minga Home feed.

Good to Know: If your group is public, students can find it in the All Groups tab and click Request to Join.

Assign Group Owners

You can allow student leaders, club presidents, or team captains to help manage the group by making them Group Owners.

Step-by-Step Guide to Choosing Group Owners

  1. Open your group and click on the Total Number of Members icon.

  2. Find the student leader in the Group members list.

  3. Click the Three Dotted Menu (vertical ellipsis) next to the member's name.

  4. Select Make owner from the dropdown menu.

    • Group Owners can now edit group details, post content, and accept join requests from other students.

  5. To remove these permissions, click the same menu and select Remove as owner.

Communicate and Engage

Keep your members informed using targeted messaging, from long-form posts to urgent text-only announcements.

Step-by-Step Guide to Communicating with Your Group

Creating a Welcome Post

  1. Click the Add to Group button (blue dropdown).

  2. Select Post.

  3. Add an engaging Image and create a descriptive Headline.

  4. Type your message in the Share your Thoughts field and click Post.

Sending Urgent Announcements

  1. Click Add to Group and select Announcement.

  2. Type a short, text-only update (e.g., "Meeting moved to Room 304!").

  3. Click Send. This triggers an immediate push notification to all group members.

Sharing Files and Links

  1. Navigate to the Files tab within your group.

  2. Click Add URL to save links to websites or external forms.

  3. Click Add File to upload permission slips, schedules, or PDF resources.

Manage Events and Attendance

Organize your schedule by adding meetings, practices, and games to the group calendar and tracking who attends.

Step-by-Step Guide to Managing Events and Attendance

  1. Click Add to Group and select Event.

  2. Enter the event details, including:
    a. Selecting a banner image.
    b. Enter the Event Title, Event Description, Hosted by, Location, and Category fields.
    c. Optional: Enter a points value under Points awarded to attendees to automatically assign a point to users when they check into the event.
    d. Enter the Start Date, End Date, and Times.

  3. Under Event settings, click on the arrow to see additional options.

  4. Toggle ON Track event engagement to allow members to show their intention to attend the event.

  5. Toggle ON Enable self check-in to allow students to scan a QR code from their device to check into the event.

  6. Toggle ON Restrict to a singe check in per user to only allow members to check into each day of the event once.

  7. Select Preview to review the post settings.

  8. You can select a specific date to publish the event to the group feed. It will automatically publish 7 days before date and time of the event.

  9. Toggle ON Pin this post? to keep the event at the top of the group feed for the selected amount of days.

  10. Decide which roles are able to comment on the event.

  11. Click Publish.

  12. To invite members, go to the Event Management console, click the 0 Invited icon, select your group, and hit Save.

  13. Recording Attendance (Note: This is only available to schools who have the Check In solution)

    a. Open the Minga app on your phone and go to your event.
    b. Click Check In and select the Barcode icon.
    c. Scan the student's Digital ID from their device to instantly record their attendance.

Pro Tip: For recurring meetings, click Add additional day to build your full season or semester calendar at once.

Issue Group Hall Passes

Note: This feature requires the Minga Hall Pass module.

You can save time by sending digital hall passes to your entire group at once, allowing them to leave class for a game or rehearsal.

Step-by-Step Guide to Scheduling Group Hall Passes

  1. Navigate to the Hall Pass Manager in your tools.

  2. Select your Group as the recipient.

  3. Set the Start Time and Duration for the pass.

  4. Click Assign Pass.

  5. Student View: Students receive a push notification, and the active Hall Pass will automatically appear on their Digital ID at the scheduled time.

Additional Features and Settings

Engaging Members with Polls and Challenges

You can find out what your members think by using the Poll or Challenge options under the Add to Group menu. Use this to vote on club t-shirt designs, pick a meeting date, or run a photo contest to build excitement.

FAQs

How do I make my group private?

You can make your group private by going to your group settings and toggling the Private switch to On. This ensures that students can only join if you invite them or if you approve their "Request to Join" notification.

Can students post in the group feed?

You can control whether students can post in the group feed by adjusting the Posting Permissions in your group settings. You can allow all students to post, or restrict posting to only Teachers and Student Leaders.

Where do students see my group updates?

Students see group updates in two places: directly on the Group Page and "zippered" into their personal Main Home Feed on Minga.

How do I change the image for the Group after I have created it?

In the Group, click on the three dots under the image and select Edit. In the Group Name field, select the camera icon. Then select an image from the options available or upload a custom one from your device. Select "Save Group" to save your changes.

Troubleshooting

Missing "Create Group" button: If the button is not visible, your account role may not have the permission to create groups. Contact your school’s Minga Admin to update your permissions.

Students not receiving notifications: Ensure students have push notifications enabled for the Minga app on their mobile devices.

Cannot scan IDs: If the scanner won't pick up a code, ensure your phone has camera permissions enabled for the Minga app and that the student's screen brightness is turned up.

Resources

Related Articles
How to Add and Remove Members from Your Minga Groups
Introduce Students to Minga with Welcome Email Templates
How to Use Minga Digital Hall Passes in the Classroom & Hallways
Minga: A Family Guide to a Safe and Connected Campus
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