Notes & Tasks

The Notes & Tasks feature helps you organize work, track to-dos, and keep important information accessible. Create reminders, assign tasks to team members, and ensure nothing falls through the cracks.

Overview

Notes & Tasks is a flexible system for managing all types of reminders and action items within your organization. Whether you need to follow up with a member, coordinate committee work, or track building maintenance, this feature keeps everything organized in one place.

Accessing Notes & Tasks

To access the Notes & Tasks section:

  1. Log in to your ShulNET account
  2. Navigate to Notes & Tasks from the admin menu
  3. You'll see a dashboard with statistics and a list of all notes/tasks
Tip: You can filter to view only tasks assigned to you by clicking "My Notes & Tasks" or using the assigned filter.

Creating a Note or Task

To create a new note or task:

  1. Click the Add Note button
  2. Fill in the required information:
    • Name: A brief title for the note/task
    • Note Text: Detailed description or instructions
    • Deadline Date: (Optional) When the task should be completed
    • Priority: Low, Medium, or High
    • Label: Category tag like "Financial", "Meetings", "Technology", etc.
    • Visibility: Who can see this note (Admin, Member, or Broadcast)
  3. Optionally assign the task to:
    • A specific user (staff member or volunteer)
    • A specific member
  4. Click Create Note

Note Properties

Priority Levels

  • High: Urgent items requiring immediate attention
  • Medium: Important but not urgent tasks
  • Low: Items to address when time permits

Visibility Settings

  • Admin: Only visible to administrators
  • Member: Visible to the assigned member
  • Broadcast: Visible to all relevant parties

Item Scope

  • User: Task related to a staff member or admin
  • Member: Task related to a specific congregation member
  • Contact: Task related to an external contact

Managing Notes & Tasks

Viewing a Note

Click on any note to view its full details, including all properties, assigned parties, and completion status.

Editing a Note

  1. Open the note you want to edit
  2. Click the Edit button
  3. Make your changes
  4. Click Update Note

Marking a Task Complete

To mark a task as complete:

  1. Open the note/task
  2. Click Mark Complete
  3. The completion date will be automatically recorded
Completed tasks remain in the system for record-keeping but are visually distinguished with a completed badge.

Deleting a Note

To delete a note:

  1. Open the note you want to delete
  2. Click the Delete button
  3. Confirm the deletion
Warning: Deleted notes cannot be recovered. Make sure you really want to delete before confirming.

Member Care Alerts

A note about a member can carry a Member Care Alert so that pastoral needs are not missed. When creating or editing a note, choose an alert from the Member Care Alert menu:

Open notes with a care alert appear on the admin dashboard, so the rabbi, office and caring committee see them as soon as they sign in. Mark the note complete when the follow-up is done to remove it from the dashboard.

Calendar Integration

Tasks with deadlines can be added to your personal calendar:

  1. Find a task with a deadline date
  2. Click the calendar icon next to the task
  3. Download the ICS file
  4. Import it into your calendar application (Google Calendar, Outlook, Apple Calendar, etc.)

This creates a calendar event for the deadline, helping you stay on track with your tasks.

Dashboard Statistics

The Notes & Tasks dashboard shows helpful statistics:

Search and Filtering

Use the search bar to find specific notes by:

Additional filters available:

Common Use Cases

Member Follow-ups

Create a note when you need to follow up with a member about dues, event attendance, or other matters. Set a deadline and assign it to the appropriate staff member.

Example: "Follow up with Sarah Cohen about outstanding membership dues - she mentioned financial difficulties but wants to continue membership."

Meeting Coordination

Track meetings that need to be scheduled with the Rabbi, board members, or committee chairs.

Example: "Schedule quarterly meeting with Rabbi to discuss High Holiday planning."

Building Maintenance

Keep track of maintenance issues and repairs needed around the building.

Example: "HVAC system making unusual noise in sanctuary - schedule inspection."

Event Planning

Create tasks for all the steps involved in planning an event, from booking vendors to sending reminders.

Example: "Send Passover Seder registration reminder emails 2 weeks before event."

Committee Organization

Track action items from committee meetings and assign them to specific members.

Example: "Contact three catering vendors for quotes - assigned to Events Committee chair."

Best Practices

Use Clear, Descriptive Titles

Write note names that clearly describe what needs to be done. This makes it easier to scan your task list at a glance.

✅ Good: "Call David Levy about board meeting RSVP"
❌ Poor: "Call David"

Set Realistic Deadlines

Include deadline dates for time-sensitive tasks, but make sure they're achievable. Overdue tasks can create stress and clutter.

Use Labels Consistently

Develop a standard set of labels for your organization (Financial, Events, Maintenance, etc.) and use them consistently to make filtering easier.

Add Detailed Notes

Include context in the note text field. Future you (or your colleagues) will appreciate the details when following up weeks or months later.

Mark Tasks Complete Promptly

Keep your task list current by marking items complete as soon as they're done. This helps you track progress and maintains accurate statistics.

Review Regularly

Set aside time weekly to review your notes and tasks, update deadlines, and mark completed items.

Tips & Troubleshooting

Can't Find a Note?

Use the search feature to find notes by keyword. You can search both titles and note text content.

Too Many Overdue Tasks?

Review overdue tasks and either complete them, delete them if no longer relevant, or update the deadline to a more realistic date.

Notification Not Showing?

If you've been assigned a task but don't see a notification, check that the visibility is set appropriately and that you're the assigned user.

API Access

For developers and integrations, the Notes & Tasks feature is fully accessible via the ShulNET API. See the API Access documentation for details.

Need Help? If you have questions about using Notes & Tasks, contact your system administrator or refer to the main documentation home.