Novi Post-Launch FAQs
Below are common questions and answers that we receive from new Novi customers. Click on any question to learn more information.
Below are common questions and answers that we receive from new Novi customers. Click on any question to learn more information.
- How can I add a new member?
- How can I combine (merge) duplicate records?
- What actions do I need to take to manage new members, renewing members, and dropped members?
- What should I do if a member says they can't get logged in to the website?
- How can I hide a member so their information is not shown on the website?
- What should I do if a member says they aren't receiving emails from my site?
QuickBooks Online & Novi Accounting
- How do Novi AMS and QuickBooks Online integrate?
- How often do Novi AMS and QuickBooks Online sync together?
- Why don't my Transactions & Open Dues overview totals match between Novi and QuickBooks Online?
- What is the difference between connecting my Dues Rules/Event Tickets to QuickBooks and mapping my Products to QuickBooks?
- How can I receive a payment in Novi?
- How can I update the online membership application?
- How can I display members on the website so other members and/or the public can search for them?
- How can I feature specific members on the website?
- How do I update my homepage?
- How do I update my website's navigation?
- How can I send an email to a group in Novi?
- Why can't I find a past event in my event list on the backend?
- Why is an event registration not showing up on a member's record?
- Why is the Attendee count different than the number of Tickets Sold?
- How can I add products to Novi that are already set up in QuickBooks Online?
- How can I create new products?
- How are shipping costs set up for products in my Ecommerce store?
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Member Records | Top
Q: How can I add a new member?
- A: Please reference the appropriate help article below.
- New Member (no record in the system yet - can be added as a Member, a Prospect, or a Non-Member)
- Convert a Prospect, Non-Member, or Expired Member to a Current Member (already have a record in the system but they are not a current member yet)
- Membership @ No Charge (this is perfect for adding members who joined during onboarding and already paid their dues, but their record was not included in the data import)
Q: How can I combine (merge) duplicate records?
- A: Use Novi's guided merge process and decide what information should be kept from each record. As a tip to keep duplicate records out of the system, make sure you check for duplicates in the recent signups tab before clearing them out.
Q: What actions do I need to take to manage new members, renewing members, and drops?
- A: As members move through the lifecycle of membership with your association, you will need to do the following:
- Review and approve new member signups in your Recent Signups list. Don't forget to check your Novi Notes for information specific to your association.
- Review and batch send dues invoices that are created during the auto-renewal process (for customers using Novi's recommended auto-renewal process). If your renewals are calendar-based then you will only need to do this process once per year. If your renewals are anniversary-based this may be a daily or weekly task for your team. Learn more about sending dues renewal invoices via email to members here.
- Drop members who haven't paid their dues invoices so they will stop receiving membership benefits and their status will change to Expired. Learn more about the Non-Renew & Credit process.
- NOVI TIP: Keep track of the processes above in your Novi Notes!
Q: What should I do if a member says they can't get logged in to the website?
- A: If one of your members reports having trouble with their user account, the very first thing you should do is check to make sure they have a user account! Remember, someone can have a record but not have a user account yet. Learn more about common user account creation errors here.
Q: How can I hide a member so their information is not shown on the website?
- A: Each member record has several visibility options available, depending on how much information they want to hide on the front end of your website. Learn how to hide a specific listing (company or person), or contact information for the listing, from your member directory here
Q: What should I do if a member says they aren't receiving emails from my site?
- A: First, don't panic! Most likely this is not a site-wide issue and is only affecting one member, or possibly multiple people from the same company. Learn more about the possible reasons this is happening and the next steps you can take here. Also, check out our marketing email deliverability checklist to ensure that as many members receive your email in their inbox as possible.
QuickBooks Online & Novi Accounting | Top
Q: How do Novi AMS and QuickBooks Online integrate?
- A: Novi AMS is connected to QuickBooks Online in a deeper and more meaningful way than perhaps any other association management software. Where other systems may offer a connection through blanket journal entries, we marry the two systems together at their foundations. Intuit would say that we integrate on the "target level," which is the most granular way that data can be sent to and from QuickBooks. The end result is incredibly precise sync, clean books, and ultimately a significant reduction in time spent on accounting. For links to additional resources for bookkeepers and accountants, check out our list here.
Q: How often do Novi AMS and QuickBooks Online sync together?
- A: When an update is made in Novi that affects QuickBooks, it gets pushed in nearly 3 seconds! For updates made in QuickBooks, we call on this data three times throughout the day. It is our recommendation to run a manual sync when changes are made in QuickBooks that need to be synced over to Novi "right away" - for most associations this is rarely necessary since the sync from QuickBooks to Novi happens automatically several times per day. If you'd like to see what information Novi syncs to QuickBooks, you can view the list here.
Q: Why don't my Transactions & Open Dues overview totals match between Novi and QuickBooks Online?
- A: The QuickBooks stage shows these amounts in terms of the last 365 days by default. In order to give you a broader look at the "bigger picture," Novi shows the all-time amounts by default. Learn more about these differences here.
Q: What is the difference between connecting my Dues Rules/Event Tickets to QuickBooks and mapping my Products to QuickBooks?
- A: When you create a sales transaction in QuickBooks, you are required to map each line of the transaction to a QuickBooks item. Also called "Products and Services," these items allow for greater transparency and precision than mapping directly to general ledger accounts.
- Both event tickets and dues rules must be mapped to an existing item in QuickBooks Online, and these items are set up in the Products & Services section.
- Products are the one circumstance where Novi maps to an account from the chart of accounts. This is because a Novi product is an item (Product or Service) in QuickBooks.
- Learn more about mapping accounting to QuickBooks Items & Accounts here
Q: How can I receive a payment in Novi?
- A: Receiving a payment (cash, check, credit card, etc.) in Novi AMS is quick and easy! We even have several places on the backend where you can access the "Receive Payment" modal. Learn more about where and how to receive payments here.
Settings & Setup | Top
Q: How can I update the online membership application?
- A: There are two overall types of fields in your Novi database - member fields (e.g. email and address) and custom fields (these are unique to your association - e.g. employee count or areas of expertise). Not only can you decide which fields show on the frontend for members to see and whether or not they are required, but there's also a setting called Key Information. Fields that are indicated as Key Info will be shown to new members when they're signing up to join. Learn more about customizing your membership application here.
Q: How can I display members on the website so other members and/or the public can search for them?
- A: Member directories allow site visitors to see individualized profiles for groups of members in your database, and they also have the potential to be a non-dues revenue stream for your association! You can create one directory or multiple, and you can even include non-members. Learn more about creating online directories here.
Q: How can I feature specific members on the website?
- A: There are a few ways you can feature members on your new Novi website! On the home page of your site, there is a "Sponsors" section where you can showcase any records (companies and/or people), such as suppliers, conference speakers, and award winners.
You can also turn on Featured Directory Listings and select which member records will have a prime placement at the top of your member directory. You can even monetize your directory by charging for the featured listings!
Website & Communications | Top
Q: How do I update my homepage?
- A: With Novi's Homepage Settings modal, updating your website's homepage is quick and simple. Here is a breakdown of how to add/edit content to each section.
Q: How do I update my website's navigation?
- A: To add or remove items from your website's main menu navigation, go to the backend > Static Content tab (on the left) > and select Website Navigation. Learn more about how to edit the navigation here.
Q: How can I send an email to a group in Novi?
- A: Streamline your Constant Contact and MailChimp lists by automatically syncing Novi groups! Find in-depth steps & information on this sync in the corresponding article below, plus find answers to our most frequently asked questions including how to create campaigns, how to locate lists in Constant Contact and MailChimp, and more!
Events | Top
Q: Why can't I find a past event in my event list on the backend?
- A: By default, the event list only shows events with an end date in the future. To see all events, click the "Clear Filter / View All" link at the top of the list or use the Filter to enter a date range.
Q: Why is an event registration not showing up on a member's record?
- A: This is likely due to the member registering as a guest vs. logging in. Go to the Attendees tab on the event and search for their name. Then update the registration to connect it to their user account.
Q: Why is the Attendee count different than the number of Tickets Sold?
- A: The number of tickets sold may be higher than the number of attendees if anyone has registered for more than one ticket. Or, if a ticket has multiple seats, the attendee count could be higher than tickets sold. An example of this would be selling a sponsor ticket that has 10 seats. The attendee count represents the number of unique attendees that have registered for this event. Learn more about the event overview totals here.
Ecommerce | Top
Q: How can I add products to Novi that are already set up in QuickBooks Online?
- A: Since your Ecommerce Products in Novi also live in QuickBooks Online you don't need to create duplicates in order to add existing products to your site. Instead, you can just use the built-in import tool! Learn more about this process here, and don't forget to update the product's settings in Novi once you've imported it from QuickBooks.
Q: How can I create new products?
- A: If you need to set up a product in Novi and it does not already exist in your QuickBooks Online Products & Services list, then you can follow these steps to create a new product. Don't forget to connect with your bookkeeper to ensure that the new Ecommerce product is connected to the appropraite Account in QuickBooks.
Q: How are shipping costs set up for products in my Ecommerce store?
- A: In Novi Ecommerce, you can enable shipping rates and costs for your products. These rates are set and calculated based on a universal shipping rate that you set and the weight per product. Learn more about how to manage these settings here.