National Sojourners^®

ACCESS TO THE MMS DATABASE

PLEASE READ THE BELOW CAREFULLY

The MMS (Member Management System) database hosted in the National Office is now available for individual members to check and update their contact information.  As well, various chapter officers, Area Representatives/Regional Representatives, and other individuals are given additional privileges and accesses to perform their jobs for National Sojourners.  It is important to note that a database is only as good as the information it contains … so if your information is out-of-date, then the database is as well.  Secretaries and Assistant Secretaries have access to their entire chapter membership information – but any changes they put into the system will be coded in RED (maybe pink, depends on your display) until someone at the National Office reviews the input for correct formatting and completeness, and once approved the RED background will be removed.  Area and Regional Representatives can LOOK at data from all chapters that are associated with their position, but they can NOT make any changes.  Likewise, members of the Executive Committee (EXCOM) can examine data from any chapter, but not change anything.

It is important to realize that there are many “features” in the MMS that you may not be able to access.  Call this a “work in progress” as we flesh out much needed capabilities to support the National Office and the NST’s reporting responsibilities.  If you find you need access to something but are not being allowed to access it, please report that to the Chair of the IT Committee AND the NST.  If the need is validated, it will be put into a list of future capabilities and prioritized (after all, everything takes time and costs money, so we can’t do everything all at once).

Secretaries: There are only certain fields you can change (such as name, rank, service, address, phone, email, spouse, hero date, that sort of thing. You will see a LOT more information, some of which you can’t change. If you find something you need to change, but can’t, the chances are that only the National Office can make that change for you, so you need to report it to hq@nationalsojourners.org AND webmaster@nationalsojourners.org in order to get that change made for you (things like an error in the date they joined the chapter) – you’ll notice pretty quickly what you can and can’t change. IF you have a problem or you get an error message, it is VERY IMPORTANT that you get a screen capture of the error message and send it via email to nst@nationalsojourners.org AND webmaster@nationalsojourners.org with as much detailed information about what you were doing and where you were so we can check it out and get it resolved.  You may well get an error message if you are inactive on the MMS site for too long and then try to come back in.  When that happens, try logging out, then logging back in before you think something is wrong.

We are using a FORM OF (not exactly like) what is commonly called “2-factor authentication” for your access to the MMS.  When you visit the MMS site, you will be asked for a login ID and Password – these are NOT NECESSARILY what you use to login to the regular website (they CAN be, but don’t have to be – it’s up to you). This is to protect the database from some unwanted activities that otherwise might go undetected.  When you are asked for your Membership ID, it is important to note that it is NOT the number that might appear on your MIP membership card.  Each MIP member has THREE numbers in the database associated with them: MIP number, CHAPTER member number, and National Sojourners Member Number.  The National Sojourners Member Number is the one that is required.  In a “Catch-22” sort of manner, you won’t normally know what that number is, and usually you’ll have to get it from your secretary or the webmaster before you can register for access to the site.  You will need to answer all the questions in the registration form and then hit “REGISTER” at the bottom.  Wait a few seconds and you should see an indication that your registration has been successful – and you can login to the MMS.

As always, if you have a problem, contact webmaster@nationalsojourners.org for assistance.