Skip to main content

Creating and Managing Polls

Polls help you gather input from families on team decisions and check availability for events. You can create polls that target specific teams, divisions, or custom groups within your club.

Poll Basics​

What Polls Can Do​

Polls let you:

  • Ask questions with multiple choice answers
  • Check availability for practices, games, or tournaments
  • Gather feedback from families on team decisions
  • Target specific groups - teams, divisions, or custom selections
  • Set deadlines for responses
  • View results in real-time or after voting closes

Poll Types​

Single Select:

  • Families choose one option from multiple choices
  • Best for yes/no questions or picking between alternatives
  • Results show clear majority preferences

Multi-Select:

  • Families can choose multiple options that apply
  • Perfect for availability checks or interest surveys
  • Shows which options have the most support

Creating Polls​

Basic Poll Setup​

  1. Go to Polls in your dashboard
  2. Click "Create New Poll"
  3. Enter your poll details:
    • Title - clear, descriptive question
    • Answer Type - single select or multi-select
    • Deadline - optional response cutoff date/time
    • Season - link to current season if applicable

Adding Poll Options​

Create answer choices for your poll:

  1. Add options one at a time
  2. Order options logically (Yes/No, dates in chronological order)
  3. Keep options clear and specific
  4. Include "Other" or "Maybe" options when appropriate

Targeting Your Poll​

Choose who can see and respond to your poll:

Team Targeting:

  • Select specific teams within divisions
  • All active team members can respond
  • Perfect for team-specific decisions

Division Targeting:

  • Include all teams in selected divisions
  • Reaches entire age groups or competitive levels
  • Good for division-wide questions

Custom Targeting:

  • Mix and match teams and divisions

Poll Settings​

Result Visibility​

Control when and what results are shown:

When to show results:

  • Immediate - results visible as responses come in
  • After voting - results appear after each family votes
  • Upon closure - results only visible after poll closes
  • Never - results hidden from families (admin only)

What to show:

  • Counts Only - vote tallies and percentages
  • Counts with Respondents - includes who voted for what

Anonymous Mode​

Enable anonymous mode to protect respondent privacy:

  • No one can see how any individual voted — not coaches, not administrators
  • Only aggregated result counts are visible
  • Comments are also anonymized
  • Anonymity cannot be changed after the poll is created

Use anonymous mode for sensitive topics: budget decisions, coaching feedback, uniform preferences, or anything where families might feel pressured to vote a certain way.

Response Management​

Open vs Draft status:

  • Draft - poll created but not visible to families
  • Open - families can see and respond to the poll
  • Closed - no more responses accepted, results final

Response deadlines:

  • Set specific date and time for response cutoffs
  • Polls automatically stop accepting responses after deadline
  • Families see countdown to deadline in the app

Managing Active Polls​

Opening Polls​

When your poll is ready:

  1. Review all settings and options
  2. Check targeting - ensure correct families will see it
  3. Click "Open Poll" to make it live
  4. Poll notifications are sent to targeted families

Viewing Results​

Track responses as they come in:

  • Response count shows how many families have voted
  • Option breakdown displays votes and percentages per choice
  • Individual responses (if visibility settings allow)
  • Response rate compared to total eligible families

Closing Polls​

When voting is complete:

  1. Review final results to ensure sufficient responses
  2. Click "Close Poll" to stop accepting new votes
  3. Results become final and can't be changed
  4. Share outcomes with families if appropriate

Best Practices​

Writing Effective Polls​

Clear questions:

  • Be specific about what you're asking
  • Include necessary context or details
  • Avoid leading or biased language
  • Focus on one topic per poll

Good poll examples:

  • "Can your athlete attend Saturday practice on March 15th, 9am-11am?"
  • "Which tournament option works best for your family?"
  • "Rate your satisfaction with this season's communication"

Timing and Communication​

Before creating polls:

  • Check timing - give families adequate time to respond
  • Consider schedules - avoid sending during busy periods
  • Set realistic deadlines - allow 3-5 days minimum for responses

After creating polls:

  • Follow up if response rates are low
  • Share results when appropriate and helpful
  • Take action based on poll outcomes to show families their input matters

Targeting Strategy​

Team-specific polls:

  • Use for team scheduling, equipment, or logistics questions
  • Target only affected team members
  • Include team coaches in discussions

Division-wide polls:

  • Best for policy questions or broad availability checks
  • Ensure questions apply to all targeted teams
  • Consider age-appropriate language and concepts

Cross-division polls:

  • Use custom targeting for club-wide questions
  • Be mindful of different team needs and schedules
  • May need follow-up polls for specific groups

Troubleshooting​

Low Response Rates​

If families aren't responding:

  • Check notification settings - ensure push notifications are working
  • Follow up via other channels - team messages, email, or in-person
  • Extend deadline if response rate is too low
  • Simplify the question - complex polls may confuse families

Technical Issues​

Poll won't open:

  • Ensure you have at least 2 options
  • Check that targeting is properly configured
  • Verify you have permission to poll the selected groups

Results not showing:

  • Review visibility settings - may be set to hide results
  • Check if poll is still in draft status
  • Confirm you have permission to view results

Targeting problems:

  • Verify selected teams/divisions exist and are active
  • Check if families have active accounts and app access

Polls streamline communication and help you make decisions that work for your team families while keeping everyone informed and engaged.