Mike Green's Items List

(Version 6.0 - 4/21/2020, 9AM ET)

This page is intended to provide a listing of Items to discuss with the BOD
and a list of the various AVA info webpages found on nodegreen.com and the
recent changes on these pages.

AVA IT Committee News

  1. New Event Stamp Image Feature
    1. Due to recent COVID-19 restrictions a number of clubs have lost access to their YRE/SE start boxes and in particular the physical stamp for these events. A new "Stamp Image" feature has been developed to permit clubs to download a page of "individualized" stamps as pdf suitable to be emailed to a paid participant. The participant then may use this page to cut and past individual stamp images into his/her AVA books.
    2. To access this stamp page generation feature, login to my.ava.org as a club, then click on the "Sanctions" tab, then click on the "Stamps" tab. Use the "Image" next to the event of interest to go to the "Cut and Paste Stamp" page.
    3. To produce an image page pdf, the club must first enter the participant's name, then select the number of identical stamp images to be placed on the downloaded pdf.
    4. The each stamp image include participant's name, the download date, and a "random" security code (that is the same for every stamp image on the page). The security code allows for AVA HQ to reject misuse of this feature where a user pastes identical stamps (having the same security code) in the same book.
    5. Clubs are responsible for assuring that participants have signed an AVA Athletic Waiver and paid participant fees before generating and emailing stamp image pages.
    6. The generated stamp pages include instruction on their proper use.
    7. Note: Given that RDs have access to the my.ava.org club interface for all clubs in their region, they also can generate stamp image pages for any event in their region. Therefore, this feature eliminates the need for AVA to distribute / update physical RD stamps.
  2. New Event Status Message Feature
    1. Due to recent COVID-19 restrictions a number of AVA events have been postponed or cancelled. To facilitate the notification of users employing my.ava.org to find AVA events, a new "Status" tab has been added to my.ava.org club interface.
    2. A tutorial on the use of the Event Status Message feature has been posted on the my.ava.org "Tutorial" page (starting on my.ava.org home page click on the "Find a ..." tab, then click on the "Tutorial" tab).
  3. One Page Quarterly Participation Documentation and AVA HQ Interface
    1. A one page quarterly participation entry feature has been implmented that improves the efficiency of club participation data entry as well as that of the AVA HQ processing. Checkpoint and TAW articles have been documenting the club interface features for this new interface. Also online documentation maybe found here.
    2. After verifying entered quarterlt data, clubs must download an invoice pdf and send in their payment. AVA HQ will no longer be sending out paper invoices (unless otherwise requested for $5 fee). An AVA HQ interface has been developed for monitoring data entry and invoice creation. This interface also provides for efficient importation of club invoice data into AVA Quicken accounts (without manual data entry).
  4. New "Sell It" features
    1. As mentioned in the October Checkpoint, the AVA ESR system now supports a new "Sell It" feature where clubs may upload approved event brochures, add a short "Elevator Pitch", and add up to 4 pictures to an event in the ESR system.
    2. Go to the IT Committee News page http://nodegreen.com/esr/ for more details.
  5. The Starting Point Changes page - As proposed, the new Starting Point page has been deployed on ava.org, that allows the interested party to look the latest info for an event based on the event's stamp number that is in the Starting Point book for each event listed.
  6. Online Start Box is now my.ava.org - For 2020, OSB customer support will continue to approve new OSB events. OSB customer support will also be inspecting newly uploaded event directions for an existing/already approved OSB event before they are made available to the public.
  7. The event details on my.ava.org. - The public viewable web page of the detailed information for an event has been redirected to my.ava.org for events listed for a club, event seaches, and the interactive map. Restricting the viewing of the detailed start location to ONLY those who have logged into my.ava.org will soon be implemented. (This was approved during the January 2019 BOD meeting.)
  8. New quarterly participation data entry form and procedure
    1. Starting at the end of Q4 2019, a new single page form (on my.ava.org) will be deployed for clubs to enter their quarterly participation data for all of their events. This single page form will automatically include the participation numbers from a club’s Online Start Box (OSB) events and provide entry boxes for the data for their non-OSB events.
    2. Clubs will also be expected to enter any additional participation data for their OSB events (on the same single page form) when they have supported, for example, group walks, bus groups, or remote registration by physically registering walkers and physically stamping books (independent of the OSB).
    3. Once the clubs have entered all their quarterly participation and submitted the form, a confirmation page will show a draft of their quarterly Invoice. This draft invoice will show the funds collected from their OSB walks as a credit.
    4. Confirming the draft invoice will cause an Invoice pdf to be generated. The club will be expected to download this invoice pdf.
    5. If the collected OSB amounts for the quarter are sufficient, it's possible the club will receive a check from the AVA for the excess funds. Otherwise, when there is a net balance owed to the AVA, the club is expected to print the appropriate portion of the invoice and promptly send it with their payment via US Mail to the AVA National Office.
    6. Starting with 2019 Q4 end of quarter, the AVA will no longer be sending clubs Participation Invoices via US Mail or via e-mail. (Note: 2019 Q2 Participation Data entry will be done using current system with an entry page for each event later followed by an invoice sent by the AVA.)

Info for RDs, SAs, and Clubs on renewing and new OSB events as well as PPSF events

  1. Renewal of 2019 OSB YRE/SEs for 2020
    1. Club should renew event using legacy AVA ESR (same as for a non-OSB event).
    2. Assure Starting Point and Location fields have required text. Click here for more detail.
    3. RD (and State Association if needed) Approval of event using legacy AVA ESR system (same as for non-OSB events)
    4. See "New OSB YRE/SEs for 2020" below for info on uploading event directions pdf.
    5. IMPORTANT - New directions uploaded a for 2020 event will also become directions pdf for an existing 2019 event that has the same stamp#. (and vice versa)
  2. New OSB YRE/SEs for 2020
    1. Create event using legacy AVA ESR (same as for non-OSB event).
    2. Assure Starting Point and Location fields have required text. Click here for more detail.
    3. Get RD (and State Association if needed) Approval (same as for a non-OSB event).
    4. Hector will assign a new stamp# (Y####) to the event (manual process)
    5. All of the above needs to be done before the middle of September to assure the OSB event will appear in next Starting Point Book.
    6. The club needs to prepare event directions appropriate for inclusion in OSB that comply with the AVA Policy for all events (Here is the applicable section of the Policy Manual). See also here for recommendations and help on creating event direction pdfs.
    7. No later than a month before the begin date of the OSB YRE/SE, the club needs to upload the event directions pdf using club interface on my.ava.org
      1) Login using club credentials on my.ava.org
      2) Click on "Sanctions" tab, then the "OSB" tab to list all RD approved events.
      3) On OSB tab page, use "Edit" button for event of interest.
      4) On Edit page, drag new event/directions pdf into "drag and drop box".
      5) For a new OSB event, Click check box indicating this event as an OSB event, then click "Request approval" button.
      6) The new pdf will be inspected/approved by OSB customer support. If all pdf meets AVA Policy (Here is applicable section of the AVA Policy Manual.), the event will be approved for inclusion in the OSB. OSB customer support may suggest improvements to the submitted pdf
  3. PPSF events
    1. The AVA ESR system feature prevents an RD from changing an YRE/SEs category to PPSF once that event has been RD approved. (Note, once an event is RD approved, one should assume the club, sanctioning the event, will be promptly billed the appropriate sanctioning fee.) Also, a 2019 YRE/SE that is renewed for 2020 does NOT inherit it's 2019 PPSF designation.
    2. For a 2020 YRE/SEs, that an RD has agreed should be designated PPSF, the RD needs to first use the "Edit ESR" button, provided in the list of unapproved events, to change the event's category to PPSF BEFORE approving the event.
    3. If you need to change a YRE/SE event's category to PPSF after approving the event, you will need to contact Marian (marian@ava,org) to assure the club has not already been billed the standard $20 sanctioning fee. Once the billing issue has been addressed, Marian will be able to change the event category to PPSF for the YRE/SE in question (based on the event's 6-digit ID).

Webpages on nodegreen.com

  1. New ESR features - http://nodegreen.com/esr/
  2. AVA Network and Systems - http://nodegreen.com/ava-net/
  3. Quickbooks Sanctioning Data Import procedure - http://nodegreen.com/ava-qb/