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SStandShare

Control how people join your organization

Admin

The join policy controls how new members can join your organization in StandShare. You can allow anyone to sign up on their own, or restrict registration so that only people you invite can join.

What Join Policy Controls​

The join policy affects the registration page for your organization. It determines whether visitors to your organization's login page see a "Create an account" link or not.

There are two modes:

ModeWhat happens
OpenAnyone who visits your login page can click "Create an account" and register themselves. After registering, they appear in your user list and can be assigned a role.
Invite OnlyThe "Create an account" link is hidden. New members can only join if an admin sends them an invitation. Visitors who try to access the registration page directly see a message that says the organization is invite-only.

Changing the Join Policy​

The join policy is part of your organization's branding configuration. To change it:

  1. Go to Admin > Branding (or Admin > Settings, depending on your role).
  2. Look for the Join Policy setting.
  3. Toggle between Open and Invite Only.
  4. Save your changes.
note

Changes take effect immediately. If you switch from Open to Invite Only, the registration link disappears from the login page right away.

What Changes for New Users​

When Open Registration Is Enabled​

  • Your login page shows a "Don't have an account? Sign up" link.
  • Anyone can create an account by providing their name, email, and password.
  • New registrants start with a default role (typically the most basic permissions).
  • Admins can then promote them to the appropriate role.

When Invite Only Is Enabled​

  • The login page does not show a sign-up link.
  • If someone navigates directly to the registration URL, they see a message: "This organization is invite-only. Please contact your administrator for an invitation."
  • The only way to add new members is through the admin's user management tools.

How to Invite Users When Invite Only Is Enabled​

When your organization is set to invite-only, you need to add new members manually:

  1. Go to Admin > Users & Roles.
  2. Click Invite User (or Add User).
  3. Enter the person's email address and select their initial role.
  4. Click Send Invitation.

The person receives an email with a link to set up their password and access the organization.

tip

Use invite-only mode during the off-season or when you want tight control over who joins. Switch to open registration during sign-up periods when you expect many new families to join.

Which Mode Should You Use?​

SituationRecommended mode
Active registration period (start of season)Open -- let families sign up on their own to reduce admin work.
Mid-season or off-seasonInvite Only -- prevent random sign-ups and keep your member list clean.
Small organization where you know every memberInvite Only -- maintain full control.
Large organization with frequent turnoverOpen with a follow-up review of new registrations.

Common Questions​

Does changing the join policy affect existing members? No. Existing members are not affected. The join policy only controls whether new people can self-register.

Can I use a waitlist instead? Yes -- StandShare also supports a waitlist mode. See the Registration Waitlist guide for details on how that works alongside the join policy.

What happens if someone was halfway through registering when I switch to invite-only? They will not be able to complete registration. They will see the invite-only message if they try to access the registration page again.

Next Steps​