TRC Contact Database Rules
Database Content
The TRC contact database contains the following for each person who has run a TRC rallye:
- Name
- Address (if provided)
- Email address
- Telephone (any of home/work/mobile/FAX provided [but not all have spots on the paper membership application])
- Information about events run (except we stopped keeping that up-to-date)
- Membership status (member number, expiration date)
- Address validity flag
- Opt-in paper mailing flag
Database Usage
Quarterly Mailing
At the Board's choosing, a paper mailing will go out about once per quarter. The mailing should go to all active members who have requested mailings, and may also go to other event participants who have been at a TRC event recently. The definition of "recently" varies some, but tends towards approximately 1 year.
Membership Mailing
At the end of October, TRC will mail out ballots for the November election. Ballots will be sent to all members, regardless of whether they have opted out of flyer mailings.
Note that members with an associate get two ballots mailed to their address. Multiple full members at the same address could also ride on the same stamp; over the USPS weight limit, it would need the "extra ounce" stamp.
Updates
After each rallye, participants are added to the DB from score sheet registrations. If they are already in the database, the rallye event is added to their record.
Splitting Database Records
If James and Judy Jones ran an earlier rallye, but James now runs without Judy, their database record should be split, so James' can be updated for this rallye. If James joins as a member without paying extra for Judy to be an associate member, their record must also be split. A member record must have only one primary name; it may also have exactly one associate name, but only if it was paid for.
Database Chair Duties
Checking and Adding Rallyists
The Database Chair needs all scoresheets, after the rallye's results have been posted to the website and emailed to participants.
The Database Chair (or a trusted helper) should verify that every rallyist on the scoresheet is in the database.
- If the rallyist is not in the database, he/she is added.
- If an email address, postal address, or phone number is legible and different from that in the database, we assume it is newer and enter it into the database. (The membership form has separate spaces for home and mobile phone numbers, but score sheets do not, so we prefer to add another phone number than to remove one that might also be valid.)
- Regardless of whether any changes were made above,
- the Last Gimmick Rallye field is given the date of the rallye and
- the Name of the updater and the date and time of the update (not the rallye) are stored.
Beware: if the Database Chair gets score sheets from an old rallye, it is difficult to know if the information in the database is newer or older than the information on the score sheet. Assume that all the information in the database was correct as of the last update date. If that is after the rallye, assume it is newer than the information on the rallye's score sheet. In particular, never set the Last Gimmick Rallye field backward in time (unless it was in error, of course).
When postal mail to a rallyist is returned as undeliverable, the Database Chair should correct the address record if possible, or delete the address record. If the address record is deleted, the associated person records will automatically get an AddressFK value of NULL, but the modification date will not change.
Adding Club Members
The Database Chair needs every membership form.
The Database Chair (or a trusted helper) should assure that the member is already in the database (as a rallyist). If not, the rallyist (and associate, if any) is added to the database.
- If any contact information on the membership form is legible and different from that in the database, we assume it is newer and enter it into the database. (The membership form has separate spaces for home and mobile phone numbers, but score sheets do not, so you may get the opportunity to move numbers to the correct column.)
- If a member renews without an associate, check for a previous associate record. Associate records have no expiration date, and must be deleted by hand when they no longer apply.
- Regardless of whether any changes were made above,
- the rallyist's "Person ID" from the database can be recorded in the "ID" spot at the bottom of the membership form.
- update the membership expiration field per club policy (typically, to the end of the next February) and
- enter the Name of the updater and the date and time of the update (not the date of the membership form).
The DB spot at the bottom of the membership form can get the date that that form's information was entered into the database, and perhaps the initials of the person entering them. Membership forms should be saved, at least until their membership expires.
trc-workers email list
The Database Chair (formerly, Membership Chair) handles membership applications. The application has a check-box that indicates the member is (potentially) willing to work a rallye (in any capacity). If that box is checked, that member's email should be included in the trc-workers mailing list. The Database Chair can become an administrator of that list or can ask the list administrator [currently Dean] to add a list of such email address. It is possible that some of these email addresses are already on the list. The date that the email is added to the mailing list or the date that the list administrator was asked can be recorded in the "Workers" spot at the bottom of the membership form.
A RM often wants help for a rallye. Usually, they need checkpoint workers, but sometimes they want help putting up or taking down CMs and occasionally a RM needs someone else to teach the "chalk-talk" for lower classes at the start, so the RM is available to answer questions. Such an RM can send a message or two to the trc-workings mailing list, seeking volunteers. (This list gets so little usage that those on it may no longer want to be on it. They may no longer be rallying, no longer would consider being a worker, or even have moved out of the area. If they ask to be removed, pass that on to the list administrator.)
Of course, potential workers need only answer a request if they are available and willing to help.