Group meetings are scheduled recurring gatherings where group members come together to manage their collective financial activities. Meeting schedules help organize loan collections, track attendance, and facilitate group accountability.

Understanding Meeting Schedules

When a meeting schedule is attached to a group, Symba Microbanking automatically:

• Calculates the next 10 upcoming meeting dates based on the frequency
• Displays the next meeting date on the group details page
• Updates meeting dates dynamically as time progresses
• Tracks meeting attendance for compliance and reporting

The meeting frequency determines how often the group gathers (e.g., weekly, bi-weekly, monthly).

Attaching a Meeting Schedule

You can attach a meeting schedule to an active group that is not part of a center and doesn't already have a meeting schedule.

Prerequisites

• The group must be activated
• The group must not be part of a center (center meetings take precedence)
• The group must not already have a meeting schedule attached

Steps

• Log in to Symba Microbanking with a user account that has permission to create meetings.
• Navigate to the group's detail page
• Click the button
• Select "More" → "Attach Meeting"
• Configure the meeting schedule:
  • Meeting Start Date: The date of the first meeting
  • Repeats: How often the meeting occurs (Weekly, Monthly, etc.)
  • Frequency: The interval (e.g., every 1 week, every 2 weeks)
  • Repeats On: For weekly meetings, select which day(s) of the week
• Click "Submit"

The group now has a meeting schedule attached. The next meeting date will display on the group details page and will update automatically as meetings pass.

Editing a Meeting Schedule

You can modify an existing meeting schedule to change the frequency, start date, or meeting days.

Prerequisites

• The meeting must be owned by the group (not inherited from a center)
• You must have permission to update meetings

Steps

• Log in to Symba Microbanking with a user account that has permission to update meetings.
• Navigate to the group's detail page
• In the meeting frequency section, click the icon next to the frequency
• Modify the meeting schedule settings as needed
• Click "Submit"

Changes to the meeting schedule take effect immediately, and the next meeting date will be recalculated.

Recording Meeting Attendance

Meeting attendance can be tracked to monitor group participation and compliance with meeting requirements.

Prerequisites

• The group must have a meeting schedule attached
• You must have permission to save or update attendance

Steps

• Log in to Symba Microbanking with a user account that has permission to manage meeting attendance.
• Navigate to the group's detail page
• Click the button
• Select "More" → "Attendance"
• Select the meeting date from the list of upcoming meetings
• For each member, mark their attendance status (Present, Absent, etc.)
• Add any notes about the meeting
• Click "Submit"

Attendance records are saved and can be used for reporting and compliance purposes.

Viewing Next Meeting Date

The next scheduled meeting date is always displayed on the group details page when a meeting schedule is attached:

• The "Meeting Frequency" shows how often meetings occur
• The "Next Meeting on" field displays the date of the upcoming meeting
• This date updates automatically as meetings pass, always showing the next future meeting

Symba Microbanking automatically calculates meeting dates based on the frequency and handles calendar complexities like weekends and holidays according to the configured schedule.

Related Topics

• Creating groups
• Activating groups
• Adding clients to groups
• Managing center meetings