# Acacia CMS — Client How-To Guide

**Audience:** Church administrators, branch administrators, and staff with assigned roles.

This guide explains **how to use every module** in Acacia CMS (Church CMS): where to find things in the menu, how to complete common tasks step by step, and how each area of the system works.

> **Screenshots:** Captured from the **real Acacia CMS application UI** with demo data. Images live in `assets/screenshots/`.

**Live guide:** [https://your-domain.com/help](https://your-domain.com/help)  
**Download editable copy:** [https://your-domain.com/help/download](https://your-domain.com/help/download) (ZIP with markdown + images + `MASTER-GUIDE.md`)

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## How to use this guide

| If you want to… | Start here |
|-----------------|------------|
| Learn the basics and sign in | [Chapter 1 — Introduction](chapters/01-introduction.md) |
| Understand the sidebar and header | [Chapter 2 — Navigation](chapters/02-navigation.md) |
| Manage people | [Chapter 3 — Members](chapters/03-members.md) |
| Record Sunday attendance | [Chapter 4 — Attendance](chapters/04-attendance.md) |
| Handle offerings, tithes, expenses | [Chapter 5 — Finance](chapters/05-finance.md) |
| Plan services and send messages | [Chapter 6 — Events & Communication](chapters/06-events-communication.md) |
| Manage multiple branch locations (HQ) | [Chapter 7 — Branches & HQ](chapters/07-branches-hq.md) |
| Run payroll and employee records | [Chapter 8 — HRM](chapters/08-hrm.md) |
| Users, roles, assets, backup | [Chapter 9 — Administration](chapters/09-administration.md) |
| Calendar, to-do, notes, files | [Chapter 10 — Applications](chapters/10-applications.md) |
| Billing and platform support | [Chapter 11 — Subscription & Support](chapters/11-subscription-support.md) |
| Church profile, theme, security | [Chapter 12 — Settings](chapters/12-settings.md) |
| End-to-end workflows | [Chapter 13 — Common Workflows](chapters/13-workflows.md) |

**Interactive version:** Open [index.html](index.html) in your browser for a searchable, printable guide with all chapters in one place.

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## Complete table of contents

### Part I — Getting started

1. [Introduction](chapters/01-introduction.md)
   - 1.1 What is Acacia CMS?
   - 1.2 Who uses the system (roles explained)
   - 1.3 Single church vs multi-branch headquarters
   - 1.4 Plans, limits, and features
   - 1.5 Permissions (read, create, edit, delete, export)
   - 1.6 Signing in and where you land
   - 1.7 First-time tutorial modal
   - 1.8 Glossary

2. [Navigation & layout](chapters/02-navigation.md)
   - 2.1 Dashboard overview
   - 2.2 Left sidebar (main menu)
   - 2.3 Header bar (search, messages, profile)
   - 2.4 Applications grid (calendar, to-do, notes, files)
   - 2.5 Settings menu
   - 2.6 List pages (search, filters, export)
   - 2.7 Create / edit forms
   - 2.8 Notifications and toasts

### Part II — People & engagement

3. [Member management](chapters/03-members.md)
   - 3.1 How members work (data model)
   - 3.2 View the members list
   - 3.3 Add a new member
   - 3.4 Edit a member profile
   - 3.5 Delete or deactivate a member
   - 3.6 Export members
   - 3.7 Member groups
   - 3.8 Departments and department heads
   - 3.9 Leadership positions
   - 3.10 Follow-ups (pastoral care)
   - 3.11 Birthdays and notifications
   - 3.12 GDPR consent form
   - 3.13 Transfer a member (branch only)
   - 3.14 Visitor form (see Chapter 4.8)

4. [Attendance](chapters/04-attendance.md)
   - 4.1 How attendance works
   - 4.2 Manual attendance (punch in / punch out)
   - 4.3 Attendance tracker (analytics)
   - 4.4 Attendance reports
   - 4.5 AI attendance assistant
   - 4.6 Kiosk setup (admin)
   - 4.7 Public kiosk check-in (member guide)
   - 4.8 Visitor form (QR registration)
   - 4.9 Punch out (admin kiosk panel)
   - 4.10 Export attendance data

5. [Events & communication](chapters/06-events-communication.md)
   - 5.1 Services (worship types)
   - 5.2 Events (calendar activities)
   - 5.3 Noticeboard (single church)
   - 5.4 Announcements (multi-branch)
   - 5.5 Messages (internal mail)
   - 5.6 Live chat
   - 5.7 Attachments and polls

### Part III — Finance

5. [Finance & accounting](chapters/05-finance.md)
   - 5.1 How church finance is organized
   - 5.2 Offerings
   - 5.3 Tithes
   - 5.4 Pledges and pledge payments
   - 5.5 Recorded income
   - 5.6 Expenses and receipt scanning
   - 5.7 Categories and sub-categories
   - 5.8 Bank accounts
   - 5.9 Profit & loss report
   - 5.10 Balance sheet and reconciliation
   - 5.11 Gift Aid (UK churches) — plan, country, and Settings → Financial toggle
   - 5.12 Common fund (multi-branch)
   - 5.13 HQ finance overview and branch access requests
   - 5.14 Export finance data

### Part IV — Organization

7. [Branches & headquarters](chapters/07-branches-hq.md)
   - 7.1 Multi-branch model explained
   - 7.2 Create a branch
   - 7.3 Edit branch details
   - 7.4 Branch admins and passwords
   - 7.5 Branch analytics and filters
   - 7.6 Designations (org-wide titles and custom types)
   - 7.7 Localization (regions, districts, areas, zones)
   - 7.8 What HQ does vs what branches do

8. [Human resources (HRM)](chapters/08-hrm.md)
   - 8.1 Employees
   - 8.2 Add and edit employee records
   - 8.3 Payroll items (allowances / deductions)
   - 8.4 Employee salaries
   - 8.5 Run payroll
   - 8.6 Mark payroll as paid
   - 8.7 Payment reports

### Part V — Administration

9. [Administration](chapters/09-administration.md)
   - 9.1 Users (invite staff)
   - 9.2 Roles
   - 9.3 Permissions matrix
   - 9.4 Assets and asset categories
   - 9.5 Activity logs
   - 9.6 Backup and restore

10. [Productivity applications](chapters/10-applications.md)
    - 10.1 Calendar
    - 10.2 To Do list
    - 10.3 Notes
    - 10.4 File manager

11. [Subscription & support](chapters/11-subscription-support.md)
    - 11.1 Plan package (features and limits)
    - 11.2 Subscription status
    - 11.3 Upgrade plan (Stripe checkout)
    - 11.4 Billing portal
    - 11.5 Open a support ticket
    - 11.6 Track ticket replies
    - 11.7 Ticket reports

12. [Settings](chapters/12-settings.md)
    - 12.1 General / organization profile (logo upload, default logo)
    - 12.2 Financial settings (Gift Aid toggle)
    - 12.3 Website and appearance (theme)
    - 12.4 Security and two-factor authentication
    - 12.5 Activity logs
    - 12.6 Backup and cloud settings
    - 12.7 Clear cache

### Part VI — Quick reference

13. [Common workflows](chapters/13-workflows.md)
    - 13.1 Sunday service with kiosk check-in
    - 13.2 Month-end finance close
    - 13.3 Onboard a new treasurer
    - 13.4 Onboard a new branch
    - 13.5 Onboard a new staff member with limited access
    - 13.6 Request help from platform support
    - 13.7 Run payroll for the month
    - 13.8 Customise the visitor registration form
    - 13.9 Upload your church logo

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## Appendices

| Appendix | Content |
|----------|---------|
| A | [Glossary](chapters/01-introduction.md#glossary) |
| B | [Troubleshooting](chapters/01-introduction.md#troubleshooting) |

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## Recent updates (June 2026)

| Topic | Where documented |
|-------|------------------|
| Visitor form QR + submissions | [Chapter 4.8](chapters/04-attendance.md#48-visitor-form-qr-registration) |
| Default church logo & upload prompt | [Chapter 12.1](chapters/12-settings.md#121-general--organization-profile) |
| Gift Aid church/branch toggle | [Chapter 12.2](chapters/12-settings.md#122-financial-settings-gift-aid), [5.11](chapters/05-finance.md#511-gift-aid-uk-churches) |
| Custom designation types (+ modal) | [Chapter 7.5](chapters/07-branches-hq.md#75-designations-org-wide-titles) |
| Unified plan features (single list) | [Chapter 1.4](chapters/01-introduction.md#14-plans-limits-and-features), [11.1](chapters/11-subscription-support.md#111-plan-package-features-and-limits) |

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*Last updated: 7 June 2026*
