OA LodgeMaster Users,

The OA LodgeMaster Team is excited to announce the immediate release of version 4.3.0! We fixed 26 bugs, made 14 improvements, and added 8 new features! We are very excited to announce the release of the final LodgeMaster 4 module - finance! As of version 4.3.0 we have completely retired the legacy version 3 Silverlight client. Other notable new features include the new Performance Management Program wizard and reports, new non-member capabilities, controls to manage your lodge structure, new event and unit non-member functionality, and the ability to merge address and contact types.

Important notes about the release:

• The finance module has been migrated to the new LodgeMaster version 4 platform. Users will no longer need to use version 3 to access the Finance Module. Version 4 of the finance module includes updated and simplified screens, mobile optimization, and an easier to learn format.
• The replacement for Journey to Excellence (JTE), Performance Management Program (PMP), has been released. The new PMP program was announced as the replacement to JTE in June by the National Order of the Arrow Committee. Click here to read more about the change.
• The Brotherhood waiting period has changed from 10 months to 6 months. All wizards and reports have been updated in the Lodge Client to reflect this change. The change was announced in June by the National Order of the Arrow Committee. Click here to read more about the change.
• We’ve added a new tool to keep your lodge Key-3 data up-to-date. You will now be get a reminder in the Lodge Client every 3 months to update your Key-3 data. You can also run the tool from the Tools menu in the Members Module. The National Office uses this data for communication with lodges so it’s important to keep this information up to date for your lodge.
• We’ve made several major changes to the Lodge Structure making it easier to manage overall:
  • We’ve added the ability for lodges to merge areas into other areas. This will allow you to do your own chapter mergers. Merging two chapters is irreversible and changes a lot of lodge data at once. Because of this we’ve added a double confirmation message when merging areas. Use caution when merging records.
  • You can now delete chapters and areas from the Lodge Structure when there are no references to them. This will allow you to delete chapters that are created by mistake during an import or remove areas that are no longer needed. This action is irreversible and cannot be undone.
  • Chapters, areas, committees, and positions within can now be reordered to represent the correct hierarchy of areas and positions in the lodge.
• We’ve added the ability to merge all contact types. You can now merge types of mailing addresses, emails, and phone numbers. This will allow you to remove old entries and combine types. If the merge function is unable to merge an entry you will get an error with what couldn’t be merged and you can manually update those records. This action is irreversible and cannot be undone. Use caution when merging records.
• Related to contact types we’ve added ‘Parent’ as a built-in system contact type for both email phone. The new field can be imported, added to the member and event grids and the new field is now a searchable field in the grid. You can also email the new type in events. If you had an existing contact type called ‘Parent’ we’ve merged that into the new system field. If you have a parent/guardian field called something else, you can use the new contact type merge to merge the field into the new system ‘Parent’ field.
• We’ve completely redesigned how non-members are added and managed. You can now add non-members directly to events and as unit contacts. You no longer need to first add them in the Members Module as a non-member. The old non-member flag and screen will be deprecated and removed in the future – we will announce a timeline in the future.
• We’ve added duplicate checking when adding and importing new members. The system will now prevent the creation of duplicate BSA IDs. If no BSA ID is input / imported, the program remains unchanged. If an BSA is input / imported, the system now checks if that ID exists already and gives and error and prevents you from adding the duplicate.
• Administrators can now delete user invites that have not been claimed. This will allow you to clean up your invited user list. We’ve also changed how permissions are assigned. You can no longer add a chapter level permission if the user has the same permission at the lodge level as it is redundant.

Go to https://lodgemaster.oa-bsa.org/ to access the online system, and if needed, download the offline version. As always, if you have questions or problems, please submit a request online (http://docs.oa-bsa.org/display/OALMLC).

Yours in Brotherhood,

The OA LodgeMaster Team