Help
Use these guides to set up people, roles, outside systems, and schedule drafts.
Planning Center and Elvanto Onboarding Guide
Orka can connect to Planning Center and Elvanto to import teams, volunteers, positions, and service plans so ministry leaders can build schedules faster. Orka does not delete existing Planning Center or Elvanto data. Imported information can be reviewed before use, and approved changes only sync back after a manager reviews the schedule.
Step 1 - Open Integrations
Go to Settings -> Integrations, choose Planning Center or Elvanto, then click Connect. The setup flow explains what permissions are needed before any live API work is enabled.
Step 2 - Choose What to Import
Import volunteers, teams, positions, service plans, departments, services, or roster data. Imports are safe to review and do not overwrite existing schedules.
Step 3 - Map Teams and Roles
Tell Orka which imported positions match your scheduling roles. Churches use different names, and that is expected. You can edit mappings later.
What is mapping?
Role mapping tells Orka which imported positions match scheduling roles inside Orka. A Planning Center position named FOH Audio may map to Audio Tech 1. Multiple imported positions can map to the same Orka role, and Orka may suggest mappings automatically when names are similar.
Supported Ministry Role Examples
These examples help worship leaders, production directors, church admins, and volunteer coordinators decide how specific their schedule roles should be.
Worship Roles
- Vocals
- Backup Vocals
- Choir
- Organ
- Percussion
- Acoustic Guitar 1
- Acoustic Guitar 2
- Electric Guitar 1
- Electric Guitar 2
Acoustic Guitar 1/2 and Electric Guitar 1/2 are intentionally separate because many worship teams schedule specific guitar parts separately. Do not combine them unless your church intentionally maps them together.
Production Roles
- Broadcast Director
- Broadcast Audio
- Broadcast Slides
- Camera 1
- Camera 2
- Camera 3
- Camera 4
- Camera 5
- Camera 6
- Camera 7
- Camera 8
- Camera 9
- Camera 10
- Camera 11
- Camera 12
- Camera 13
- Camera 14
- Camera 15
- Camera 16
- Camera 17
- Camera 18
- Camera 19
- Camera 20
- Audio Tech 1
- Audio Tech 2
- Lighting 1
- Lighting 2
Orka supports Camera 1 through Camera 20 so volunteers know exactly where they are serving instead of only seeing a generic camera team assignment.
Operations Roles
- Setup
- Tear Down
Example Mapping Tables
Use these as starting points. Your church can keep its existing names and map them to the closest Orka role.
Worship Mapping
| Planning Center / Elvanto Position | Orka Role |
|---|---|
| Lead Vocal | Vocals |
| Vocal 1 | Vocals |
| BGV | Backup Vocals |
| Choir Member | Choir |
| Organist | Organ |
| Percussionist | Percussion |
| Acoustic Guitar 1 | Acoustic Guitar 1 |
| Acoustic Guitar 2 | Acoustic Guitar 2 |
| Electric Guitar 1 | Electric Guitar 1 |
| Electric Guitar 2 | Electric Guitar 2 |
Production Mapping
| Planning Center / Elvanto Position | Orka Role |
|---|---|
| Broadcast Director | Broadcast Director |
| Broadcast Audio | Broadcast Audio |
| Slides | Broadcast Slides |
| ProPresenter | Broadcast Slides |
| Camera 1 | Camera 1 |
| Camera 2 | Camera 2 |
| Camera 3 | Camera 3 |
| Camera 4 | Camera 4 |
| Audio 1 | Audio Tech 1 |
| FOH Audio | Audio Tech 1 |
| Audio 2 | Audio Tech 2 |
| Lighting 1 | Lighting 1 |
| Lighting 2 | Lighting 2 |
Operations Mapping
| Planning Center / Elvanto Position | Orka Role |
|---|---|
| Setup Crew | Setup |
| Tear Down Crew | Tear Down |
| Load In | Setup |
| Load Out | Tear Down |
What Happens Next?
After import and mapping, Orka can generate schedules, rebalance teams, suggest replacements, help avoid volunteer burnout, and organize recurring schedules. Schedules stay reviewable, and managers remain in control before anything is synced back.
Will Orka overwrite my Planning Center or Elvanto schedules?
No. Orka only syncs approved changes after review.
What if my church uses different role names?
That is normal. Map your existing names to the closest Orka role.
Can one volunteer serve multiple roles?
Yes. Volunteers can have multiple skills and assignments.
Can I change mappings later?
Yes. Mappings can be updated any time from Integrations settings.
Why are Camera 1-20 separate roles?
Many churches assign volunteers to specific camera positions. Separate camera roles make schedules clearer and more accurate.
Why are Acoustic Guitar 1 and 2 separate?
Many worship teams schedule specific guitar parts separately. Keeping them separate improves scheduling accuracy.
How to add or remove users
Keep your People list current so generated schedules only include active people with matching roles.
- 1Open People from the sidebar.
- 2Use Add Person to enter the person's name, email, phone number, scheduling limits, and eligible roles.
- 3Leave Active checked when the person should be included in generated schedules.
- 4Select Add person to save the record.
- 5To remove someone, find them in the People List and select Delete.
How to connect Planning Center to Orka
Planning Center support is prepared as a safe placeholder connection so churches can test the workflow before live API sync is added.
- 1Open Orka and go to Settings -> Integrations.
- 2Choose Planning Center and click Connect.
- 3Sign in or paste the required credentials when your church is ready for live setup.
- 4Choose what to import: volunteers, teams, positions, and service plans.
- 5Map Planning Center teams and positions to Orka roles. For example, FOH Audio can map to Audio Tech 1.
- 6Review imported people and plans before using them in a schedule.
- 7Generate or rebalance the schedule inside Orka.
- 8Review and approve the schedule before any sync happens.
- 9Click Sync to Planning Center when live sync is enabled.
- 10Review the schedule in Planning Center so your main volunteer system stays current.
How to connect Elvanto to Orka
Elvanto support follows the same integration workflow and currently uses mock responses for local testing.
- 1Open Orka and go to Settings -> Integrations.
- 2Choose Elvanto and click Connect.
- 3Add an API key or token if your church is ready for live setup.
- 4Choose what to import: people, departments, positions, services, and roster data.
- 5Map Elvanto departments and positions to Orka roles. For example, ProPresenter can map to Broadcast Slides.
- 6Review imported people and roster data before using it in a schedule.
- 7Generate or rebalance the schedule inside Orka.
- 8Review and approve the schedule before any sync happens.
- 9Click Sync to Elvanto when live sync is enabled.
- 10Review the schedule in Elvanto so your main volunteer system stays current.
Using Orka from Planning Center or Elvanto
Orka opens as an external scheduling assistant that can work alongside the church's main volunteer system.
- 1Save Orka as a bookmark or resource link in your Planning Center or Elvanto workflow.
- 2Open Orka when you need to import data, generate smarter schedules, or rebalance assignments.
- 3Use Orka to build and review finalized assignments.
- 4Sync finalized assignments back when live sync is enabled.
- 5Keep Planning Center or Elvanto as the main volunteer system so volunteers do not need to log into Orka.
How to connect your email
Email settings control the provider, sender details, notification timing, and templates used after schedules are approved.
- 1Open Integrations, then select Email Settings.
- 2Choose the email provider you want to configure.
- 3Enter the from and reply-to addresses that recipients should see.
- 4Review the notification timing and message templates.
- 5Select Save settings, then use Send test email to confirm the setup.
How to upload volunteers
Upload your volunteers with name, role, and email. Then create schedules from your people list.
- 1Open Import Data from the sidebar.
- 2Prepare a CSV, Excel, or Google Sheets file with columns name, role, and email.
- 3Choose the file or paste a Google Sheets link.
- 4Select Import Volunteers.
- 5Open People to confirm the volunteers and roles were added.
How to make changes to current schedules
Generated schedules stay as drafts so you can review assignments before approving and notifying people.
- 1Open Schedules from the sidebar.
- 2Generate a draft if one does not exist yet.
- 3Find the draft in Schedule Drafts and select Review.
- 4Review the assignments, fairness notes, and schedule status.
- 5Approve the draft only when the schedule is ready for notifications.