Stay Social Arc Portal Updates

DateNovember 14, 2025
Time4:00 PM PDT
IDstay-social-arc-portal-11-14-25

Discuss updates to the Stay Social CRM and ARC portal

Stay Social Portal – Combined Project Notes

1. Project Overview

  • Building a client portal for adults with disabilities and their caregivers to:
    • Submit an interest/intake form
    • Complete a waiver
    • Handle Regional Center vs Self-Determination funding paths
    • Streamline approvals and invoicing
  • Goal: replace a manual, time-intensive registration process (emails, paper waivers, tracking) with an integrated, automated system.
  • Long-term vision:
    • Clients/caregivers can log in to:
      • Register for sessions (e.g., Session 1 and Session 2)
      • View how many classes they have left
      • Manage their own budget (especially self-determination clients)
    • Organizer saves hours of manual admin work.

2. Login & Access

  • All clients must log in to access the portal.
  • Login should be simple, ideally:
    • Email address as username.
    • Very simple credential flow (but still requires login; not open to anyone).
  • Primary users:
    • Client (participant)
    • Caregiver/parent/house staff (best point of contact)
    • Regional Center Service Coordinator or Independent Facilitator (self-determination path)

3. Interest / Intake Form Requirements

The front portal/first step is the interest/intake form + waiver.

3.1 Core Personal Information

Collect:

  • Participant details:
    • Name
    • Preferred name
    • Date of birth
    • Email
    • Phone number
    • Address
  • Emergency contact:
    • Name
    • Relationship
    • Phone number
    • (Email if desired)
3.2 Conservation & Responsible Party
  • Question: “Is the participant conserved?” (Yes/No)
    • If Yes:
      • Collect name of conservator/responsible party
      • This determines who must sign the waiver.
  • Separate from conservation:
    • Best point of contact / caregiver section:
      • Name
      • Email
      • Phone number
      • Clarify this is the person who receives communications and brings the client to events.
      • Allow option like “same as above” if the participant is their own best contact.
3.3 Funding & Program Path
  • Key question: “Are you enrolled in the Self-Determination Program?” (Yes/No)
  • Logic:
    • If Yes (Self-Determination path):
      • Collect Independent Facilitator info:
        • Name
        • Email
        • Phone
      • Later in the self-determination flow:
        • UCI number
        • Financial Management Service (FMS) name
        • “Who approves your purchases in your budget?” (Budget manager)
        • Email of the person who approves invoices
    • If No (Traditional/Regional Center path):
      • Collect Regional Center Service Coordinator info:
        • Name
        • Email
        • Phone

The email logic for next steps depends on this Self-Determination vs Regional Center answer.

3.4 Session Preferences
  • Question: “Which sessions are you interested in?”
    • Checkboxes for:
      • Session 1
      • Session 2
    • Both can be selected.
  • The selected sessions should be included in the email sent to the coordinator/independent facilitator.
3.5 Preferences & Interests
  • Section for preferences/interests (e.g., Pickleball, etc.):
    • Used for marketing and filtering in the future:
      • Example: filter all clients interested in Pickleball and email them.

4. Waiver Process

  • Waiver must be part of the initial portal/form, not a separate later step.
  • Conservation logic:
    • If not conserved → participant signs the waiver.
    • If conserved → responsible party (conservator) signs the waiver.
  • Email text should clearly instruct:
    • “If the attendee is not conserved, they sign the waiver.”
    • “If conserved, the responsible party signs the waiver.”

5. Email & Notification System

5.1 On Interest Form Submission

When the interest/intake form (with waiver) is submitted:

  • Automatically send an email to:

    1. Best point of contact/caregiver (always)
    2. Either:
      • Regional Center Service Coordinator or
      • Independent Facilitator
        depending on the Self-Determination answer.

  • The email should include:

    • Confirmation/thank you for interest
    • Next steps for registration
    • Link to waiver (if needed for review or re-access)
    • For Regional Center path:
      • Mention the need to complete the screening tool (they already know what it is).
    • For Self-Determination:
      • Mention service code 331 (social recreation).
      • Instructions about how to proceed with budgeting/approval.

For Self-Determination, the email content may be different from the Regional Center version.

5.2 Coordinator / Independent Facilitator Portal Link
  • Email includes a unique link back to the portal where:
    • Regional Center coordinators can upload proof of approval.
    • Independent facilitators can enter necessary budget & FMS info.

6. Approval & Documentation Upload

6.1 Regional Center Path
  • After the screening tool is approved by Regional Center:
    • Service Coordinator must upload a screenshot/photo of the approval via the portal.
  • The portal needs:
    • An upload area for the coordinator to attach the proof of funding/approval.
6.2 Self-Determination Path
  • For self-determination clients:
    • Gather:
      • UCI number
      • Independent Facilitator name/email
      • Financial Management Service (FMS)
      • Person in charge of approving budget purchases
      • Email of the person who approves invoices
    • This supports invoicing and ensures the ARC can bill the correct FMS once the budget is approved.

7. Events & Client Portal View

  • Once the initial intake + waiver + approvals are complete, clients/caregivers can access an events view in the portal:
    • Shows upcoming events/sessions (e.g., Session 1, Session 2), with dates and themes.
    • Allows them to register/sign up for specific sessions.
    • Long-term:
      • The portal should show:
        • How many classes/passes they have left
        • Their remaining budget (especially for self-determination clients)
        • Possibly pricing tiers (10-class pack, gold membership, etc.) for self-determination purchases.

8. Billing & QuickBooks Integration

  • For Self-Determination clients:
    • Goal is to integrate with QuickBooks so that an invoice can be automatically generated and sent.
    • Example flow:
      • Client in self-determination selects what they want to buy (10-class pack, membership, etc.).
      • System uses service code 331 and stored FMS/budget-approver info.
      • Automatic QuickBooks invoice is generated and sent to the correct email.
  • Longer-term vision:
    • Self-determination clients have their own personal portal where they:
      • Select what they want to purchase.
      • See invoice history.
      • Track remaining budget and passes.
  • For Regional Center clients:
    • Process revolves around uploaded approval screenshot and billing the Regional Center per their existing process (but portal could still support invoice generation if needed).

9. Status, Timeline, and Meetings

  • Current status:
    • Portal exists as a local mockup on Spencer’s machine (not yet deployed to the live website).
    • Basic intake form structure with many of the requested fields already mocked up.
  • Contract:
    • Contract for two more program sessions in the spring has been signed.
    • Sessions planned:
      • January–March
      • April–June
  • Deadlines:
    • By end of next week, marketing needs a live place to send the interest form.
  • Upcoming meetings:
    • Monday meeting with Melanie (the ARC) to review the updated mockup.
    • Possible future call with:
      • John (website manager) to integrate the portal into the website.
      • A Catholic programmer friend (Notre Dame grad, works at a startup) for networking/brainstorming.

10. Business & Expansion Considerations

  • Cathy emphasized:
    • This portal will save many hours of manual admin (emails, copy-paste, tracking, chasing waivers).
    • Previous systems at the ARC were paper-based and archaic.
  • There is likely broader demand:
    • Other organizations like ARC may need:
      • Digital registration systems
      • Portal-based waivers and approvals
      • Funding/invoice integrations
    • This project can act as a template or productized solution for:
      • Social rec programs
      • Agencies serving disabled adults
      • Organizations dealing with Regional Center and Self-Determination funding.
  • Pricing:
    • Spencer to revisit the proposal:
      • Scope has shifted from original estimate.
      • Hourly rates remain the same.
      • Terms and total may need to reflect the expanded workflow and integration.
    • Cathy is open to a revised proposal and wants Spencer to send an updated proposal and invoice.

11. Action Items

  • Spencer: Finalize updated mockup incorporating:
    • Conservation & responsible party logic
    • Best point of contact section
    • Self-determination vs Regional Center branching
    • Session selection (Session 1 / Session 2)
    • Waiver embedded in initial flow
    • Email automation triggers & upload areas
  • Spencer: Prepare for Monday meeting with Melanie (ARC) to walk through the mockup.
  • Spencer: Draft and send revised proposal and invoice for portal development work.
  • Spencer & Cathy: Clarify exact email wording, especially:
    • Regional Center vs Self-Determination versions
    • Waiver instructions
    • Screening tool instructions
    • Code 331 and self-determination guidance.
  • Spencer: Explore QuickBooks integration for automatic invoice generation.
  • Spencer & Cathy/John: Plan next steps for hosting/integrating the portal on the Stay Social website.
  • Cathy: Send email about Friendsgiving and upcoming sessions (Jan–Mar and Apr–Jun), including reference to future portal use once live.
  • Longer-term: Consider how this portal could be adapted as a product for other organizations and identify potential warm intros (ARC, contacts, etc.).