Forms Overview Report: Your Form Activity Command Center
Connection cards, baptism sign-ups, mission trip registrations, volunteer applications—your church uses custom forms for so much more than collecting names. Every submission represents a person taking a step: someone who wants to serve, someone exploring faith, someone ready to commit. But without a clear view of the big picture, it’s easy to miss who’s engaging, which forms are thriving, and which ones might need a little attention.
Why Form Analytics Matter for Church Leadership
Church leaders need to see beyond raw submission counts. Which forms are driving the most engagement? Who submitted for the first time this month and might need a welcome follow-up? Which people are connecting across multiple forms—volunteer sign-up, small group interest, and event registration? And when someone who used to submit regularly goes quiet, that might signal a life change worth a pastoral check-in.
The Forms Overview report is your one-stop dashboard for all of this. It brings together submission trends, top-performing forms, first-time submitters, multi-form connections, returning members, day-of-week patterns, geographic distribution, and an AI-powered ministry pulse that distills key wins and actionable insights into plain language. Whether you’re preparing for a staff meeting, following up with newcomers, or identifying forms that have gone stale, the Forms Overview gives you the data you need at a glance.
From Data to Action
The best reports don’t just show numbers—they highlight what matters. The Forms Overview identifies first-time submitters so you can welcome them personally. It surfaces people who submitted across multiple forms—volunteers who also signed up for small groups, or event attendees who filled out a connection card. It flags forms with no submissions in 30+ days so you can decide whether to promote them or retire them. And the AI summary panel surfaces ministry insights you might otherwise miss: trends, wins, and suggested next steps.
For multi-campus churches, the report respects your campus structure. You can view a campus-specific overview or aggregate across all campuses. The same flexibility applies to date ranges: use quick links like Current, Last Week, Last Month, Last 90 Days, Last Year, or Year to Date, or pick a custom range with the date picker. Every metric is compared to the prior period of equal length, so you can see whether submissions are up, down, or holding steady.
In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Forms Overview Report.
Forms Overview Report User Guide:
The Forms Overview report is accessed at /admin/formreports/overview. It provides a comprehensive dashboard of all custom form activity within your selected date range and campus. The report includes snapshot cards with period comparison, a top forms table, submission trend chart, anonymous ratio breakdown, people snapshots (first-timers, multi-form, returning), day-of-week analysis, recent submissions feed, stale forms alert, geographic summary, and an AI-powered Ministry Pulse panel. You can export a CSV summary, schedule email delivery, print, or save as PDF.
Key Takeaways
- At-a-Glance Stats: Total submissions, unique people, active forms, first-timers, and (when applicable) form revenue—each with percent change vs. the prior period.
- People Snapshots: First-time submitters, multi-form people (2+ forms), and returning after absence (90+ days)—each with links to drill into the People & Connections report.
- Top Forms & Trends: Top 10 forms by submission count, submission trend chart over time, and day-of-week engagement pattern.
- AI Ministry Pulse: GPT-powered analysis of form data that surfaces key wins, trends, and actionable ministry insights.
- Filters & Exports: Date range (custom or quick links), campus filter, CSV export, scheduled email reports (weekly, monthly, annual), and PDF options.
Table of Contents
- Accessing the Report
- Understanding the Dashboard
- First-Time Submitters
- Multi-Form People
- Returning After Absence
- Day-of-Week Analysis
- Recent Submissions Feed
- Stale Forms Alert
- Geographic Summary
- AI Summary Panel (Ministry Pulse)
- Date Range & Filters
- Scheduled Email Reports
- CSV Export
- Frequently Asked Questions
Accessing the Report
To open the Forms Overview report:
- Log in to the control panel.
- In the left navigation, expand “Custom Forms”.
- Click “Reports” to open the Custom Form Reports hub.
- Click the “View” button on the “Forms Overview” card, or navigate directly to /admin/formreports/overview.
The report loads with the default period (Current week to date) and displays all sections. If you have no custom forms yet, you’ll see a message prompting you to create your first form.
Understanding the Dashboard
The Forms Overview is organized into several sections that flow from high-level stats down to detailed breakdowns. Each section is designed to answer a specific question: How many submissions? Which forms are busiest? Who are the new people? When do people submit? Where are they from?
Snapshot Cards (At a Glance)
At the top of the report, you’ll see a row of snapshot cards. Each card shows a key metric with a percent change vs. the prior period (when applicable). The cards are clickable and link to related reports with the same date range and campus applied.
- Total Submissions: The number of form submissions in the selected period. Links to the Submissions by Form report.
- Unique People: The number of distinct people who submitted at least one form. Links to the Who Submitted report.
- Active Forms: The number of forms that received at least one submission in the period. Links to the Submissions by Form report.
- First-Timers: People who submitted a form for the first time ever during the period. Links to the People & Connections report.
- Form Revenue: (Shown only when forms collected payments) Total revenue from form-related transactions. Links to the Form Transactions report.
Each card displays a green up arrow, red down arrow, or neutral indicator for the percent change vs. the prior period. The prior period is automatically calculated as the same duration immediately before your selected range (e.g., if you select Last Week, the prior period is the week before that).
Top Forms Table
The Top Forms section lists the top 10 forms by submission count. Each row shows:
- Rank: Position (1–10) by submission volume.
- Form: Form title, linked to the Single Form Detail report.
- Submissions: Submission count for the period.
- Share: A bar and percentage showing each form’s share of total submissions.
- People: Unique people who submitted that form.
- Anonymous: Count of anonymous submissions (no identified person).
- Revenue: (When applicable) Total revenue from that form’s transactions.
- Last Activity: Relative time since the last submission (e.g., “2 days ago”).
A footer row summarizes totals across the top 10. If no forms received submissions in the period, you’ll see an empty state with a suggestion to try a different date range.
Submission Trend Chart
The Submissions Over Time chart displays daily submission volume across the selected date range. It helps you spot spikes, dips, and overall trends. The chart uses a line with a gradient fill; hover over any point to see the exact date and count. Data is grouped by day in your organization’s timezone.
Anonymous vs Identified Ratio
This section shows the breakdown of submissions from identified people (those with a name and email) vs. anonymous submissions. When all submissions are identified, you’ll see a celebratory “100% Identified” badge with a note that this is great for pastoral care. When there are anonymous submissions, a doughnut chart displays the split with percentages. Understanding this ratio helps you decide whether to encourage identification on forms (e.g., by making name/email optional vs. required).
First-Time Submitters
The First-Timers snapshot card and People Snapshot section highlight people who submitted a form for the first time ever during the selected period. These are newcomers to your form ecosystem—ideal candidates for a welcome follow-up, connection to a small group, or pastoral outreach. The snapshot shows up to three names with a “View all” link to the People & Connections report. Each person’s name, email, form(s) submitted, date, and engagement score (when available) are visible in the full report.
First-timers are counted in the At a Glance card and in the Period Comparison section. Use this data to track how many new people are engaging with your forms each week or month.
Multi-Form People
The Multi-Form People section lists people who submitted across two or more distinct forms during the period. These are highly engaged individuals—perhaps someone who signed up for a volunteer form, a small group interest form, and an event registration. Cross-form engagement often indicates strong connection to your ministry. The snapshot shows up to three names with a link to view all in the People & Connections report.
Use this list to identify your most engaged form submitters and consider ways to deepen their involvement (e.g., leadership roles, mentorship).
Returning After Absence
The Re-engaged (or Returning After Absence) section highlights people who submitted a form again after a gap of 90 or more days without any form activity. These are people who may have stepped back from church life and are now re-engaging. A pastoral check-in can be especially meaningful for them. The snapshot shows up to three names with a link to the full list in People & Connections.
The 90-day threshold is fixed; the report identifies anyone whose last submission before the period was more than 90 days prior.
Day-of-Week Analysis
The When People Submit section shows submission distribution across Monday through Sunday. A bar chart displays each day’s count and percentage of total activity. The peak day is highlighted (e.g., “Sunday is the peak day”) with a trophy icon. Summary stats include total submissions, daily average, and active days (how many days had at least one submission).
Use this to plan when to promote forms (e.g., if Sunday is peak, remind people during service) or when to schedule follow-up (e.g., Monday morning for Sunday submissions).
Recent Submissions Feed
The Recent Activity section displays the latest 8 submissions across all forms. Each row shows the submitter’s name (or “Anonymous”), the form they submitted, a relative timestamp (e.g., “2 hours ago”), and a “View” link to open the submission detail. For identified people, the name links to their user profile. For anonymous submissions, the name appears in italics.
This feed gives you a real-time snapshot of recent form activity. Use it to spot new submissions quickly or to verify that a form is receiving traffic.
Stale Forms Alert
The Needs Attention section lists forms that are enabled but have received no submissions in the last 30 days. Each row shows the form title, all-time submission count (if any), and how many days since the last submission (or “Never received a submission”). Up to 5 forms are shown; if there are more, a “+X more stale forms” line appears.
Stale forms may be seasonal (e.g., a mission trip form that’s only relevant in spring), or they may need promotion. Use this list to decide whether to share the form again, update it, or disable it if it’s no longer needed.
Geographic Summary
The Where People Submit From section shows the geographic distribution of submissions when address data is available. Submissions are aggregated by city, state, and country. The section includes:
- Map: An interactive map with markers for top locations (when at least 2 locations have data).
- Top Locations: A ranked list of cities/regions with submission count, percentage, and people count.
- Summary Stats: Unique cities, top area, geo coverage (percent of submissions with location data), and identified people with location data.
Location data is captured automatically from form submissions when users provide address information. If no geographic data is available, you’ll see an empty state with a brief explanation.
AI Summary Panel (Ministry Pulse)
The Ministry Pulse — Executive Summary & Insights panel uses AI to analyze your form data and generate a plain-language summary. It reviews stats, top forms, first-timers, multi-form people, returning submitters, anonymous ratio, day-of-week patterns, stale forms, and geo summary to surface key wins, trends, and actionable ministry insights.
The panel loads asynchronously; you’ll see a spinner while the analysis is generated. When complete, the summary appears in a scrollable area. If the content is long, a “View Full Analysis” button expands it. A disclaimer notes that AI can make mistakes, so double-check important findings. You can save the AI summary as a separate Pastoral Briefing PDF for sharing with leadership.
The AI panel only appears when there are submissions in the period. It does not appear for empty reports.
Date Range & Filters
The filter bar at the top of the report lets you control the date range and campus. Use the date picker to select a custom range, or click one of the quick links: Current (this week to date), Last Week, Last Month, Last 90 Days, Last Year, or Year to Date. Click “Run Report” to apply a custom range. Quick links navigate immediately with the selected range.
The date picker supports ranges such as “Last Week” (Monday–Sunday of the prior week), “Last Month” (first to last day of the prior month), and “Year to Date” (Jan 1 to today). All dates use your organization’s configured timezone.
Campus Filtering
For multi-campus churches, a campus dropdown appears in the filter bar. Select “All Campuses” to see aggregate data, or choose a specific campus to scope the report to that campus only. The campus filter affects all sections: stats, top forms, first-timers, multi-form, returning, day-of-week, recent submissions, stale forms, and geo summary. Quick date links preserve your campus selection when you navigate.
Period Comparison
The report automatically compares your selected period to the prior period of equal length. For example, if you select Last Week (Mon–Sun), the prior period is the Monday–Sunday before that. The comparison is used for percent-change calculations on the snapshot cards and in the Period Comparison section, which shows side-by-side metrics for Total Submissions, Unique People, Active Forms, and First-Timers. Each value links to the corresponding report with the appropriate date range.
Scheduled Email Reports
Click the “Email” button in the page header to open the email settings modal. From there, you can configure automated delivery of the Forms Overview report. Options include:
- Frequency: Weekly, Monthly, or Annual.
- Recipients: Donor admins, Custom Form admins, or both. You can also use a custom list or customize the default admin list.
Scheduled reports are sent at the configured frequency with the report attached or linked. This is useful for staff who want to receive a regular digest without logging in. Need help setting up? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000.
CSV Export
Click “Export CSV” in the page header to download a summary of all forms in the selected date range. The CSV includes columns: Form Name, Submissions, Unique People, Anonymous, Revenue, and Last Submission. The export respects the current date range and campus filter. Use this for external analysis, reporting to leadership, or archiving.
The Forms Overview CSV is a summary-level export (one row per form). For detailed submission data with form field values as columns, use the Submissions by Form report and its per-form CSV export.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Forms Overview and Submissions by Form?
The Forms Overview is a dashboard-style report with snapshot cards, top 10 forms, people snapshots (first-timers, multi-form, returning), day-of-week analysis, recent activity, stale forms, geo summary, and AI insights. The Submissions by Form report lists all forms (not just top 10) in a sortable table with drill-down to individual submissions and per-form CSV export with field values. Use Forms Overview for a high-level pulse; use Submissions by Form for detailed per-form analysis.
Why don’t I see the Form Revenue card?
The Form Revenue card only appears when at least one form in the period collected a payment (e.g., event registration with a fee, product purchase). If all forms are information-only (no payments), the card is hidden.
How does the AI Ministry Pulse work?
The AI panel sends a structured summary of your report data (stats, top forms, first-timers, multi-form, returning, anonymous ratio, day-of-week, stale forms, geo) to an AI service, which returns a narrative summary with key wins, trends, and suggested actions. The analysis is generated on each report load when there are submissions. AI can make mistakes, so always verify important findings before acting on them.
Can I export the AI summary?
Yes. Use the “Save Briefing PDF” link below the AI panel (or the “Pastoral Briefing PDF” button in the header) to download a PDF of the AI summary. Wait for the AI analysis to finish loading before saving. The briefing PDF is formatted for sharing with leadership.
What counts as a “stale” form?
A form is considered stale if it is enabled and has received no submissions in the last 30 days. Disabled forms are not included. Forms that have never received a submission are also listed, with “Never received a submission” as the status.
Does the campus filter affect the stale forms list?
No. The stale forms list shows all enabled forms with no submissions in 30+ days, regardless of campus. Stale is calculated globally. Other sections (stats, top forms, first-timers, etc.) respect the campus filter.
How do I get more geographic data in the report?
Geographic data comes from form submissions when users provide address information. Ensure your forms include address fields (street, city, state, zip) and that those fields are completed by submitters. The system geocodes addresses when possible to derive city, state, and country for aggregation.
Need help setting up or interpreting the Forms Overview report? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000. We’re happy to assist.