Submissions by Form Report: Compare Every Form Side-by-Side

Your church runs connection cards, baptism sign-ups, volunteer applications, event registrations, and more. Each form serves a purpose, but without a clear comparison view, it’s hard to know which forms are thriving, which are underperforming, and which might be duplicates. Are you promoting the right forms? Is one form cannibalizing another? The Submissions by Form report answers these questions by putting every form in one place with submission counts, unique people, anonymous ratios, and trend data.

Why Comparing Forms Side-by-Side Matters

Church leaders often manage dozens of custom forms. A connection card might get hundreds of submissions while a mission trip registration sits at zero. A volunteer form could be duplicated under a slightly different name, splitting your data across two nearly identical forms. The Submissions by Form report shows all forms in a single sortable table so you can quickly spot concentration (one form dominating), underperformers (forms with few or no submissions), and potential duplicates (similar titles that might be the same form created twice).

Beyond raw counts, the report includes per-form sparklines—mini trend charts showing activity over the trailing 12 months. You can see at a glance whether a form is growing, declining, or stable. A submission trend across all forms reveals daily patterns. Day-of-week analysis shows when people submit most often. And the AI Form Insights panel synthesizes all of this into plain-language recommendations: which forms to promote, which might be duplicates, and what trends to watch.

Managing Many Forms

As your form library grows, keeping track of each form’s performance becomes essential. The Submissions by Form report lists every form with submission count, unique people, anonymous count, last submission date, and share of total submissions. A totals row at the bottom aggregates across all forms. Sort by any column—submissions, unique people, form name, or last activity—to surface the forms that matter most. Use the search box above the table to filter by form name when you have many forms.

For multi-campus churches, the campus filter scopes the report to a single campus or aggregates across all. Date range quick links (Current, Last Week, Last Month, Last 90 Days, Last Year, Year to Date) and a custom date picker let you compare different periods. The report compares your selected period to the prior period of equal length, so you can see whether submissions are up, down, or holding steady.

Finding Underperformers and Duplicate Forms

The report highlights forms that need attention. A Stale Forms section lists forms with no activity in 30+ days—seasonal forms that might need promotion or forms that can be retired. Perhaps most valuable, the report includes Duplicate Form Detection: the AI panel identifies forms with similar titles that might be the same form created twice, splitting your data and making analytics harder to interpret. Identifying and consolidating duplicates keeps your analytics clean and your follow-up focused.

In this article, we’ll overview the OnlineGiving.org Submissions by Form Report.

Submissions by Form Report User Guide:

The Submissions by Form report is accessed at /admin/formreports/submissions. It is a form-comparison report that shows all forms side-by-side with their submission metrics. Unlike the Forms Overview (which highlights top 10 forms and people snapshots), this report lists every form in a sortable table with submission count, unique people, anonymous count, last submission date, share of total submissions, and per-form activity sparklines. You can export a CSV summary of all forms, schedule email delivery, and use the AI Form Insights panel to analyze trends, duplicates, and recommendations.

Key Takeaways

• Form-by-Form Table: Every form with submission count, unique people, anonymous count, last submission date, share bar, and per-form sparkline (trailing 12 months).
• Sortable & Searchable: Sort by form name, submissions, unique people, anonymous count, or last submission. Search by form name to filter the table.
• Duplicate Form Detection: AI identifies forms with similar titles that may be duplicates, helping you consolidate and clean your form portfolio.
• AI Form Insights: AI analyzes form comparison data, trends, duplicates, stale forms, and day-of-week patterns to surface key wins and actionable recommendations.
• Exports & Email: CSV summary export (all forms with metrics), per-form CSV export, scheduled email reports (weekly, monthly, annual), and PDF options.

Table of Contents

1. Accessing the Report
2. Understanding the Form Comparison Table
   • Table Columns Explained
   • Totals Row
3. Sorting & Organizing
4. Snapshot Cards (At a Glance)
   • Period Comparison
5. Per-Form Sparklines
6. Submission Trend Chart
7. Day-of-Week Analysis
8. Anonymous Ratio
9. Stale Forms Alert
10. Recent Submissions Feed
11. Duplicate Form Detection
12. AI Summary Panel
13. Date Range & Filters
    • Campus Filtering
14. CSV Export
15. Scheduled Email Reports
16. Frequently Asked Questions

Accessing the Report

To open the Submissions by Form report:

1. Log in to the control panel.
2. In the left navigation, expand “Custom Forms”.
3. Click “Reports” to open the Custom Form Reports hub.
4. Click the “View” button on the “Submissions by Form” card, or navigate directly to /admin/formreports/submissions.

The report loads with the default period (Current week to date) and displays all forms in the sortable table. If you have no custom forms yet, you’ll see a message prompting you to create your first form. If you have forms but no submissions in the selected period, you’ll see an empty state suggesting a wider date range.

Understanding the Form Comparison Table

The main table lists every form in your domain. Each row represents one form with its submission metrics for the selected date range. Forms are ranked by the current sort column (default: submissions, descending). Use the search box above the table to filter by form name—as you type, rows that don’t match are hidden. Click a form title to open the Single Form Detail report for that form in a new tab, with the same date range and campus applied.

Table Columns Explained

Every column in the comparison table provides actionable insight. Here’s what each one means:

• # (Rank): Position by the current sort order. When sorted by submissions, the top form is #1. The rank updates when you change the sort column or direction.
• Form Name: The form title. Click the name to drill into the Single Form Detail report for that form. Disabled forms show a “Disabled” badge next to the title.
• Submissions: Total submission count for the selected period. Forms with zero submissions show a dash (—). This is the raw volume of form completions.
• Unique People: Count of distinct people who submitted that form. One person submitting twice counts as one. Helps you understand reach vs. repeat engagement.
• Anonymous: Count of submissions where no person was identified (no name or email). Helps you gauge identification rates and whether follow-up is possible.
• Last Submission: Relative time since the last submission (e.g., “2 days ago”, “Never”). Sorted by this column to find recently active or inactive forms. Forms with no submissions show “Never”.
• Share: A bar and percentage showing each form’s share of total submissions. The top form typically has the longest bar. Use this to spot concentration—when one form dominates, you may want to diversify promotion.
• Actions: Per-form CSV export button (when the form has submissions) and a toggle to expand or collapse the per-form activity heatmap (sparkline). The calendar icon controls the sparkline visibility.

When forms collect payments, revenue data is included in the AI analysis and may appear in the CSV export. The table itself focuses on submission volume and people metrics.

Totals Row

A footer row at the bottom of the table summarizes aggregate totals across all forms: total submissions, total unique people, and total anonymous count. Use this to verify your overall volume and to compare against the snapshot cards at the top. The totals row respects the current search filter—if you’ve filtered the table by form name, the footer still shows totals for all forms in the report (the search only hides rows for display).

Sorting & Organizing

Click any column header to sort the table. Sortable columns include Form Name, Submissions, Unique People, Anonymous, and Last Submission. The first click sorts descending (highest first); the second click toggles to ascending (lowest first). An arrow indicator shows the current sort direction. The sort is preserved when you change the date range or campus via the filter bar. Use sorting to quickly find your busiest forms, forms with the most anonymous submissions, or forms that haven’t received a submission in a while.

Combine sorting with the search box to narrow down. For example, sort by Last Submission ascending to surface inactive forms, then search for “volunteer” to see which volunteer-related forms need attention.

Snapshot Cards (At a Glance)

At the top of the report, four snapshot cards display key metrics: Total Submissions, Unique People, Active Forms (forms with at least one submission in the period, with a subtitle showing “of X total” forms), and Anonymous (count and percent of total). These cards give you an immediate pulse on form activity before diving into the table.

Period Comparison

The report compares your selected period to the prior period of equal length. For example, if you select Last Week (Monday–Sunday), the prior period is the Monday–Sunday before that. The AI Form Insights panel uses this comparison to surface trends (e.g., “Submissions up 15% vs. prior period”). Period comparison data is also used when generating the AI summary and Pastoral Briefing PDF. When there are submissions, the changes for submissions, people, active forms, and anonymous count are calculated and passed to the AI for context.

Per-Form Sparklines

Each form row has an expandable Trailing 12 Months activity heatmap. Click the calendar icon next to the form to expand or collapse it. The heatmap shows submission activity over the past year, with each cell representing a week. Darker cells indicate more submissions. Use this to spot trends: a form that was busy in spring but quiet in summer, or a form that’s steadily growing. The heatmap loads asynchronously when you expand a row. If a form has no activity in the past year, you’ll see an empty state message.

Sparklines are mini trend charts that summarize activity at a glance. Unlike the main table (which shows only the selected date range), the sparkline always covers the trailing 12 months. This lets you see whether a form’s recent performance is part of a longer upward trend, a seasonal dip, or a sustained decline. The AI panel uses per-form sparkline data to classify forms as growing, declining, or stable based on first-half vs. second-half comparison. This helps you prioritize which forms to promote or review.

Submission Trend Chart

When there are submissions in the period, the AI Form Insights panel has access to a daily submission trend across all forms. This data shows how submission volume changes day by day over the selected range. The AI uses it to identify peaks, dips, and momentum (e.g., “Submissions accelerating in the second half of the period”). For a visual chart of the submission trend, see the Forms Overview report, which displays the trend chart directly. The Submissions by Form report focuses on the form-by-form table and relies on the AI panel to summarize trend insights.

Day-of-Week Analysis

The AI panel receives day-of-week data showing when people submit forms (Monday through Sunday). The AI can surface insights like “Sunday is the peak day” or “Wednesday has the fewest submissions.” Use this to plan when to promote forms (e.g., remind people during Sunday service) or when to schedule follow-up (e.g., Monday morning for Sunday submissions). For a visual day-of-week chart, see the Forms Overview or People & Connections reports.

Anonymous Ratio

The report tracks how many submissions are from identified people (those with a name and email) vs. anonymous submissions. The AI panel receives this breakdown and may comment on identification rates. A high anonymous rate might suggest making name/email optional on some forms, or it could reflect intentional anonymity (e.g., prayer requests). The snapshot card shows the anonymous count and percent of total. Use this to gauge whether your forms are capturing enough contact information for follow-up.

Stale Forms Alert

Forms that are enabled but have received no submissions in the last 30 days are considered stale. The AI panel includes a list of stale forms in its analysis and may recommend promoting them or retiring them if they’re no longer needed. Stale forms may be seasonal (e.g., a mission trip form only relevant in spring) or may need a refresh. The report helps you decide whether to share the form again, update it, or disable it.

Recent Submissions Feed

The AI panel receives the latest 8 submissions across all forms. This context helps the AI provide a snapshot of recent activity (e.g., “John Smith submitted the Connection Card 2 hours ago”). For a visible recent submissions feed on the page, see the Forms Overview report. The Submissions by Form report prioritizes the form comparison table and uses the AI to summarize recent activity when relevant.

Duplicate Form Detection

One of the most valuable features of the Submissions by Form report is Duplicate Form Detection. The system identifies forms with similar titles that might be duplicates. For example, “Connection Card” and “Connection Card (2024)” could be the same form created twice. “Volunteer Sign-Up” and “Volunteer Sign Up” might be accidental duplicates. Duplicates split your data and make analytics harder to interpret—you can’t see the true volume for a single form when it’s spread across two.

The AI Form Insights panel surfaces potential duplicate groups in its summary. It receives a list of form groups with similar names and their submission counts, then recommends consolidating them. Review the AI summary for duplicate alerts and consider merging or retiring redundant forms. To consolidate: disable one form, update links and promotions to point to the other, and optionally archive or delete the duplicate. This keeps your form portfolio clean and your reporting accurate.

AI Summary Panel

The Form Insights panel uses AI to analyze your form submission data and generate a plain-language summary. It reviews the form-by-form breakdown, period comparison, per-form trends (sparklines), submission momentum, day-of-week patterns, recent activity, stale forms, potential duplicates, and anonymous ratio to surface key wins, trends, and actionable recommendations.

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.

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. 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 metrics: form table, totals, snapshot cards, and AI analysis. Quick date links preserve your campus selection when you navigate.

CSV Export

Two CSV export options are available:

• Summary Export: Click “Export CSV” in the page header to download a summary of all forms in the selected date range. The CSV includes columns such as Form Name, Submissions, Unique People, Anonymous, Revenue (when applicable), and Last Submission. The export respects the current date range and campus filter.
• Per-Form Export: Each form row has a “CSV” button (when the form has submissions). Click it to download that form’s submissions with form field values as columns. Use this for detailed follow-up lists or external analysis.

The summary CSV is ideal for reporting to leadership or archiving. The per-form CSV is ideal for importing into a spreadsheet or CRM for follow-up.

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 Submissions by Form 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.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Submissions by Form and Forms Overview?

Submissions by Form lists every form in a sortable table with per-form metrics and sparklines. It’s designed for form comparison and per-form drill-down. Forms Overview is a dashboard with top 10 forms, people snapshots (first-timers, multi-form, returning), day-of-week chart, recent activity feed, and geo summary. Use Submissions by Form when you need to compare all forms side-by-side; use Forms Overview for a high-level activity pulse.

How does the duplicate form detection work?

The system identifies forms with similar titles (e.g., “Connection Card” and “Connection Card 2024”) and passes them to the AI panel. The AI surfaces potential duplicate groups in its summary. Duplicate detection is heuristic-based—it flags similar names for your review. You decide whether to consolidate forms by editing or disabling one and directing traffic to the other.

Why don’t I see the per-form sparkline for some forms?

Each form row has an expandable activity heatmap. Click the calendar icon to expand it. The heatmap loads asynchronously; if a form has no submissions in the past 12 months, you’ll see an empty state. The heatmap shows a trailing 12-month view regardless of your selected date range filter.

Can I sort by first submission date or average submissions per day?

The table currently supports sorting by Form Name, Submissions, Unique People, Anonymous, and Last Submission. First submission date and average submissions per day are not sortable columns. The AI panel receives form-level trend data (from sparklines) and may comment on growing or declining forms in its summary.

Does the campus filter affect the stale forms list?

Stale forms are calculated globally (forms with no submissions in 30+ days, regardless of campus). The AI panel includes stale forms in its analysis. Other metrics (form table, totals, snapshot cards) respect the campus filter.

How do I get the AI summary as a PDF?

Wait for the AI Form Insights panel to finish loading. Then click “Save Briefing PDF” below the panel (or “Pastoral Briefing PDF” in the page header). The briefing PDF includes the AI summary formatted for sharing with leadership. Do not click before the AI analysis completes, or you may get an incomplete PDF.

What counts as an “active” form?

An active form is one that received at least one submission in the selected date range. The Active Forms snapshot card shows the count of active forms and a subtitle with the total form count (e.g., “12 of 18 total”). Forms with zero submissions in the period are still listed in the table but are not counted as active.

Can I export the duplicate form list?

The duplicate form detection is surfaced through the AI Form Insights panel. The AI summary includes potential duplicate groups in its text. You can save the AI summary as a Pastoral Briefing PDF to share the duplicate alerts. A standalone CSV of duplicates is not currently available.

Need help setting up or interpreting the Submissions by Form report? Contact us at support@onlinegiving.org or (615) 206-4000. We’re happy to assist.