Return and Report

[mormonman]

Has anyone used the Return and Report.org HT/VT tool?

I am presently a HP Group leader and some of my qourum think it would be good to use.

Any thoughts about using this program?

[KeithLBrown]

I am a HP Group Leader myself and have not heard of the program until now. I will take a look at it and give you my thoughts.

[Saguaro]

I took a quick look at the website. As an EQ president I wouldn't touch it with a ten foot pole. Here are just some of my reasons off the top of my head:

I (and my counselors/secretary) have enough to do with our callings and life in general, this looks like it would be a lot of work to set up and maintain. And we would still have to report our HT on the ward's computer system.

It would cost $20 dollars a year to use. That really isn't a lot of money, but my quorum yearly budget is $50 dollars.

If you click on the Preview button it takes you to a site called EQIdeaExchange, it says at the top that it's not an official church site, but they're trying real hard to fool you into thinking it is, they use the same blue and tan background colors as lds.org and even use the same picture of the Christus statue at the top. I find this a turn off.

If this helps others improve their HT numbers, then good for them. But in my experience the desire to go home teaching has to come from within, an email reminder may help those who already go home teaching, but those who don't will just ignore it.

[pam]

If you click on the Preview button it takes you to a site called EQIdeaExchange, it says at the top that it's not an official church site, but they're trying real hard to fool you into thinking it is, they use the same blue and tan background colors as lds.org and even use the same picture of the Christus statue at the top. I find this a turn off.

I just went and took a look at it..I agree with you. Because they are trying to make it look like the official site..that's a total turn off to me.

[mormonman]

I appreciate all of your comments.

I agree with you that hitting the preview button is a little bit hokey. But I think that he used it for a point of reference about his program.

That being said: I think it is a legitimate program.

Things I have discovered:

1-It is used by over 200 RS, EQ, HP Groups across the country.

2-The originator of the Return and Report program won the 2008 LDS Tech Award given out by the Church for his work on this program.

3-The Return and Report system application, with its many ideas and features are being incorporated into the new HT/VT system that the Church is currently working on.

4-It is simply another means to communicate with the Quorum, It helps get the word out. It doesn't replace phone calls or seeing some one in person it justs adds to it. Its a total communication effort.

Elder M. Russell Ballard said, "Yours is the world of cyberspace, cell phones that capture video, video downloads, and itunes, social networks like facebook, text messaging and blogs, handhelds and podcasts... How will you use these marvelous inventions? More to the point, how will you use them to further the work of the Lord?

So as a HP Quorum we have decided to use the program. The 1st three months are entirely free, if after you decide you want to continue it is from $10-$20, which I will pay out of my pocket if it proves of worth.

[jgraham]

I know the person who maintains the ReturnAndReport.org site and the EQIdeaExchange sites. The only reason they look similar to Church sites is that they were designed hoping that they could become official Church sites. No one is trying to trick anyone.

Both sites are unofficial and not related to the Church in any way... except for the fact that people use them to magnify their Church callings. This fact is clearly stated on both sites and no one is trying to get away with anything.

Finally, you are not allowed to use your Church budget for ReturnAndReport.org. These sites are optional tools to help magnify your calling if you wish. This is no different than purchasing a "talk on CD" from Deseret Book to use in your class.

Hope that helps. We have been using ReturnAndReport.org for 2 years now. It is absolutely awesome and continues to get better as time goes on. I wish the Church would get serious about developing a similar solution that could be official, but they currently have no plans to do so.

JG

[Gwen]

do you actually enter ppl's names? other personal info (address, email, phone, etc)?

when you actually use it do you have names in the places or does it stay anonymous where each person has a number like in the example?

[jgraham]

Originally Posted by Gwen

do you actually enter ppl's names? other personal info (address, email, phone, etc)?

when you actually use it do you have names in the places or does it stay anonymous where each person has a number like in the example?

You can enter as much or as little information you want to.

The minimum information you need is: Teacher Name, Household or Sister Name, Teacher Email Address. You also have the ability to enter phone numbers and home addresses as an option. Some areas seem to be more liberal than others when determining what data they prefer to store.

JG

[mormonman]

You have to use a tool such as HTVT Helper, to enter the names.(Free) This downloads very nicelyonto your server and then into return and report site.

Example I am a HP GL, so I had to enter all the names of all the individuals and families that High Priest Home Teach into the system. I then had to assign them companionships,teaching routes, District's that they report to and the like.

And yes we have to have personal names, addresses, email, phone #'s, would be pretty senseless with out it.

But everyting is on a secure website. the only people who have access to it are the people who have stewardship over it anyway-The Leaders, no one else. The same people have access to the information on Church MLS.

I emailed all my Districts and Companionships for them to Return and report about their Home Teaching visits and more about the needs and to how the families are doing.

I had all of my home teaching reports returned to me and completed on the 1st of the month (Fast Sunday) for my meeting with the Bishopric for PEC, So I was able to discuss the needs of the families I have stewardship over. I handed The list of Families that had been home taught and it was all entered into the MLS by my HP Group Secretary on the 1st Sunday (Fast Sunday).

It sure beats waiting on companionships to get you their reports and report back to you can take up to 10 days to get reports in.

All my HP love it, thought it should have been implemented years ago. Hp love it so much, Elders Quorum signed up too.

[Gwen]

is that against church policy?

i was told i am not to use any information obtained from official church sources (like vt lists or address list printed by the clerk, etc) for anything other than official church things and it can not be shared outside of official church business. i can't give out the address list. if i start a home business selling cosmetics i can't go down the rs phone list for ppl to sell to.

i assume everyone has an acct so they can sign in and check off when they have done a visit? can everyone see everyone's list or only their own?

not sure if it's church policy but here they keep lists confidential and if you have done the visits or not confidential. if my vt doesn't do her visits i will never know who she is, all i will know is i have never been visited.

not saying it's a bad program and i think the pie charts are kinda cool. could be neat to print to get ppl to see how much really is or isn't getting done each month as over all statitics. just concerns off the top of my head.

as for the comments to the coloring, font, etc.... i would change it. may not be trying to fool ppl but if that is the impression you give off then it's counter productive. it bothered me a bit too even though i read the explaination before i visited.