Getting started for organizations

From an empty workspace to everyday operations.

A practical guide for owners, administrators, location managers, and instructors. Follow it in order for a new organization, or jump to the task you need.

Create an organization Sign in to workspace

Before adding real people: decide who should manage records, use an email address each person controls, and collect only the student information your organization genuinely needs.

Create your organization

Set up the main workspace that holds your locations, staff, students, and records.

1.Choose Create your organization from the home page and enter the school or association name.
2.Select the martial art or service you teach. OpenDojos uses this to prepare a sensible starter program and, where supported, a starter belt order.
3.Add your first dojo location. You can change its address and contact details later.
4.Finish setup and verify your email address if prompted.

In simple language: An organization is the whole school or association. A dojo is one physical training location inside it.

Review programs and belt ranks

Describe what students train in and how progress is measured.

1.Open Settings, then Martial arts & programs. A program can be a martial art, course, or service offered to students.
2.Keep one program when everyone follows the same curriculum. Add more only when students can enrol in genuinely different disciplines or services.
3.Review the belt system and arrange ranks from beginner to advanced. The order controls valid grading promotions.
4.When adding a student, enrol them in the appropriate program and select their current rank.

In simple language: A program answers “what does this student train in?” A belt rank answers “where are they in that program?”

Build and publish your syllabus

Define exactly what candidates must know for each next belt.

1.Open Settings, then Syllabus. Choose the scope and belt you want to configure.
2.Create sections such as basics, stances, combinations, kata, sparring, fitness, theory, or any category your organization uses.
3.Add as many custom requirements as needed and decide which items are required. Enable previous-belt inheritance when your grading is cumulative.
4.Save drafts while editing and publish only when the requirements are ready for student assessment. Existing assigned versions preserve historical progress when a syllabus later changes.
5.Students with no assessments move to the latest publication automatically. If assessment has started, open the student’s Syllabus tab and choose Move to latest syllabus; matching section and item names keep their progress, while renamed or removed requirements must be assessed again.
6.Owners and administrators can manage the organization syllabus. Territory and dojo managers can manage a syllabus only for their assigned scope.

In simple language: Start with the smallest useful syllabus. Clear item names are easier for managers to assess and for students to understand.

Set up dojos, schedules, and instructors

Connect each place, class time, and teacher before recording attendance.

1.Open Dojos & schedules and check the details of the dojo created during setup.
2.Add a schedule for every recurring class day and time. A schedule is the usual timetable, not an attendance record.
3.Assign instructors to the locations where they teach.
4.Create another dojo only for a separate operating location. Each dojo can have its own students, fees, schedules, and staff.

In simple language: Location groups are optional reporting and management areas. Most single-location schools do not need them.

Add students safely

Create students one at a time or import an existing spreadsheet.

1.For one person, open Students and choose Add student. Add their dojo, program, joining date, and contact information.
2.For an existing list, choose Import spreadsheet and download or follow the CSV column guide.
3.Review validation messages before confirming an import. Invalid rows are not silently guessed.
4.Avoid putting passwords, payment-card information, or unnecessary medical details in notes or spreadsheet uploads.

In simple language: CSV is a simple spreadsheet file. Excel and Google Sheets can both save or download a sheet as CSV.

Invite staff and control access

Give each person only the workspace access needed for their responsibilities.

1.Open Staff & access and add the person using an email address they control.
2.Choose an account role for broad workspace permissions, then assign local responsibilities such as instructor or dojo manager where needed.
3.Check the assigned location or area carefully. Location-scoped staff see only records inside that scope.
4.Remove or update access promptly when responsibilities change.

In simple language: A role controls what someone can do. A scope controls where they can do it.

Configure fees and record payments

Define expected tuition, record money received, and issue receipts.

1.Open Fee plans to define recurring tuition for a location. Assign the appropriate plan to students.
2.Open Payments when money is received. Select the student, billing period, amount, payment date, and payment method.
3.Add grading or miscellaneous charges separately so the tuition balance remains understandable.
4.Open Receipts to download a PDF or process a refund. Keep the original payment record for a reliable audit trail.

In simple language: A fee plan is the expected charge. A payment is the money actually received. They are related, but they are not the same record.

Take attendance and track progress

Turn the timetable into dated class records and keep student progress current.

1.Open Attendance, choose the dojo and scheduled class, and create or open the session for that date.
2.Mark each listed student present, late, absent, or excused and save the session.
3.Open a student profile and use Syllabus to mark each published next-belt requirement ready or not ready.
4.Students with portal access can see the same syllabus organized by section, their completed count, and what remains.

In simple language: A schedule repeats every week. A session is one actual class on one specific date.

Review eligibility and run a grading

Move only ready candidates into an exam while keeping participation flexible.

1.Open Promotion readiness. Eligibility checks the published next-belt syllabus, recent attendance, pending grading fees, existing open registrations, and the next configured rank.
2.Show eligible candidates, then choose all students, individual students, one dojo, or several dojos within your permitted scope.
3.Enter the exam details and choose Create exams & register students. A separate exam is created for each selected dojo so its candidates stay correctly scoped.
4.Open Grading exams afterward to confirm, withdraw, mark absent or appeared, or otherwise change whether each registered candidate is participating.
5.After the exam, record payment and result details, mark the candidate as appeared, and award the configured next rank when the requirements are satisfied.

In simple language: Eligibility is rechecked when exams are created, so an old selection cannot bypass current syllabus or attendance requirements.

Use current and archived student reports

Keep historical records available without exposing them to ordinary staff.

1.Open Students and choose Archived from the status filter to find former students. Archived records stay separate from active grading and payment candidate lists.
2.Open the student profile to preview or print progress, attendance, achievement, and fee-history PDFs.
3.Owners and administrators can print reports throughout the organization. Territory and dojo managers can print them only for students inside their assigned scope.
4.Instructors and ordinary members cannot generate these reports merely because they can access a dojo. Students can still download only their own progress report through their portal.

In simple language: Archive a student when the historical record should remain available; delete only when your organization has a valid reason to remove the record.

Keep the workspace healthy

Use a short routine to maintain accurate and trustworthy records.

1.Weekly: check attendance, new students, and payments that have been received.
2.Monthly: review pending fees, expenses, staff access, and key reports.
3.Before a grading: confirm the published syllabus, review readiness, and update any candidate who is no longer participating.
4.When something looks wrong, note the page, time, and what you expected before contacting support. Never send a password.

Need a definition or a quick answer?

Use the glossary for terminology or the FAQ for common situations.

Glossary View FAQ