Member Guide Org Admin Guide Site Admin Guide

Initial Configuration

A step-by-step roadmap for setting up fellos from scratch. Follow this order for the smoothest experience.

When you first access the fellos admin panel, you'll be starting with a clean slate. This page outlines the recommended order for configuration — each step builds on the previous one, so following this sequence avoids backtracking and rework.

Entering the Admin Panel

To begin configuring your site:

  1. Log in to fellos with your site admin account.
  2. Click your avatar in the top-right corner of the navigation bar.
  3. Select Admin Panel from the dropdown menu.
  4. Confirm your identity when prompted. Admin mode activates for 7 days.

Once inside the admin panel, you'll see the admin sidebar on the left with sections for Organization, Members, Appearance, Communication, and Integrations. The main content area displays the settings for whichever section you've selected.

Tip

You can switch between the admin panel and the regular member view at any time. Click Back to Site at the top of the admin sidebar to see how your changes look to members, then return to the admin panel to continue configuring.

Recommended Setup Order 1 Branding & Theme Look like yours 2 General Settings Name, timezone 3 Org Structure Hierarchy & levels 4 Governance & Roles Officer positions 5 Member Types & Permissions Categories & access 6 Workflows Onboarding & transitions 7 Communication Groups, events, notifications 8 Integrations Email, push, OAuth 9 Invite Your First Members Everything is ready — bring people in! Why This Order? 1-2: Branding & General first so your site looks professional from the start. 3-4: Org structure & governance define the framework members exist within. 5-6: Member types & workflows depend on org structure being in place. 7-8: Communication & integrations are the finishing touches before launch.
Follow this roadmap for a smooth setup — each step builds on the previous one.

Step-by-Step Details

Step 1: Branding & Theme

Start here so your site immediately feels like your organization, not a generic platform. Upload your logo, set your organization name, and customize the theme colors. This takes 5-10 minutes and makes a huge psychological difference — everything you configure after this looks like it belongs to your club.

See: Branding & Logo and Theme Customization

Step 2: General Settings

Configure your organization's basic settings: full name, short name, timezone, and contact information. These values are used throughout the platform in page titles, email notifications, and member-facing content.

See: General Settings

Step 3: Organization Structure

Define your hierarchy levels and create your organizations. This is the skeleton that everything else hangs on — member types, governance roles, and workflows all reference the org structure. Set up your levels (Club → Region → Chapter, for example), then create the actual organizations at each level.

See: Organization Structure

Step 4: Governance & Roles

Define the officer roles for each level of your hierarchy. Who's the president? Secretary? Treasurer? These roles determine who can approve workflows, manage members, and perform other administrative tasks within their organization.

See: Governance

Step 5: Member Types & Permissions

Create your member types and set permissions for each one. Define what each type of member can see and do — feed access, directory visibility, event creation, etc. Also set up custom profile fields and attachment types if needed.

See: Member Types and Profile Permissions

Step 6: Workflows

Configure onboarding flows (how new members join), transitions (how members change types), and deactivation processes (how members leave). Each workflow can have approval chains, notifications, and custom fields.

See: Onboarding, Transitions, and Deactivations

Step 7: Communication

Set up discussion groups, configure feed settings, and define event categories. Create the communication channels your organization needs — general discussion, officer-only groups, event planning, etc.

See: Discussion Groups, Feed Settings, and Events

Step 8: Integrations

Connect your email service (for sending notifications and invitations), configure push notifications (for real-time alerts on mobile), and set up OAuth providers (for social login options like Google or Facebook).

See: Email, Push Notifications, and OAuth Providers

Step 9: Invite Your First Members

With everything configured, you're ready to invite members. Start with a small group — your officers and a few trusted members — to verify everything works as expected. Then expand to your full membership.

Important

Before inviting members, test the entire experience yourself. Create a test member account, go through the onboarding flow, check that notifications arrive, and verify that permissions work correctly. It's much easier to fix issues before 200 members are on the platform.

The admin panel is organized into logical sections in the sidebar:

  • ORGANIZATION — General settings, org chart, and governance configuration.
  • MEMBERS — Administrator management, member types, profile permissions, custom fields, and attachment types.
  • APPEARANCE — Branding, theme customization, custom content pages, and legal pages.
  • COMMUNICATION — Feed settings, discussion groups, events, and notification configuration.
  • INTEGRATIONS — Email delivery, push notifications, and OAuth provider setup.

Click any item in the sidebar to navigate to its configuration page. Changes are saved when you click the Save or Save Changes button on each page — there's no global save.