Documentation: Delegates
Delegates
The key to running a successful Lodge is delegation.
Although a fantastic secretary often bears the burden of lots of tasks, it would be even better to allow other Lodge Members to contribute.
In The Working Tools, we do this with Delegates; Users who share access to your Lodge.
They're invited by you and don't require their own subscription.
There is no limit on the number of Delegates you can invite to your account.
Want something to send your Delegates? Share the Delegate Guide — a friendly, delegate-facing walkthrough of what The Working Tools is, what their access lets them do, and how they can best support you.
Inviting a Delegate
theworkingtools.co.uk/delegates
To invite a Delegate, visit the Delegates page (under Settings).
Click Invite a Delegate and provide the Name and Email address of the new Delegate.
You can also choose a Permission Set for the Delegate at this point, which controls what parts of the system they can access. If you haven't created any Permission Sets yet, the Delegate will have no specific permissions until you assign one.
An email invitation will be sent to the Delegate offering them access to your Lodge. For new Delegates, the email contains a Set Your Password link (valid for 7 days) - clicking it lets them choose their own password and signs them straight in to your Lodge. If the link expires, they can use "Forgot Your Password?" on the sign-in page instead.
If a Delegate is already a Working Tools user, your Lodge will be added to their access list and they simply sign in with their existing password - their invitation email includes a password reset link in case they've forgotten it.
Setting a Password for a Delegate
By default, new Delegates set their own password using the secure link in their welcome email.
However, if your Delegate may struggle with this (for example, if they're less comfortable with technology), you can set a password for them yourself.
When inviting a Delegate, tick the "Set a password for this delegate" checkbox. You'll then be able to enter a password of your choice.
The password must be 8-30 characters and include an uppercase letter, lowercase letter, number, and symbol.
For security, the password is never included in the Delegate's welcome email. Instead, you can tell them the password directly - by phone, in person, or however works best for you.
This makes onboarding much easier for Delegates who prefer a simpler, more personal approach.
My Delegate Can't Sign In
If a Delegate is having trouble accessing your Lodge, work through these steps:
- New Delegate? Ask them to check their welcome email for the Set Your Password button. Clicking it lets them choose a password and signs them in automatically.
- Set Your Password link expired? The link is valid for 7 days. After that, they can use "Forgot Your Password?" on the sign-in page to set a new password with their invitation email address.
- You set their password when inviting them? The password is never emailed, so make sure you've passed it on to them directly. If it's been lost, they can use "Forgot Your Password?" to choose a new one.
- Already a Working Tools user? They should sign in with their existing email address and password - your Lodge will appear in their Lodge list. If they've forgotten their password, the "Forgot Your Password?" link on the sign-in page will email them a reset link.
- No email received? Ask them to check their spam or junk folder, and double-check the email address on the Delegates page. If it's wrong, revoke the Delegate and invite them again with the correct address.
Delegates use the same sign-in page and password reset as every other user, so once they have a password they can always recover their account themselves.
Delegate Permissions
You can control exactly which parts of the system each Delegate can access by using Permission Sets.
A Permission Set is a named collection of permissions that you create and assign to your Delegates. For example, you might create a "Treasurer" Permission Set that only grants access to the Treasurer area, or a "Secretary" set with broader access.
Every Lodge comes with a built-in Full Access Permission Set, which grants access to everything. This cannot be edited or deleted.
Regardless of their Permission Set, all Delegates can always access their own Settings page to manage their password and account details.
If you have multiple Lodges on your subscription, Delegates must be invited and assigned permissions on a per-lodge basis. They won't automatically have access to additional Lodges.
Creating a Permission Set
theworkingtools.co.uk/settings/roles
To create a Permission Set, visit the Delegates page (under Settings) and click Manage Permission Sets.
Click Create Permission Set to open the creation form.
Give your Permission Set a descriptive name (e.g. "Treasurer", "Almoner") and tick the permissions you'd like to include. The available permissions are grouped by area:
- Members — View, Create/Edit, and Delete Members
- Events — View, Create/Edit, and Delete Events
- Treasurer — View and Manage the Treasurer area
- Almoner / Welfare — View and Create/Edit Welfare Records (the Welfare tab on Member records and the Welfare Report)
- Reports — View Reports
- Documents — View, Create/Edit, and Delete Documents
- Tools — View Tools and Send Emails
- Settings — Manage Delegates and Manage Permission Sets
The Almoner / Welfare permissions are deliberately separate from the Members permissions, so you can give a Secretary member access without exposing sensitive welfare data (illness, bereavements, family contacts, disbursements). An Almoner can't do their role without member information, so the Almoner permissions automatically include View Members and View Reports — a Permission Set with just the Almoner boxes ticked gives them the Members area, the Welfare tab and the Reports section, but no editing of member records and no access to the Treasurer, Events, Documents or Tools areas.
You can edit or delete Permission Sets at any time. A Permission Set cannot be deleted while it is still assigned to a Delegate.
Assigning a Permission Set
theworkingtools.co.uk/delegates
Permission Sets are assigned on the Delegates page. Each Delegate has a dropdown in the Permissions column where you can select their Permission Set.
Choose the Permission Set you'd like to assign and click Save. The change takes effect immediately.
You can also assign a Permission Set when first inviting a Delegate.
Removing a Delegate
theworkingtools.co.uk/delegates
To remove a Delegate, find their record on the Delegates table and click Revoke.
Check the name of the delegate to be removed. To confirm, click Revoke Delegate Access.
Once revoked, the Delegate will lose their access to your Lodge immediately and any current sessions will be ended.
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