Frequently asked questions

Can Google Forms be used for Chapter Surveys?

Yes, Google Forms is a common option for chapters that need to run quick surveys — event feedback, session evaluations, member interest surveys, volunteer sign-ups, and similar. This article covers how chapters should set up and manage a Form, how to avoid losing access to it during officer transitions, and some common pitfalls chapters have run into.

Chapters Manage Their Own Google Account

ASSP does not provide a society-supported Google Workspace account for chapters, and does not store, share, or reset Google account passwords. Google Forms is tied to whichever Google account created it, so the same account rules apply here as they do for Google Drive: the account should be set up and owned using a role-specific email address (for example, updates@[chaptername].assp.org), not a personal Gmail address or an individual volunteer's own email.

If you haven't set up a role-specific Google account for your chapter yet, see the Google Drive article for full setup and recovery instructions — the same account can be used for both Drive and Forms.

Creating a Form with a Role-Specific Account

Before creating a survey, make sure you're signed in to the chapter's role-specific Google account, not a personal one. This matters more for Forms than almost anything else your chapter does in Google, because:

• The Form itself, along with every response collected, belongs to whichever account created it.
• If a volunteer creates a survey from their personal Gmail account "just to get it done quickly," the chapter has no way to access that Form or its responses once that volunteer moves on — unless they specifically transfer ownership first (see below).

To create a survey:

1. Go to forms.google.com while signed in to the chapter's role-specific account.
2. Choose a blank form or a template, and build out your questions.
3. Under Settings, review the response collection and access options covered below before sharing the link.

Where Responses Go (Linking to Sheets)

By default, Google Forms stores responses internally, but it's usually better to link the Form to a Google Sheet (Responses tab → Create Spreadsheet) so results live as a normal file in the chapter's shared Drive, alongside other chapter documents. This makes responses easier to review, filter, and hand off — a spreadsheet in a shared folder is far more durable than results trapped inside a Form only one person knows how to access.

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

A Form created from a personal account is invisible to the rest of the chapter. If an officer built a survey from their own Gmail account, either recreate it under the role-specific account or transfer ownership: open the Form, go to the three-dot menu → Add collaborators, add the role-specific account, then have that collaborator promote themselves to owner. Do this before the original officer's role changes, not after.

"Restrict to users in [domain]" can accidentally lock out the people you want responding. This setting is meant to limit a survey to your organization's members, but if your chapter's audience includes event attendees, prospective members, or the general public, this setting will silently block anyone without a matching account. Leave it off unless you specifically intend to restrict responses to signed-in members.

Limiting to one response per person requires sign-in, which some respondents won't have or won't want to use. If you need to prevent duplicate submissions but don't want to require a Google sign-in, consider adding a name or email field instead and checking for duplicates manually, or accepting the small risk of a duplicate response.

Edit access sitting with one person is the same problem as with Drive files. Add at least one other current officer as an editor/collaborator on any survey your chapter relies on, so results and the ability to close or modify the survey don't depend on a single volunteer being reachable.

Collecting Personal Information Responsibly

If a survey collects names, email addresses, or other identifying information, keep the following in mind:

• Only ask for personal information you actually need. A session feedback survey rarely needs a name or email address; an event headcount or waitlist form might.
• If you want genuinely anonymous feedback, turn off Collect email addresses in Settings — by default Google will offer to record the respondent's email address if they're signed in.
• Treat the response spreadsheet the same way you'd treat any file containing member information: share the folder with officers who need it, not with a broad or public link.

File Upload Questions and Storage

The File upload question type lets respondents attach files (photos, documents) directly to their response. Those files are saved into the Google Drive of whichever account owns the Form, and count against that account's storage. A survey that collects a lot of file uploads — photos from an event, for example — can use up storage faster than expected. If your chapter's Drive is running low on space, check whether an old survey's uploaded files are the cause before assuming it's document storage.

Keeping Access Secure

• Don't share the edit link for a Form publicly — only the response/share link should go out to respondents. Sharing the edit link lets anyone with it change questions or delete responses.
• If a survey needs to stay open past a single event, review who has editor access periodically, the same way you'd periodically review sharing permissions on a Drive folder.
• Close or archive surveys you're no longer using rather than leaving them open indefinitely — an old, forgotten survey link floating around is an easy way to collect data nobody's monitoring.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• Document the setup: note in your chapter's officer transition materials which account owns each active survey, where its response spreadsheet lives, and who currently has editor access.
• One Form per purpose: it's usually easier to create a new Form for each event or purpose than to reuse and repeatedly repurpose an old one — old response data can get confusing if questions change over time.
• For general how-to questions on building Forms (question types, branching logic, formatting), Google's own Forms Help Center is a good first stop.

What is my local ASSP Chapter’s Google Drive Account?

Google Drive is a common option for chapters that need shared cloud storage for documents, photos, and other files. This article covers how chapters manage their own Google Drive/Google account, how to set one up with a role-specific email, and how to avoid some common pitfalls chapters have run into.

Chapters Manage Their Own Google Account

ASSP does not provide a society-supported Google Workspace or Google Drive account for chapters, and does not store, share, or reset Google account passwords. Each chapter is responsible for setting up and maintaining its own Google account for Drive if one is desired.

If your chapter's Google account is tied to a role-specific email address (for example, updates@[chaptername].assp.org), ASSP can help with access to that email account — for example, if an officer changes and the new officer needs access to the inbox. ASSP cannot reset or access the Google account itself; you'll need to use Google's own account recovery (at g.co/recover) once you're back into the email account.

Setting Up a Google Account with a Role-Specific Email

Using a role-specific email address (like updates@yourchapter.assp.org or secretary@yourchapter.assp.org) as the account's email — rather than a personal Gmail address or an individual volunteer's own email — is strongly recommended. This keeps the account, and everything stored in it, with the role rather than the person. When officers change, the next volunteer takes over the Drive account along with the email inbox, instead of chapter files staying locked in a departed volunteer's personal account.

To set one up:

1. Go to accounts.google.com/signup.
2. Choose the option to use an existing email address instead of creating a new @gmail.com address.
3. Enter the chapter's role-specific email address and verify it through that inbox.
4. Complete the Google Account setup, including recovery options (see below).
5. Go to drive.google.com to start creating shared folders for chapter documents and photos.

Setting Up Recovery the Right Way

This is the part most worth getting right, because it's the difference between a chapter being able to recover its own account and being permanently locked out of it.

• Do not use a personal cell phone number for 2-step verification or account recovery. If a phone number is attached to the account, whoever controls that phone can approve sign-ins or lock everyone else out — and if nobody at the chapter remembers whose number it is, there's no way to undo that. This has already happened to at least one chapter's account.
• Use a role-specific email address as the recovery method instead (for example, updates@[chaptername].assp.org). This way, recovery is tied to an inbox the chapter controls and can hand off between officers, not to a single person's device.
• If a personal phone number is already attached to a chapter's Google account, identify whose number it is, log in, remove it, and replace it with the role-specific recovery email as described above.

Keeping the Password Secure

Don't store the account password in a shared document, spreadsheet, or officer transition packet in plain text. If a password needs to be handed off between officers, do it through a proper password manager or by having the outgoing officer reset the password with the incoming officer present, rather than writing it down somewhere it could persist indefinitely. If you find a chapter password written down somewhere, treat it as compromised and change it.

Storage Limits to Know

A free personal Google Account comes with 15 GB of storage, shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Google Photos on that account. This is often enough for chapter documents and a modest photo library, but can fill up faster than expected if the account is also used for chapter email or photo backups. If a chapter regularly runs low on space, options include archiving old files elsewhere, deleting duplicates, or having the chapter (not ASSP) decide whether to pay for additional Google storage (Google One).

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• Document the setup: Keep a simple note (in your chapter's officer transition documentation) of which email the Google account is tied to, what the recovery email is, and who currently has access to that inbox. Don't include the password itself.
• Folder sharing over individual file sharing: Share folders with chapter officers using their own Google accounts (personal or role-based) rather than routing everything through one shared login. This gives better visibility into who has access and makes it easier to revoke access when someone leaves a role.
• Review sharing permissions periodically: Google Drive makes it easy to share a folder and forget about it. Periodically check who has access to chapter folders, especially after officer transitions.
• Two-factor authentication, done right: Keep 2-step verification enabled on the account, but use backup codes stored with the chapter's officer transition materials, or the role-specific recovery email, rather than a single person's phone number.

For general Google Drive how-to questions (sharing files, organizing folders, managing storage), Google's own Drive Help Center is a good first stop.

What is my local ASSP Chapter’s Google Meet Account?

Google Meet is another option for chapter meetings, board calls, and virtual events, and some chapters prefer it to Zoom. This article covers how chapters manage their own Google Meet access, how to set it up with a role-specific email, and what to know about account limits and alternatives.

Chapters Manage Their Own Google Meet Access

ASSP does not provide a society-supported Google Workspace or Google Meet account for chapters, and does not store, share, or reset Google account passwords. Each chapter is responsible for setting up and maintaining its own Google account for Meet if one is desired.

If your chapter's Google account is tied to a role-specific email address (for example, secretary@[chaptername].assp.org), ASSP IT can help with access to that email account — for example, if an officer changes and the new officer needs access to the inbox. IT cannot reset or access the Google account itself; you'll need to use Google's own account recovery (at g.co/recover) once you're back into the email account.

Setting Up a Free Google Account with a Role-Specific Email

Using a role-specific email address (like secretary@yourchapter.assp.org or programs@yourchapter.assp.org) instead of a personal or work email is strongly recommended. This keeps the account with the role, not the person — so when officers change, the next volunteer can take over Google Meet along with the email inbox, instead of scheduled meetings and settings leaving with the outgoing volunteer.

Unlike Zoom, hosting a Google Meet requires a full Google Account (not just a plain email address), so the setup has one extra step:

1. Go to accounts.google.com/signup.
2. Choose the option to use an existing email address instead of creating a new @gmail.com address.
3. Enter the chapter's role-specific email address and verify it through that inbox.
4. Complete the Google Account setup (recovery info, etc.).
5. Go to meet.google.com to schedule or start meetings, or set them up directly from Google Calendar if you also use it for the chapter.

Free Plan Limits to Know

A personal Google Account gives you Google Meet for free, indefinitely, but with real limits worth planning around:

• 60-minute cap on group meetings (3 or more participants). One-on-one meetings can run up to 24 hours. If your board or committee meetings tend to run long, this is the limit that will bite — though it's 20 minutes more generous than Zoom's free 40-minute cap.
• Up to 100 participants per meeting.
• No native recording on a free personal account — recording is only available on paid Google Workspace plans.
• No breakout rooms, attendance tracking, or noise cancellation on the free tier — these are Workspace-only features.

If your chapter regularly hits the 60-minute wall, options include rejoining the same meeting link for another session, splitting long meetings into two shorter sessions, or having the chapter (not ASSP) decide whether to fund a paid Google Workspace plan.

Alternative: Using a Volunteer's Existing Account

Some chapters instead use a volunteer's personal Gmail account or an employer-provided Google Workspace account (which often has no 60-minute cap) to host chapter meetings. This can work well in the short term, but it's worth flagging the tradeoff for your leadership team:

• Meeting links, calendar events, and any recordings live with that individual's account, not the chapter.
• If that volunteer changes roles, leaves the chapter, or loses access to their employer's account, meeting continuity is disrupted and links may need to be re-shared.
• A role-specific-email account avoids this by staying with the chapter regardless of who is filling the role.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• Guests don't need an account: Anyone can join a Google Meet from a link without a Google Account of their own — only the host needs one. This makes Meet easy for members joining from work or shared email addresses.
• Security basics: Google Meet meeting codes are complex by default, and hosts can enable a "knock to join" request for anyone not on the invite, similar to Zoom's waiting room. Turn this on for recurring meetings with a reused link.
• Document the setup: Keep a simple note (in your chapter's officer transition documentation) of which email the Google account is tied to, and who currently has access to that inbox.
• Calendar integration: If your chapter also uses Google Calendar for the role-specific account, Meet links can be generated automatically when scheduling events, which is a convenient way to keep meeting invites and agendas together.
• Two-factor authentication: DO NOT enable 2FA via a phone number on the Google Account itself as it can lockout users if the phone number of a volunteer is added and not removed before changes in office are made in the future.

For general Google Meet how-to questions (joining a meeting, screen sharing, scheduling), Google's own Meet Help Center is a good first stop.

What is my local ASSP Chapter’s Zoom Account?

Zoom is a popular option for chapter meetings, board calls, and virtual events. This article covers how chapters manage their own Zoom accounts, how to set one up with a role-specific email, and what to know about account limits and alternatives.

Chapters Manage Their Own Zoom Accounts

ASSP does not provide a society supported Zoom account for chapters, and does not store, share, or reset Zoom account passwords. Each chapter is responsible for setting up and maintaining its own Zoom account if one is desired.

If your chapter's Zoom account is tied to a role-specific email address (for example, secretary@[chaptername].assp.org), ASSP IT can help with access to that email account — for example, if an officer changes and the new officer needs access to the inbox. IT cannot reset or access the Zoom account itself; you'll need to use Zoom's own password reset (at zoom.us/forgot_password) once you're back into the email account.

Setting Up a Free Zoom Account with a Role-Specific Email

Using a role-specific email address (like secretary@yourchapter.assp.org or programs@yourchapter.assp.org) instead of a personal or work email is strongly recommended. This keeps the account with the role, not the person — so when officers change, the next volunteer can take over the Zoom account along with the email inbox, instead of the meeting history and settings leaving with the outgoing volunteer.

To set one up:

1. Go to zoom.us/signup.
2. Sign up using the chapter's role-specific email address.
3. Verify the account through that inbox.
4. Set up recurring meetings, a Personal Meeting ID, and any recording/security preferences your chapter needs.

Free Plan Limits to Know

Zoom's free ("Basic") plan is permanent — it won't expire — but it comes with real limits worth planning around:

• 40-minute cap on group meetings (3 or more participants). One-on-one meetings aren't limited this way. If your board or committee meetings tend to run long, this is the limit that will bite.
• Up to 100 participants per meeting.
• No cloud recording — only local recording to the host's computer is available on the free plan.
• No breakout rooms on some free accounts, depending on current plan details — worth checking if your chapter runs workshops.

If your chapter regularly hits the 40-minute wall, options include restarting the meeting with the same link, splitting long meetings into two shorter sessions, or having the chapter (not ASSP) decide whether to fund a paid Zoom license.

Alternative: Using a Volunteer's Existing Account

Some chapters instead use a volunteer's personal or employer-provided Zoom account (many companies provide licensed accounts with no time limit) to host chapter meetings. This can work well in the short term, but it's worth flagging the tradeoff for your leadership team:

• Meeting links, recurring meeting settings, and any recordings live with that individual's account, not the chapter.
• If that volunteer changes roles, leaves the chapter, or loses access to their employer's account, meeting continuity is disrupted and links may need to be re-shared.
• A role-specific-email account avoids this by staying with the chapter regardless of who is filling the role.

Other Things to Keep in Mind

• Security basics: Enable a meeting passcode and/or waiting room on chapter meetings, especially recurring ones with a reused link, to prevent uninvited guests ("Zoombombing").
• Document the setup: Keep a simple note (in your chapter's officer transition documentation) of which email the Zoom account is tied to, and who currently has access to that inbox.
• Longer meetings without upgrading: If the 40-minute limit is a frequent problem and your chapter doesn't want to pay for Zoom Pro, some chapters use alternatives like Google Meet (60-minute free limit) for longer sessions.
• Two-factor authentication: If available on the account, enabling 2FA on the Zoom account itself adds a layer of protection beyond just securing the email inbox.

For general Zoom how-to questions (joining a meeting, screen sharing, scheduling), Zoom's own Frequently Asked Questions page is a good first stop.

How do I recover my site login?

1. Go to your ASSP chapter’s website Login page.
2. Click "Lost Password"
3. Fill in your chapter username / email details
4. Click "Get New Password"
5. An email with a password reset link will be sent to you.
6. Click the link and reset your password.