Who this is for: administrators who set up groups, and anyone wondering why they can or cannot see something. Permission required to change permissions: Manage Groups.
How permissions work
Boathouse Connect does not have fixed "roles" such as Coach or Admin. Instead:
- Every group in an organization carries a list of permissions.
- A person has every permission granted by any group they belong to. Permissions add up; nothing in one group takes a permission away that another group grants.
- Permissions are only ever obtained or lost by joining or leaving a group. There is no per-user permission override — if you want to give one person extra access, put them in a group that has it (create a one-person group if you need to).
Example. Sam is in Varsity (no special permissions) and Coaches (Create Practices, Set Practice Lineups, Practice Communications). Sam can schedule practices and publish lineups for every group they are allowed to see. Move Sam out of Coaches and those abilities disappear immediately.
Permissions apply within one organization. If you belong to several organizations you have a different set of groups — and therefore a different set of permissions — in each.
Every organization starts with an administrators group that has every permission, and the person who registered the organization is its first member. Keep at least two people in that group so nobody is locked out.
Administrators use their own personal accounts — there is no organization-level login. If several people run the club, add each of them to the administrators group rather than sharing one set of credentials; that way every change is tied to a person and access is removed by simply removing them from the group.
Where to set them
- Go to Groups → Permissions.
- Pick a group.
- Tick the permissions that group should grant and save.
Use Groups → Manage Groups to create groups and add or remove members (see the Members & Groups guides for the full workflow).
The permissions
The list below is the complete set, grouped the way they appear in the product. The name in bold is what you will see on the Permissions page.
Everyone
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Basic Access | Everything every member needs: their own profile, contact information, notifications, password reset, the practice schedule and lineups they appear in, their own waivers, documents and account balance. Every member group should have this. |
Membership
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Add User to Organization | Approve join requests from people who found the club through the Organization Finder, and pre-authorize email addresses so new members are added automatically when they register. |
| Remove User from Organization | Remove an existing member from the organization. |
| Manage Groups | Full control of groups: create and delete groups, add or remove members, and set each group's permissions. This is the most powerful permission after organization settings — treat it as an administrator permission. |
Practices
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Create Practices | Add, edit and remove practices on the calendar. |
| Practice Communications | Send communications about practices (cancellations, changes, reminders). |
| Set Practice Lineups | Create and publish lineups for practices, and manage practice locations. |
Equipment
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Manage Equipment | Update information about equipment, including insurance and valuation records. |
| Add Equipment to Inventory | Add equipment to, or remove it from, the organization's inventory. |
| Equipment Usage Hours & Group Permissions | Set the hours equipment may be used and which groups are allowed to use each piece. |
| Check out equipment | Check equipment out and back in, for practices or private use. |
Communications
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Manage Communications | Change communication settings — custom sending domain, send hours and other email settings — and manage templates. |
| Send Communications to Allowed Groups | Send emails and text messages to groups the person belongs to. Members without this permission can still request a message, which then waits for approval. |
| Approve Communications | Approve or reject messages requested by people who are not allowed to send them directly (the Pending Review page). |
| Manage Communications Stakeholders | Create and manage stakeholder lists — people outside the group, such as parents or boosters, who should receive a group's messages. |
Organization
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Manage Organization Settings | Everything under Org Settings: logo, time zone, subscription, onboarding, calendar, data export, user profile fields and more. |
| Manage Documents and Waivers | Set up the USRowing waiver integration, upload and assign documents for members to sign, and view compliance reports. |
| Manage Surveys | Create surveys and send them to the organization. |
| Manage Volunteer Hours | Add, remove and approve volunteer hours. |
Finances
| Permission | What it allows |
|---|---|
| Manage Finances | All finance settings: fees and discounts, payment settings, fundraisers, payments received and tax records. |
| Assess Fees | Charge fees to members' accounts without being able to change finance settings. |
Suggested group setup
There is no required structure, but this pattern works for most clubs:
| Group | Permissions | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Administrators (created for you) | All | Board members or staff who run the club. |
| Coaches | Basic Access, Create Practices, Set Practice Lineups, Practice Communications, Send Communications to Allowed Groups, Check out equipment, Manage Equipment | Add Approve Communications if coaches should vet members' messages. |
| Treasurer | Basic Access, Manage Finances, Assess Fees | Can be a one-person group. |
| Membership / Registrar | Basic Access, Add User to Organization, Remove User from Organization, Manage Documents and Waivers | Handles join requests, pre-authorizations and waivers. |
| Equipment manager | Basic Access, Add Equipment to Inventory, Manage Equipment, Equipment Usage Hours & Group Permissions | |
| Rowing groups (Varsity, Novice, Masters…) | Basic Access, Check out equipment | Add Send Communications to Allowed Groups if members may message their own group. |
| Parents / Supporters | Basic Access | Alternatively, add parents as stakeholders on a rowing group so they receive its messages without being members. |
Keep "job" groups (Coaches, Treasurer) separate from "rowing" groups (Varsity, Masters). Practices, lineups and fees are built around rowing groups, and you will not want a coach to appear in a lineup — or be charged a membership fee — because they were added to Varsity to get coaching permissions.
FAQ
I was given a permission but I still cannot see the page. Permissions take effect immediately, but the navigation is built when you sign in. Sign out and back in. If you belong to several organizations, make sure the right one is selected in the organization switcher.
Can I give one person a permission without creating a group? No — permissions only come from groups. Create a group with just that person in it.
Why did a member lose access after we reorganized groups? Permissions are the sum of a person's groups. If the group that granted a permission was deleted, or the person was removed from it, the permission is gone. Check Groups → Permissions for each group the person is still in.
Does removing someone from a group remove them from the organization? No. They stay a member of the organization with the permissions of any remaining groups. To remove them from the organization entirely you need Remove User from Organization.