Exploring the shared demo

What the demo is#

The demo is a shared, hands-on version of Scoutworks that anyone can open — no account, nothing to install. It runs the real app, seeded with an example Scout group so there are already members, badges, events and finances to look at. It is the quickest way to get a feel for how everything fits together before you commit to setting up your own group.

A few things make it different from a real group:

• It is shared — everyone who opens the demo lands in the same group, so you will see data other visitors have added, and they will see yours.
• It is a sandbox — nothing you do there is real, and none of it carries over to a live group.
• It resets every Monday — the whole group is wiped and re-seeded from scratch at the start of each week.

If you already know you want to run your group on Scoutworks, you do not need the demo — the best place to start is your own group on a 6-month free trial. The demo is there for when you just want to click around first.

Opening the demo#

1. Go to the demo page and choose Explore the demo (it opens demo.scoutworks.app).
2. Pick a role to sign in as. There is no password — you are dropped straight into the app in that role.
3. Have a look around, then use the role switcher to come back and try a different role.

The roles you can try#

The demo lets you sign in as any of the main Scoutworks roles, so you can see the app from each person's point of view:

• Group admin — the whole-group view: sections, members, finances and settings.
• Section leader — running a single section: attendance, badges and the programme.
• Parent — the family view: RSVPs, badge progress and payments for their own children.
• Leader & parent — someone who is both, switching between the two hats.
• Trustee — the oversight view for your executive committee.
• Young leader — the more limited view a young leader sees.

Trying the same group as a leader and then as a parent is a good way to understand exactly what families do and do not see.

Good things to try#

• Open the dashboard and see the quick statistics, actions and upcoming events.
• Look at a member record and how parents and emergency contacts hang off it.
• Award or check a badge and see the progress update.
• Browse the group calendar and open an event to see RSVPs and attendance.
• Switch roles and notice how the navigation and permissions change.

A few things to keep in mind#

Because the demo is shared and open to everyone, please treat it as a public space:

• Do not enter real names or contact details. Anything you type is visible to other visitors, so keep it to made-up example data.
• Emails and payments are intercepted. The demo will not actually send an email or take a payment — you can click those buttons safely, but nothing goes out.
• Everything resets every Monday. Any changes you make are temporary and will be cleared when the weekly reset runs, so feel free to experiment.

Ready to run your own group?#

When you have seen enough, setting up your own group takes a few minutes and comes with a 6-month free trial. Start there and follow First steps after sign-up to get your sections, members and first event in place.