Welcome. Whether this is your first time setting up this integration or the first time you are managing it, in this article, we are going to give you an overview of what the CCBChimp integration actually is and a few pointers.
CCBChimp is a 3rd party approved integration for the Church Community Builder (CCB) software. So how it works, CCBChimp connects CCB to MailChimp and MailChimp back to CCB. It does not send emails or manage lists. It just connects the two apps.
Here’s the big picture: You have an account in CCB. You have an account in MailChimp. You create a CCBChimp account and use our app to sync between your CCB and MailChimp accounts.
Before you begin, let’s briefly show you around the dashboard and the main menu items.
If your account is new and needs to be set up, you will see a ‘Set up now’ message in the Church Community Builder and/or MailChimp section on your dashboard. You can also set up by clicking the profile image at the top right of your dashboard and then clicking on Integrations.
If your account is already set up and you want to make some changes, you do this through the Integration option.
Setting up your integration or making changes is a 5-step process. You do not have to purchase a plan to complete the core setup of the application.
On each page, we will give you more information about each step. The main action happens in Steps 3a and 3b. This is where you can add or remove the synced groups between CCB and MailChimp. You would also be able to opt into one or two-way syncing. Your settings are not saved until step 5.
If you have already done the initial integration setup, your dashboard page will look like this. Notice that the CCB and MailChimp areas are pre-populated with the relevant information.
In the CCB section, there is a ‘disable’ option. Clicking on Disable will stop the automatic syncing. You can disable and re-enable this integration at any time.
There are also ‘edit’ options for making any changes necessary.
API calls used
API calls are used when we are migrating data. Each query to the CCB database counts as one API call. A typical daily usage is about 1000 API calls—and that’s even a lot! CCB allows you 10,000 API calls per day.
On the desktop, we show you a rough estimate of the API calls used. The actual number can vary by plus or minus 100 or so.
Note that CCBChimp does not restrict the amount of data you can push back and forth. You are limited by the CCB restrictions.
Note and a troubleshooting suggestion…
Each time we query the CCB database counts as one API call. CCB allows you 10,000 API calls per day. If your church has a large database, we suggest that you contact CCB and ask them to increase your API call allowance for the limited time you are setting up your new integration. They typically agree.
In the rightmost column, you will see information about the status of your account at the moment. This is actually a snapshot from your logs section, featuring the most recent changes.
We’ve included some log data on the dashboard to make your sync more transparent. Every sync creates two log records: a record of the actual details of the communication between CCB and MailChimp + a log cleanup record.
A manual sync log shows you what has changed. The top log shows you what happened from CCB to MailChimp. The lower log shows you the reverse.
A cleanup sync happens with each automatic or manual sync. The cleanup sync removes from MailChimp any accounts that you have already made inactive in CCB. Our assumption is you will not be looking to send emails to these accounts. If a record was inactive in CCB and has been reactivated, we add that email back to MailChimp. Again, the top log is the activity from CCB to MailChimp and the lower log is the reverse.
To see all the logs, click on your profile name and then click on ‘Logs’.
Hope the dashboard is clearer now. In additional articles, we are going to talk you through the other links accessed by clicking on your profile name. We encourage you to visit our Helpdesk FAQs to learn more about anything at any time. Please remember that we are always available for any additional support you may need.
Clicking on ‘Details’ shows you the latest activity. Clicking on ‘Manage Billing’ lets you make changes to payment information or cancel your accounts.
Unlimited syncing
Every plan, paid or free, has unlimited manual syncing. This means that you can log in any time and click ‘Sync Now’ to fully update your lists. The least expensive plan does not include automatic, overnight syncing. So, users of that plan will need to manually sync their lists every time. Depending on your usage, it may be more convenient to upgrade to a plan which also includes automatic, overnight syncing.
The last thing on the dashboard view is the option to ‘Sync Now’. This manual sync is useful when you have made changes which need to be reflected in real time, instead of waiting for the regular system sync for those who are on the higher plans. If you are on our lowest plan, it’s the only way you will be able to update the system.
To end the overview, let’s go over the main menu.
Dashboard is where you are.
Settings is used for updating your name, email, password, etc.
Billing is for managing your account. Remember: you can upgrade or cancel at any time.
Integration is the main place for setting up and making changes to your integrations.
Logs gives you information about what has happened during each sync.
Tools is a collection of scripts which we have added over time to help you manage your account more effectively.
FAQ is a direct link to our Helpdesk with articles and ‘how to’s on a wide range of topics.
You can logout at any time, even during a sync. We auto log you out after 15 minutes.
We hope this general overview has been helpful. We encourage you to visit our Helpdesk FAQs to learn more about anything at any time.
Please remember that we are always available for any additional support you may need.