How to Communicate with Parents Using FinalForms as an AD

How to Communicate with Parents Using FinalForms as an Athletic Director

As an athletic director, keeping parents informed and engaged is crucial for building a strong, compliant, and successful program. FinalForms makes communication easy—whether you're reminding families about incomplete forms, expired physicals, or upcoming deadlines.

Here’s how you can use FinalForms to send targeted messages to parents in just a few clicks.

1. Start with the Dashboard

Your Dashboard gives you a high-level overview of form completion and student status. Each color represents a status (such as red for incomplete forms). Click on a color to view students in that category.

From there, you can:

• View student-athlete profiles
  
  
• Choose to email or text students, parents, or both
  
  
• Target specific groups who need action
  
  

For example, clicking on “incomplete forms” allows you to notify families that submissions are needed. You can send a custom message, select your audience, and hit send—all without leaving the dashboard.

2. Monitor Physicals and Send Reminders

Need to remind families about physicals? No problem. Simply navigate to the “Physicals” section where you can:

• View which students are requesting or missing physicals
  
  
• Email or text students, parents, or both
  
  

You can also filter by school, season, or sport to drill down and send more specific reminders.

3. Communicate from the Manage Students View

The Manage Students tab offers more powerful filtering and communication tools. Here’s what you can do:

• Filter by form status, physical expiration, or building
  
  
• Drill down by sport season or athlete class
  
  
• Select specific groups (like senior girls in winter sports)
  
  
• Contact parents via email or text with personalized messages
  
  

This is especially helpful for sending last-minute reminders or pre-season updates to targeted groups.

Step 4: Set a Realistic Timeline

Plan backwards from your first game or event. Include:

• Communication Launch (Email, social, website updates)
  
  
• Training Sessions (For coaches, staff, and parents)
  
  
• Form Distribution Date (i.e., when parents get notified)
  
  
• Hard Deadlines (Physicals due, eligibility checks, etc.)
  
  

Outline or coordinate with your Communications Director on a stakeholder-specific communications plan. 

4. Drill Down by Sport in Manage Sports

If you want to communicate directly with families on a specific team, use the Manage Sports view. Here’s how:

• Select a sport (e.g., High School Football)
  
  
• Drill into JV, Varsity, or Freshman rosters
  
  
• Apply filters such as class or form status
  
  
• Choose to email or text students, parents, or families
  
  

This is perfect for sending pre-game info, schedule updates, or equipment reminders to a specific roster.

Bonus Tip: All Messages Are Retained

Every email or text you send through FinalForms is stored within the system, making it easy to track communication history and maintain compliance.

The Final Word

FinalForms gives you the tools to keep your athletic department organized and your families informed. Whether you're sending a bulk reminder or a targeted message, the platform helps you communicate quickly, accurately, and confidently.

Need help getting started? Contact your FinalForms representative or explore the platform to see how it can streamline your parent communication.