Skip to main content

Managing Groups

This guide covers everything you can do with groups in Conductly, from creating your first group to sending emails and archiving groups you no longer need.

Know Your Group Kind First​

How a group behaves depends on its kind (see the Groups Overview for the full picture):

  • Roster groups are created automatically for each class session. Their membership mirrors enrollment and is read-only here.
  • Dynamic groups are created from the Students or Guardians list by saving your active filters. Membership re-evaluates every time you open the group and is read-only here -- to change who's included, save a new group with different filters.
  • Custom groups are the ones you create and manage yourself.
warning

Deleting a roster group deletes the class session. On a roster group, the delete menu item is labeled Delete Session — confirming it deletes both the session and its roster from your school. This cannot be undone. If you only want to stop emailing a class, simply don't use the group; never delete a roster group unless you mean to remove the class session itself.

To access your groups, click Groups in the main sidebar. You'll see all groups in your school — roster groups and your own — with the number of members in each, organized under Active and Archived tabs.

Creating a Group​

From the Groups Page​

  1. Go to Groups in the sidebar.
  2. Click the Add group button.
  3. Choose the Group Type: Students, Instructors, or Guardians.
  4. Enter a name for the group (e.g., "Spring Recital 2026").
  5. Click Create Group.

Your new custom group is ready. You can start adding members right away.

Save As Group, from Filters or a Selection​

You can also create a group directly from the Students or Guardians list, either from a manual selection or from your active filters:

  1. Go to Students or Guardians.
  2. Either check the people you want to include, or apply filters to narrow the list (you don't need to check anyone if you're using filters).
  3. Open the bulk actions menu and select Save As Group.
  4. Choose how membership should work:
    • Auto update students based on my filter -- creates a dynamic group that re-applies your current filters every time it's opened.
    • Use students I manually selected -- creates a custom group with exactly the people you checked.
  5. Enter a name for the group and confirm.
tip

Use the filtered option for anything you want to stay current on its own, like students who started lessons recently. Use the manual option when you want to lock in a specific list, like a recital roster -- you can always add or remove its members later.

Adding Members to a Group​

Adding members applies to custom groups only — roster group membership comes from class enrollment, and dynamic group membership comes from its saved filters.

  1. Open the group by clicking its name on the Groups page.
  2. Choose Add Members.
  3. In the drawer, search for members by name.
  4. Select the people you want to add and confirm.

Members appear in the group's member list immediately.

info

Roster groups have no Add Members option. To change who's in a class roster, enroll or unenroll students in the class — the roster group updates automatically.

Removing Members from a Group​

For custom groups:

  1. Open the group.
  2. Find the member you want to remove in the member list.
  3. Click the Remove action next to their name.

Removing someone from a group does not delete them from Conductly. It only removes them from that specific group. (Roster and dynamic group members can't be removed here — unenroll them from the class, or save a new dynamic group with different filters, instead.)

Duplicating a Group​

If you need a new group with the same members as an existing group:

  1. Open the group.
  2. Open its context menu and select Duplicate Group.

The copy is created immediately with all the same members — there's no name prompt, so rename it afterward if needed. You can then add or remove members from either group independently. Duplicate Group is also available from a group's context menu on the Groups list.

tip

Duplicating is useful for recurring events. For example, duplicate last year's "Summer Camp" group to start planning this year's, then adjust the roster.

Merging Groups​

Merge Group only appears on custom groups, and only a custom group can be the merge target. The source can be any group — another custom group or a roster group:

  1. Open the custom group you want to merge into (the one that will keep the members). Roster groups don't have a Merge Group option.
  2. Open its context menu and select Merge Group.
  3. Choose the group you want to merge from — this can be another custom group or a roster group.
  4. Optionally check Delete "..." after merging if you also want to remove the source group.
  5. Click Merge Groups.

All members from the source group are added to the target. Duplicate members (people who were already in both groups) are handled automatically — they won't appear twice.

info

Merging copies members in at that moment — it's a one-time copy, not a sync. If you merge a roster group in and students later enroll or unenroll from that class, the custom group won't reflect the change. Merging does not delete the source group unless you tick the delete checkbox.

warning

If the source is a roster group and you tick its delete checkbox, you're deleting that class session, not just a list. This cannot be undone. Leave it unchecked unless you're intentionally removing the session.

There is no "Combine Groups" feature and no "combined group" kind — to build a list spanning several classes, create a custom group and merge each roster into it one at a time.

Organizing Instructors with Groups​

Groups aren't just for students and guardians. To build an instructor list (for example, all faculty at one location), create a group with the Group Type set to Instructors, then add instructors through the same Add Members drawer. Communications sent to the group go to its instructor members like any other group.

Sending Emails to a Group​

One of the most powerful features of groups is the ability to email all members at once.

  1. Open the group.
  2. Click Send Email.
  3. Compose your email:
    • Enter a subject line.
    • Write your message in the email body.
  4. Review the recipients — all group members with email addresses will receive the message.
  5. Send.

Emails are sent to each member individually — recipients do not see each other's email addresses. You can also Send SMS to a group the same way.

note

Group emails do not support file attachments.

note

Members who have opted out of texting show a Texts off badge in the member list and are left out of the group's SMS recipients -- they still receive group emails and are still counted as members. See SMS Opt-Outs for details.

Using Email Templates​

If you have email templates set up at Settings → Emails & SMS, you can select a template when composing your group email. This saves time for messages you send regularly, like recital reminders or schedule updates.

Viewing Email History​

You can see a record of emails sent to a group:

  1. Open the group.
  2. Open its context menu and select View Past Emails.

You'll see the emails sent to this group, and you can open one to view its content.

Downloading a Roster​

From a group's detail page, the Download button offers two formats:

  • Roster PDF — a printable roster, with checkbox options for what to include
  • Member list (CSV) — a spreadsheet of the group's members

Archiving and Restoring Groups​

When a group is no longer active but you want to keep it for reference, archive it. Archiving happens from the Groups list, not the detail page.

To Archive a Group​

  1. On the Groups page, select the group (or open its context menu).
  2. Choose Archive Group.

Archived groups move to the Archived tab. They are not deleted and retain all their members and history.

To Restore an Archived Group​

  1. Switch to the Archived tab on the Groups page.
  2. Open the group's context menu and select Restore Group.

The group reappears on the Active tab.

Deleting and Restoring Groups​

If you no longer need a custom group at all, you can delete it.

To Delete a Group​

  1. Open the group (or select it on the Groups list).
  2. Open the context menu and select Delete Group.
  3. Confirm the deletion.

Deleting a custom group removes only the group — the students, instructors, or guardians who were members are not affected.

warning

On a roster group, this menu item reads Delete Session instead, and confirming it deletes the class session along with its roster. Do not use it to "clean up" the groups list — it removes the class itself.

To Restore a Deleted Group​

  1. On the Groups page, open the three-dot menu and select Restore Deleted Group(s).
  2. In the drawer, find the group you want to restore and restore it.

The group and its members return to their previous state.

Tips for Organizing Groups Effectively​

  • Use clear, descriptive names so your team can quickly understand each group's purpose (e.g., "Spring Recital 2026 - Performers" rather than "Group 1").
  • Include the year or semester in seasonal group names to avoid confusion across terms.
  • Archive instead of delete when you might need to reference a group later — and never delete roster groups to tidy up.
  • Review group membership regularly, especially for groups tied to active programs or events.
  • Combine with email templates (Settings → Emails & SMS) to streamline recurring communications like monthly newsletters or event announcements.