# Planning Center and Volty > Newcomers ask Volty on WhatsApp which small groups meet on a weeknight, and it reads Planning Center Groups and passes their interest to the leader. Newcomers ask which small groups meet on a weeknight, and Volty reads Planning Center Groups and People to answer, then passes their interest to the group leader. Talk to Volty · Free trial Updated 2 Nov 2026 ## New in town, looking for a group Andre and his wife just moved to town and want a group that meets on a weeknight. AW Andre Wallace WhatsApp · Member Hey, my wife and I just moved here. Are there any small groups on weeknights on the west side? Checked Planning Center · Groups · 3 open on weeknights · West side Volty Welcome, Andre! Two that might fit: Young Couples on Tuesdays at 7pm at the Nguyens' home, and Westside Bible Study on Thursdays at 6:30pm at church. Want me to let a leader know you're interested? Tuesday sounds great Waiting for approval Planning Center group request: Andre Wallace for Young Couples, Tuesdays Approve · Edit · Decline Google Sheets Planning Center groups · West side | | Group | Day | Leader | Open | | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | | 2 | Young Couples | Tue 7pm | Tim Nguyen | Yes | | 3 | Westside Bible Study | Thu 6:30pm | Carol Hughes | Yes | | 4 | Men's Morning | Wed 6am | Luis Ortega | Yes | | 5 | Moms and Tots | Fri 10am | Hannah Price | Full | Row 2 added by Volty ## What Volty does with Planning Center Planning Center is the church management suite that churches run their people, giving, check-ins, services and groups in. One Planning Center API covers People, Groups and Check-Ins, and our team builds Volty's connection on a Personal Access Token from your church's account. A family asks which groups meet on weeknights, and Volty lists the open groups in Planning Center Groups and passes their interest to the leader. - Groups by night and area · Meeting day, location and whether a group is full come from Planning Center Groups. - Sunday numbers on request · Kids ministry leads ask about Check-Ins counts without running a report. - One profile, one person · Volty uses the People profile that matches the phone or email writing in. - Prayer requests reach a pastor · Volty does not counsel. It hands grief, illness and prayer needs to staff. Connects with Planning Center API, Personal Access Token Volty reads People, Groups, Check-Ins you choose Volty can change Group requests, once switched on Setup Your church's token, built by our team Category Churches & nonprofits A family new to the west side hears about two weeknight groups. ### Sunday check-ins Rachel needs the 9am headcount before the second service starts. Kids ministry Volty · Team chat R Rachel How many kids checked in to the 9am service today? Checked Planning Center · Check-ins · Sun Nov 1 · 9am · 84 kids · 6 rooms VoltyAPP 84 kids checked in at the 9am service today, across 6 rooms. ## As an automation Describe it to Volty in a sentence; it drafts the automation and an admin turns it on. First-time guests - When · Monday morning · Volty starts after the weekend - Step 1 · Finds Sunday's first-timers · Check-Ins marked as new - Step 2 · Says thanks for visiting · A WhatsApp template from the church - Step 3 · Replies to the guest · Group or pastor, whichever they need Luis checked in on Sunday and hears from the church on Monday. ## How Volty connects to Planning Center Planning Center's API covers its apps, including People, Groups and Check-Ins, and returns JSON:API data. For one church, it accepts a Personal Access Token over HTTP basic auth, which is how our team builds Volty's connection. - 01 · Create a Personal Access Token · A Planning Center user with the right permissions creates the token at api.planningcenteronline.com. - 02 · Pick the apps · Usually People, Groups and Check-Ins. Giving and Services stay out unless you want them. - 03 · Church admin approves · An admin in your workspace approves the connection once. - 04 · Decide on group requests · Group requests start Off. Set them to Check with staff so a leader says yes first. ### The tools Volty gets Each one is a switch on the Sources page in Volty. - Match a People profile · Reads - Search open groups · Reads - Read Check-Ins counts · Reads - Request to join group · Changes Reading tools can be turned on straight away. Anything that changes Planning Center starts Off, and once on it can be set to check with staff, so each change waits for a colleague. ## Common questions ### Which Planning Center apps can Volty read? The Planning Center API spans its apps, so the connection can include People, Groups and Check-Ins, and Services or Giving if you choose. Our team builds only the tools you agree to. Most churches start with group search, People profiles and Sunday check-in counts. ### How does our church connect Planning Center to Volty? A Planning Center user creates a Personal Access Token at api.planningcenteronline.com, which the API accepts over HTTP basic auth for a single church. Our team builds Volty's connection on it, and an admin in your Volty workspace approves the connection once. ### Can someone join a small group without the leader knowing? No. A join request starts Off, and churches usually set it to Check with staff, so the leader or a staff member approves before anything is added in Planning Center Groups. Volty can tell the newcomer when and where the group meets in the meantime. ### How much does it cost to connect Planning Center with Volty? Every Volty plan includes seats, active contacts and AI credits and starts with a free 7-day trial, and the plan prices are on voltade.com/pricing. Meta bills message charges separately for WhatsApp, Instagram and Messenger. ## Related integrations - Rock RMS Churches & nonprofits - Breeze ChMS Churches & nonprofits - Tithe.ly Churches & nonprofits - Google Calendar Calendar & booking - WhatsApp Business API Messaging channels All integrations ## Start your free trial Talk to Volty · Start your free trial Sign up for our 7-day trial. No credit card needed. ## Not convinced? Hear more from our CEO and Volty The Leonard and Volty Show · 8 October 2026 ### Meta now charges for WhatsApp replies The Leonard and Volty Show · 1 October 2026 ### Too busy to hire? The Leonard and Volty Show · 21 September 2026 ### From $500 chatbot jobs to agentic AI The Leonard and Volty Show · 10 September 2026 ### Your AI is a new employee The Leonard and Volty Show · 4 September 2026 ### Trust in the AI world The Leonard and Volty Show · 29 August 2026 ### Does the AI model matter? The Leonard and Volty Show · 19 August 2026 ### What are AI agents? Meta now charges for WhatsApp replies. Here's what it means for your business, 8 October 2026 ## Links - [Churches & nonprofits](https://voltade.com/integrations?category=churches) - [Rock RMSChurches & nonprofits](https://voltade.com/integrations/rock-rms) - [Breeze ChMSChurches & nonprofits](https://voltade.com/integrations/breeze-chms) - [Tithe.lyChurches & nonprofits](https://voltade.com/integrations/tithe-ly) - [Google CalendarCalendar & booking](https://voltade.com/integrations/google-calendar) - [WhatsApp Business APIMessaging channels](https://voltade.com/integrations/whatsapp) - [All integrations](https://voltade.com/integrations)