This article covers how Admin Users, Group Manager, and Constituent Manager work together in the Finalsite CMS, including which module fits each task and how to resolve missing access. Constituent Manager holds every person's profile, Admin Users sets what staff can do, and Group Manager organizes constituents into audiences.
In this article
- Understand the three modules
- Which module fits each task
- How the three modules relate
- Admin Users and Group Manager side by side
- Admin groups in Admin Users
- Constituent groups in Group Manager
- Roles and admin accounts in Constituent Manager
- Admin Users and Group Manager permissions
- Symptom-to-fix table
- Related articles
Understand the three modules
Admin Users, Group Manager, and Constituent Manager all sit under the People icon, and all three involve groups of people, which makes them easy to mix up. Constituent Manager is where every person on the site lives. Admin Users controls what staff can do in the platform. Group Manager organizes constituents (parents, students, alumni, and more) into audiences.
Three different things are called "groups" in everyday conversation. Each one lives in a different module.
| Term | Module | Question it answers |
|---|---|---|
| Admin group | Admin Users | What can this staff member do in the platform? |
| Role | Constituent Manager | What type of person is this, and which portal pages are reachable? |
| Group | Group Manager | Which targeted audience(s) does this person belong to? |
Group Manager and Constituent Manager each have a Rights tab with similar-sounding rights. The names overlap, and the rights are set in different places.
| Module | Where the rights are set | Rights |
|---|---|---|
| Group Manager | On each top-level group: Rights tab | View Group, Edit Group, Edit Membership, Add/Remove Subgroups |
| Constituent Manager | On each role: Settings > Constituent Roles > the role > Rights tab | View Role, Edit Role, Edit Membership |
Which module fits each task
| If the goal is to... | Use | Where to go |
|---|---|---|
| Add, edit, or remove a person, or change a role | Constituent Manager | Search for the profile, edit the fields, and assign a role on the Roles tab. |
| Import constituents in bulk | Constituent Manager | Use the Import Data tool. See "Upload constituent data to Constituent Manager." When the Import Data option is missing from the site, Finalsite Support enables it. |
| Create a department, team, or class audience | Group Manager | People icon > Group Manager > Add Group. A role in Constituent Manager comes first, and then the person joins the group. |
| Send a message to a specific audience | Group Manager, then Messages | Build or update the group in Group Manager, then add the group to a List in Messages. Groups are building blocks, such as "10th Grade Parents." Lists are topic-based destinations, such as a weekly newsletter. |
| Show people on a directory page | Constituent Manager and Group Manager | Each person has a profile and role in Constituent Manager. The Constituent element on the page displays the roles or groups it is set to show. |
| Give a staff member access to edit the website | Constituent Manager, then Admin Users | Open the profile in Constituent Manager > Account tab > Create Admin Account. Choose an admin group already set up in Admin Users. |
| Give staff access to edit pages with personal data hidden | Admin Users | People icon > Admin Users. Create or edit an admin group with Composer checked and Constituent Manager unchecked. |
| Change which modules an admin group opens | Admin Users | People icon > Admin Users > the admin group. |
| Move an admin to a different admin group | Constituent Manager | The person's Account tab > Move User. |
| Delete or unlock an admin account | Admin Users | Delete: check del next to the name, then select Save Group Changes. Unlock: select the arrow next to the name and choose Unlock User. |
| Let an admin see or edit specific groups | Admin Users, then Group Manager | Check Group Manager for the admin group, then grant rights on the group's Rights tab. |
| Let an admin edit people in specific roles | Admin Users, then Constituent Manager | Check Constituent Manager for the admin group, then grant rights on each role under Settings > Constituent Roles > Rights. |
| See the site as a specific admin does | Constituent Manager | The person's Account tab > log in as this admin user. This option is available to Site Admins. |
⚠️ Important Note
Deleting staff profiles in bulk also deletes the linked admin accounts, which removes access to the website editor for those admins. Before a summer rollover or directory cleanup, isolate the admin users. For a large cleanup, contact Finalsite Support for guidance on preserving Site Admin accounts.
How the three modules relate
The three modules work as three layers. A person starts in the first layer, and the other two build on it.
- Constituent Manager: The directory. Every person on the site has a profile and at least one role here, including staff, students, and parents.
- Admin Users: The staff access layer. A staff member's admin account is created from the Constituent Manager profile and places the person in one admin group. The checkboxes on that group decide which modules open.
- Group Manager: The audience layer. People who already have a role in Constituent Manager are organized into groups for messaging, portal access, Posts, Resources, and directory pages.
Opening a module is the first gate. Inside Group Manager and Constituent Manager, staff also need rights on the specific groups or roles they work with. Group Manager rights are set on each top-level group. Constituent Manager rights are set on each role.
Admin Users and Group Manager side by side
| Topic | Admin Users | Group Manager |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | Staff (admin users) | Constituents, such as parents, students, and alumni |
| Purpose | Sets what staff can do in each module, such as Composer, Group Manager, or Posts | Organizes people into audiences |
| Location | People icon > Admin Users | People icon > Group Manager |
| Example groups | Administrators, Content Managers, Editors, Webmaster, or custom admin groups | "10th Grade Parents," "Class of 2030," or any group created |
| How people join | Each admin joins one admin group from the Account tab in Constituent Manager. Admin accounts are created one at a time. | Added manually (static) or automatically through dynamic filters |
| Groups per person | One admin group at a time | Many groups |
| Typical uses | Give the Admissions team access to edit their section of the site | Build mailing audiences, give access to private areas, set rights for Posts and Resources, filter directories |
| Where permissions are set | Module checkboxes on each admin group. Admin accounts are created and moved from the Account tab in Constituent Manager. | Module access in Admin Users, then the Rights tab on each top-level group. Rights cascade down to subgroups. |
| Prerequisite | A constituent profile exists before an admin account is created | A role in Constituent Manager exists before the person joins a group |
| Who changes it | Site Admins | Admins whose admin group has Group Manager access |
Admin groups in Admin Users
Admin groups are created in the Admin Users module. Rights are assigned to the group instead of to individual people, and each admin belongs to one group at a time.
- Step 1: Click the People icon in the left navigation.
- Step 2: Open Admin Users.
- Step 3: Select an admin group in the top right corner.
- Step 4: Check the modules the group should use, then select Save Group Changes.
By default, four groups appear: Administrators, Content Managers, Editors, and Webmaster. These can be renamed, and more can be added. Members of the Administrators group are Site Admins with full access to everything.
What "(Admin)" means
Some modules have two rights. A right followed by (Admin) gives full access to the module. A right without it is more limited, and its privileges can be fine-tuned inside the module.
Real-world scenarios
A school wants selected staff to edit pages without creating or editing constituents.
- Create an admin group in Admin Users with Composer checked and Constituent Manager unchecked.
- Create each person's admin account from the Account tab in Constituent Manager, and choose that admin group.
For a deeper dive into Admin Users, check out the article Set up and configure the Admin Users module.
Constituent groups in Group Manager
Constituent groups are created in the Group Manager module. Groups organize constituents into audiences, and they are filled manually (static) or automatically through dynamic filters that update as constituent data changes.
- Step 1: Click the People icon in the left navigation.
- Step 2: Open Group Manager.
Groups build mailing audiences for Messages and Messages XR lists, give access to private areas of the site, set rights for Posts and Resources, and filter directories shown with a Constituent element. Groups are demographic segments, such as "10th Grade Parents." Lists in Messages are topic-based destinations, such as a weekly newsletter, and groups are added to them. See Add Groups to Lists in Messages and Messages XR.
For a deeper dive into Group Manager, check out the article Group Manager overview.
Roles and admin accounts in Constituent Manager
Constituent Manager is where every person on the site lives. People are organized into roles, such as Faculty and Staff, Students, Parents, and Alumni. Roles segment people and can control which portal pages each person reaches. Group Manager groups then break roles into smaller audiences, such as departments or grade levels.
Constituent Manager is also where staff admin accounts are created and managed. From a person's profile, the Account tab is the place to create an admin account, link an existing one, move the person to a different admin group, unlock the account, or log in as the person to check access. Admin groups are set up in Admin Users, and deleting an admin account happens in Admin Users.
Groups such as departments, grade levels, and classes are created and edited in Group Manager. A person has a role in Constituent Manager before joining a group.
Constituent Manager permissions are set per role, because the module holds personal data. Go to Constituent Manager > Settings > Constituent Roles, click a role, and open the Rights tab. An admin group with Constituent Manager checked adds constituents once Edit Membership is granted on the relevant roles.
For a deeper dive, check out the articles Constituent Manager overview, Roles in Constituent Manager, and Constituent Manager admin permissions.
Admin Users and Group Manager permissions
Admin Users decides whether a staff member opens Group Manager. Group Manager then decides which groups that staff member sees and changes. Permissions work on two levels:
- Global access in Admin Users: Open Admin Users, select the admin group, and check Group Manager for basic access. Group Manager (Admin) also lets members set module-level permissions for others. Their reach still depends on the groups and rights assigned to them.
- Granular rights in Group Manager: Open a top-level group, select the Rights tab, and use Add Admin Groups (under Group Permissions) or Add Admin Users (under User Permissions). Click the columns to add a green checkmark for each right, then save. These rights cascade down to subgroups.
The Add Admin Groups dropdown on the Group Permissions tab lists admin groups that have Group Manager checked without Group Manager (Admin). To appear in that list, an admin group needs the basic Group Manager level. Group Manager (Admin) typically belongs to the main Administrators group. Each admin sees the groups they were granted, so repeat the Rights steps for every group an admin needs to see.
The granular rights are:
- View Group: Shows the group in the list.
- Edit Group: Changes the group's settings.
- Edit Membership: Adds or removes members.
- Add/Remove Subgroups: Creates or deletes groups beneath the top-level group.
For more, check out the article Group Manager admin permissions.
Symptom-to-fix table
Each row pairs a symptom with its likely cause and fix. Site Admins, who are members of the Administrators group, change admin group rights.
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix | Where to go |
|---|---|---|---|
| Composer is missing from the navigation, or pages are not editable | Composer is unchecked for the admin group | A Site Admin opens the admin group, checks Composer, and saves | People icon > Admin Users |
| Group Manager is missing from the navigation | Group Manager is unchecked for the admin group | A Site Admin checks Group Manager (or Group Manager (Admin)) for the group | People icon > Admin Users |
| Group Manager opens, but a group is missing or the list is empty | The admin group or user needs View Group on that top-level group | A Site Admin or Group Manager (Admin) user adds the admin group or user on the group's Rights tab and grants View Group | Group Manager > top-level group > Rights |
| A group is visible, but it cannot be edited, people cannot be added, or subgroups cannot be created | Edit Group, Edit Membership, or Add/Remove Subgroups is needed | Grant the needed right to the admin group or user | Group Manager > top-level group > Rights |
| Rights for other admins cannot be set, or an admin group is missing from the Add Admin Groups list | Group Manager (Admin) lets members set rights for others. The Add Admin Groups list shows only groups with the basic Group Manager level. | A Site Admin checks Group Manager (Admin) to let admins set rights. For a group to appear in the list, check Group Manager (the basic level) instead, then add the group on the Rights tab. | Admin Users, then Group Manager > top-level group > Rights |
| Groups are expected in Constituent Manager, and the screen shows roles | Constituent Manager organizes people into roles | Open Group Manager for groups. The role list in Constituent Manager shows broad types, such as Faculty and Staff. | People icon > Group Manager |
| Constituent Manager opens, but a role or its people are missing, or constituents need to be added | Constituent Manager is unchecked for the admin group, or View Role or Edit Membership is needed on that role | A Site Admin checks Constituent Manager in Admin Users, then adds the admin group or user on the role's Rights tab with the needed rights | Admin Users, then Constituent Manager > Settings > Constituent Roles > role > Rights |
| A staff member signs in to the portal, and the website editor rejects the login (or the reverse) | Portal and admin logins are separate accounts. Admins sign in at yoursite.com/admin, and portal users sign in at yoursite.com/login
|
Confirm an active admin account is linked on the Account tab and the correct login page is in use. A password reset on the portal account leaves the admin account unchanged. | Constituent Manager > Account tab |
| A staff member is missing from a directory page, while the profile looks correct | The page filters for a role or group the person is not in | Check the Constituent element settings on the Composer page to see the displayed role or group. Then confirm the person has that role in Constituent Manager or belongs to that group in Group Manager. | Composer, Constituent Manager, and Group Manager |
| A new role is needed | The role does not exist yet. | Contact the Client Success Manager or Finalsite Support. | Constituent Manager |
| The access of a specific admin needs to be verified | Access comes from the admin group and any rights on groups and roles | A Site Admin opens Constituent Manager > the person's Account tab and clicks log in as this admin user to see the platform as that admin does | Constituent Manager > Account tab |
| A box is checked in Admin Users, and the access is still missing | A clickable checkbox makes the permission available. Some modules also need global and granular rights set inside the module. | Open the module's own permissions article, then set the Global and Granular permissions in that module | The Finalsite Guide to Permissions |
| A constituent needs access to a private page or portal area | The constituent needs the role or group the page allows (a Constituent Manager or Group Manager setting, handled outside Admin Users) | Learn how to set this up in the article, "Restrict page visibility with Access Control." | Constituent Manager or Group Manager |
Finding a Site Admin
Site Admins are the members of the primary Administrators admin group. Learn more in the article, "Manage admin users."
Related articles
- Set up and configure the Admin Users module
- Manage admin users
- Group Manager overview
- Group Manager admin permissions
- Group visibility and setting Group permissions
- Add Groups to Lists in Messages and Messages XR
- Constituent Manager overview
- Roles in Constituent Manager
- Constituent Manager admin permissions
- Upload constituent data to Constituent Manager
- Finalsite CMS Permissions Guide