Forms let you collect information from members, take payments, and run everything from membership signups to event registrations in one place. Forms are available on Essentials and Premium plans and are built with Gravity Forms.
What Are Forms and When Should You Use Them?
Common uses for forms include:
Applications & Waitlists – Manage new member applications or waitlist signups with optional fees
Event & Program Signups – Register members for swim meets, lessons, social events, or camps
Facility Rentals – Let members book party spaces, meeting rooms, or other amenities
Waivers & Consent Forms – Gather required legal acknowledgments and digital signatures
Surveys & Feedback – Collect member input on policies, satisfaction, or new programs
You control what information you collect and how, from a simple contact form to a multi-page registration with payment.
Forms vs. Products: Which Should You Use?
Use a FORM when you need to:
Collect detailed information (addresses, emergency contacts, preferences)
Require members to answer specific questions
Gather waivers, signatures, or consent agreements
Create multi-step registration processes
Show different fields based on user responses (conditional logic)
Use a PRODUCT when you need to:
Simply charge for something without collecting additional information
Offer items members add to their cart and pay
Understanding "Feeds"
A feed is the connection between your form and your payment processor. It sends the payment from your form to the system that charges the card or bank account (ACH).
If a form has pricing fields but no payment feed, it can't process payments.
Member Splash shows a warning icon (Payment Feed Missing) in the Payment Indicators column of your forms list when a payment form has no payment feed, or has a feed that doesn't match your club's payment gateway.
Your Form Building Workflow
Build – Create your form and add the fields you need
Configure – Set up feeds, notifications, and form settings
Test – Submit test entries to make sure everything works
Publish – Embed the form on your website and make it live
Step 1: Create a New Form
Before starting from scratch, consider installing a ready-made template from the MS Form Templates Library (Content > Gravity Forms > Member Splash Templates).
Go to Content > Gravity Forms and click the New Form tab.
Give your form a clear, descriptive title (for example, "20XX Swim Team Registration" or "Pool Party Rental Request").
The drag-and-drop form builder opens, where you can start adding fields.
Step 2: Add Fields to Your Form
Fields are grouped into categories in the form builder.
Member Splash Fields
These fields link form entries to Member Splash accounts. They only work when the user is logged in to their Member Splash account, so turn on the Gravity Forms setting that requires users to log in (under the form's Settings).
Geofence – Lets you draw a boundary on a Google Map, then checks whether an address entered in a linked address field is inside it (useful for residency requirements)
Acct ID* – Hidden field that saves the logged-in user's account ID with the entry
Member ID* – Hidden field that saves the logged-in user's member ID with the entry
Account Types – Dropdown pre-filled with your account types
Member Checkbox – Lets users pick one or more members from their account (for example, "Which family members are attending?")
Member Select – Dropdown pre-filled with the members on the user's account
*Note: Fields marked with an asterisk are hidden and should be used together with other Member Splash fields for accurate data.
Standard Fields
Single Line Text – Short responses (for example, first name, T-shirt size)
Paragraph Text – Longer input (for example, notes, special requests, medical concerns)
Drop Down – Choose one item from a list
Multiple Choice – Select only one option using radio buttons
Checkboxes – Select multiple options (for example, days attending, dietary restrictions)
Number – Numbers only (for example, age, quantity)
Hidden – Stores behind-the-scenes data like user ID or form source
HTML – Add headings, instructions, or explanatory text
Section – Group related fields under a heading
Page – Split long forms into multiple pages
Advanced Fields
Name – First and Last (optionally Middle or Suffix)
Date – Pick a date from a calendar or type one in
Time – Enter a start or end time
Phone – Formats and validates phone numbers
Address – Street, city, state, and zip fields
Website – Accepts and validates a URL
Username – Lets users choose a username when registering a new account
Password – Lets users enter and confirm a password
Email – Validates email address format
File Upload – Upload PDFs, images, or other documents (for example, proof of residency, medical forms)
CAPTCHA – Prevents spam submissions
List – Rows of repeated fields (for example, family members with names and ages)
Consent – Checkbox with agreement language (for example, waivers or policies)
Signature – Digital signature in the form
Nested Forms – Embed one form inside another for repeating entries (for example, multiple guests or lessons)
Survey – Likert-scale field for feedback or satisfaction ratings
Terms of Service – Scrollable box with your terms that users must agree to before submitting
💡A note on formatting: Some fields do not support rich text formatting (bold, italics, bullet points). They do accept HTML. Write your text as you'd like it to appear, use an AI tool (such as ChatGPT or Claude) to convert it to HTML, then paste the HTML into the field.
Post Fields
Used only if your form creates a WordPress post. Not typical for member forms.
Title, Body, Excerpt, Tags, Category, Image, and Custom Field
Pricing Fields
Product – Item name and price (for example, "Swim Team Registration - $150")
Quantity – Let users choose a number (for example, how many lessons or T-shirts)
Option – Pricing variations (for example, shirt sizes or add-ons like team gear)
Shipping – Shipping fees (rarely used in Member Splash)
Subtotal – Calculates the subtotal before discounts
Tax – Adds tax to the form
Discount – Coupon codes or special pricing
Total – Calculates and shows the full total
Credit Card – Secure card payment field
ACH – Secure bank payment field
🚨IMPORTANT: A payment feed is required for every form that accepts payment. If a payment form has no feed (or a feed that doesn't match your payment gateway), a warning icon appears in the Payment Indicators column of your forms list.
Learn how to add a payment feed: Add a Payment Feed to Your Forms To Accept Digital Payments
Step 3: Customize Form Settings
In Content > Gravity Forms, open your form and click the Settings tab.
Form Settings
Form Title & Description – What members see at the top of the form
Form Layout – Field spacing and appearance
Restrictions – Limit the number of entries, schedule when the form is open, or require users to be logged in
Member Splash Options
Under Member Splash Form Type, choose one:
None
Waiver Form — Displayed on the Manage Account screen and check-in screen. Resets annually on January 1st — members must re-sign each year.
Reservation Form — Available for embedding in the Reservation Facility screen.
Permanent Acknowledgment — Displayed on the Manage Account screen. Submitted once and stays on file permanently — never resets.
Note: When you pick Waiver Form, a rule row appears. Choose a Rule Type (Billing Contact, Member Type, or Member Age), set the condition and value, then choose Show or Require as the action.
Confirmations
Choose what users see after submitting:
A confirmation message on screen
A redirect to a thank-you page
A custom message with merge tags (for example, "Thanks for registering, {First Name}!")
Notifications
Set up emails sent when someone submits the form:
To Admins – Notify office staff of new registrations
To Coaches/Coordinators – Alert program leaders of signups
To the Registrant – Send a confirmation email to the person who submitted the form
Step 4: Embed the Form on Your Website
Once your form is ready, publish it on a page of your Member Splash website (Essentials & Premium plans).
Option 1: Use the shortcode
In your form, click the </> Embed button.
Copy the shortcode Gravity Forms provides.
Paste it into any page on your site (Content > Pages).
Option 2: Use the Gravity Forms block
Go to Content > Pages and edit the page where the form should appear.
Click the Add Form button.
Select your form from the dropdown.
Step 5: Test Your Form
Always test your form before making it live.
Form submission – Fill out the form completely and submit it
Payment processing – If applicable, submit a test payment
Confirmation message – Check the right message appears
Email notifications – Check all emails reach the right recipients
Form settings – Confirm login requirements, entry limits, and scheduling work
Mobile experience – Test the form on a phone or tablet
💡Pro tip: Use a test member account or create dummy entries you can delete later. For payment forms, process a small test transaction (like $1.00) to check everything end-to-end.