Members vs. Staff
- Members
- Staff
A member is an organization user who participates directly in the tontine’s savings and lending activities. When you assign someone the Member role, Agatabo automatically creates a savings ledger account for them, enabling deposits, withdrawals, loan applications, and dividend distributions.A member:
- Has login credentials (phone number required; email optional)
- Holds the Member role, giving them access to their own financial data
- Accumulates a savings balance through regular contributions
- Can apply for and receive loans from the organization
- Receives a share of dividends when your organization distributes profits
- May also hold additional operational roles (for example, a member who also serves as Treasurer)
User Lifecycle
Every person you add to your organization moves through the same lifecycle, from invitation to eventual departure.Invitation
You create the user’s profile in Agatabo and send an invitation via email, SMS, or a manually shared link. The user does not yet have a password and cannot log in.
Account Activation
The invited person clicks the activation link (valid for 72 hours), sets a secure password, and is automatically logged in for the first time.
Active User
The user can now log in with their email or phone number and perform all actions permitted by their assigned roles.
Role Updates
As responsibilities change — a long-standing member becomes Treasurer, or a Loan Officer leaves that position — you add or remove roles at any time. Permission changes take effect immediately.
User Status
An inactive user can technically still authenticate with Agatabo (their password remains valid), but they cannot access any features or data within your organization. To fully remove someone’s access, you must deactivate their organization account, not just remove their roles.
| Status | What It Means | Can Log In? | Can Access Organization? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active | Account is enabled and fully operational | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Inactive | Account has been deactivated | ✅ Yes (credentials intact) | ❌ No (all permissions denied) |
| Invitation Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Pending | Invitation sent; user has not yet activated their account |
| Accepted | User has set a password and logged in at least once |
| Revoked | Invitation was cancelled before it was accepted |
Financial Information Tracked Per Member
Once a user holds the Member role, Agatabo tracks the following financial data on their profile:| Category | What Is Tracked |
|---|---|
| Savings Balance | Real-time ledger balance (total deposits minus withdrawals) |
| Deposit History | Every contribution with date, amount, and bank account |
| Active Loans | Current outstanding loans with principal, interest, and penalty detail |
| Loan History | All past loans, repayment status, and disbursement records |
| Entry Fee | One-time membership fee, if recorded |
| Dividend Allocations | Each distribution received from profit-sharing pools |
Permissions System Overview
Agatabo uses role-based access control (RBAC). Every action in the platform — viewing a savings balance, recording a deposit, approving a loan — is governed by a permission. Permissions are bundled into roles, and users inherit all permissions from every role they hold. Permission names follow the formatresource:action, for example:
savings:read— view savings datasavings:write— record depositsloans:write— create and manage loansorganization_users:write— invite and manage users
- SELF — the user can only access their own data
- ANY — the user can access data for all members in the organization
savings:read (SELF) and another grants savings:read (ANY), the user effectively has savings:read (ANY).
Next Steps
Inviting Users
Add new members and staff to your tontine with a step-by-step walkthrough of the invitation process.
Roles & Permissions
Understand the built-in Administrator and Member roles, create custom roles, and learn how permissions combine.
Managing Users
Update roles, deactivate accounts, resend invitations, and handle user departures correctly.