Can I transfer ownership to someone who isn't an admin yet?

No. The new owner has to already be an admin on your account, so an account (and your volunteers' contact details) can never be handed to someone outside it by mistake. Invite them from the Team page first (every plan includes at least one admin besides the owner); once they've accepted, they'll appear in the Transfer ownership list.

Does transferring ownership change our plan or our sheets?

No. The plan, every sheet, every sign-up, and your ChMS connection stay exactly as they are. Only who holds the owner-only controls — billing, the team, deleting sheets, disconnecting the ChMS, and emailing your People list — changes.

Can an admin take ownership themselves?

No — only the current owner can hand it over. If the owner has already left and can't log in, contact support and we'll help.

What happens to the old owner?

They become a regular admin, so nothing they built disappears. The new owner can remove them from the Team page whenever they're ready.

for when the keys change hands

Transfer ownership

Every SignUpChurch account has one owner — the person who controls billing, the team, and a few other owner-only actions. Staff change, so before you step away, hand ownership to another admin and the account keeps running without you.

The short answer: The owner goes to Team → Transfer ownership, picks another admin, and confirms with their password. The new owner takes over billing, the team, and the other owner-only controls; the old owner stays on as an admin. If the owner has already left, see the last section below.

Hand it off before you go

Make sure your successor is an admin.
They need to be on the Team page already. If they aren't, use Invite an admin and have them accept the email invitation. Every plan includes at least one admin besides the owner, so there's always room for a backup.
Open Transfer ownership.
On the Team page, click Transfer ownership… and choose them from the list.
Confirm with your password.
Enter your password and click Transfer ownership. It happens right away, and you both get a confirmation email.

What moves to the new owner

Billing — changing, pausing, or canceling the plan.
The team — inviting and removing admins.
Deleting sheets — admins can archive, but only the owner can delete a sheet and its sign-ups for good.
Disconnecting your ChMS — admins can connect and reconnect; only the owner can disconnect.
Emailing your People list — personal invitations and the last-call blast.
Billing emails — if receipts were going to the old owner's login email, they now go to the new owner. If you'd set a different billing email (like an office address), it stays as it was.

The card on file doesn't move. If it's the old owner's personal card, the new owner should update the payment method from the Billing page so the plan doesn't lapse.

The person who set up the account already left

Was their login a church email address (like pastor@yourchurch.org)? Whoever manages your church's email can get into that inbox. Then use Forgot password? on the login page to sign in as them. Then invite yourself as an admin from the Team page, accept the invitation, and transfer ownership to yourself. (On Free or Basic, if the one admin spot is already taken by someone who's also gone, remove them first to free it up.)
Was it a personal email, or is the inbox gone? Contact support from your church email address. We'll confirm you're with the church before moving the account to you.

The easiest fix is never needing one: when a new staff member takes over sign-ups, add them as an admin, and transfer ownership before anyone leaves.

Common questions

Can I transfer ownership to someone who isn't an admin yet?: No. The new owner has to already be an admin on your account, so an account (and your volunteers' contact details) can never be handed to someone outside it by mistake. Invite them from the Team page first (every plan includes at least one admin besides the owner); once they've accepted, they'll appear in the Transfer ownership list.
Does transferring ownership change our plan or our sheets?: No. The plan, every sheet, every sign-up, and your ChMS connection stay exactly as they are. Only who holds the owner-only controls — billing, the team, deleting sheets, disconnecting the ChMS, and emailing your People list — changes.
Can an admin take ownership themselves?: No — only the current owner can hand it over. If the owner has already left and can't log in, contact support and we'll help.
What happens to the old owner?: They become a regular admin, so nothing they built disappears. The new owner can remove them from the Team page whenever they're ready.

Questions the article didn't answer? Contact support and a real human will reply.