Signature collection

Hi, this is George. We will organize an event in our church. It's like a summer school where kids will participate church related activities. We need to get both participant information and parents' consent so that we can have a document which shows that parents allow their children to participate this event. I have a Google form for this but I couldn't find out how to collect signatures. Can you tell me how to do it or if jotform has electronic signature feature? Thanks. 

Hi George,

Google Forms does not have an electronic signature feature, it may be considered difficult to add a signature to Google Forms. You can always use Jotform to capture electronic signatures since we do have an in-built feature to allow users sign a form and collect it easily. You just need to add one of our e-signature widgets into your forms. 

Taking care of children is a big responsibility and Jotform can help you handle this process smoothly. Jotform has tons of ready-to-use templates that you can benefit from such as parental consent forms and church children registration forms. While you can use these form templates or change them as you like, you can also create a new form depending on what you need. 

Unlike Google Forms, we have built-in e-signature widgets that would allow form users to sign your forms. To name a few, you can create more authentic and detailed signatures through Smooth signature widget. If you have an account on Adobe Sign, you can also add this widget into your form and start using it after authentication. Therefore, you can not only save time to get signatures from parents, but also create a totally binding document. That's why we think Jotform is the best Google Forms Alternative. 

To use one of our form templates and collect electronic signatures through them, please follow these steps ;

1- Please go to "Form Templates" page and find a related category. This would be Church Forms and Consent Forms in your case.

2- Select the form you want to use and click on it.

3- You can start using by clicking on "Use Template" button located on the top right hand side.

4- Once you create and arrange your form, you can add an e-signature element into your form by clicking on "Add Form Element", selecting Widgets and searching for "Signature". You can use one of these widgets if you drag and drop it on the form. 

I think that would solve your problem. Feel free to contact if you need assistance.

Hi George,

Thanks for using Jotform. We have great news for you. We’ve recently launched Jotform Sign, a powerful e-signature product that allows anyone to collect legally binding, E-Sign- and UETA-compliant signatures. Jotform Sign’s easy-to-use user interface and automated workflows differentiate it from other e-signature tools.

We’ve created a short guide that explains the main aspects of Jotform Sign.

1. Creating a Signable Document

• Go to your My Documents page and click on Create Sign Document.
• Next, you can upload your own document, or you can use the Demo Document to test it out.
• Then, you can add more documents, or you can continue by clicking on the Create Signable Document button.
• You’ll be redirected to the Jotform Sign Builder page.

Please note that, after creating your document, you can let the system detect fillable fields automatically by clicking on the Detect Fields button, or you can manually add fields from the menu on the left after dismissing the popup message.

2. Adding Fields Manually

• In the Jotform Sign Builder, click on the Add Fields + button on the left side of the screen.
• All you need to do is drag and drop elements from the menu that opens on the left into your document. Although there’s no limit to the number of elements you can add, having too many fields might negatively affect the performance of your document.

3. Editing Fields

• In the Jotform Sign Builder, select the related field and click on the gear icon below the field.
• In the menu that comes up, you can make changes to the field. For example, you can change the Field Name, and you can set options based on the element you’re using.

4. Assigning Fields

• You can easily assign, edit, add, and delete roles just by clicking on the Assign Field To button.
• After clicking on it, a window will open. When it does, you can make your changes.

5. Changing the Document Title

• In the Jotform Sign Builder, click on Settings in the green navigation bar at the top of the page.
• Under the General Settings tab, you can edit the document’s title in the Document Title text area.

6. Customizing the Email Settings

• In the Jotform Sign Builder, click on Settings in the green navigation bar at the top of the page.
• Then, click on Email Settings.
• In the Email Settings section, you can edit both the Email Subject and Email Message.

After completing the steps above to customize the email settings, your email will look like the one below:

7. Publishing the Document

• In the Jotform Sign Builder, click on Send in the green navigation bar at the top of the page.
• In the Send To Sign section, you can easily send your document so people can sign it.
• All you need to do is enter a name and email address in the related fields.
• Then, click on Send To Sign.

You can also see a list of your Sent Documents as well at the bottom of the Send section:

In addition, you can send Reminder Emails, set an Expiration Date, add a CC recipient, and enable signer delegation under the Options tab:

8. Tracking Documents

• Go to your My Documents page and select your document.
• Then, click on Signed Documents.
• This will automatically redirect you to the Jotform Sign Inbox.
• In the Jotform Sign Inbox, you can see all of your documents. They may be listed under several tabs, such as Waiting for My Signature, Waiting for Others, Completed, Canceled, and Declined.

Give it a try and let us know how it goes. We’d love to hear your feedback about Jotform Sign.