Configure lifecycle email automations

This guide shows you how to see which emails MapleGather sends automatically, edit the wording of your email templates, make your own copy of a template, and change when renewal reminders go out.

Who can do this: Admins who can edit lifecycle email templates. Without that permission you can open a template and read it, but not change or copy it.

Before you start

• Automatic emails aren’t switched on or off from Lifecycle automations (at /admin/email/automation). What sends each one today:
  • Application received and welcome emails, auto-renewal notices, lapse notices and membership cancellation notices use built-in wording — editing a template doesn’t change them. (No email is sent when you decline an application.)
  • Renewal reminders follow each membership level’s reminder settings. A level uses your organization’s default reminder cadence until its own reminders are saved. Reminders use built-in wording: no screen chooses a reminder template yet. (A level can name a template only through the API; a reminder then uses it only while it’s an active transactional template.)
  • Payment and donation receipts use your receipt template, not an email template.
  • Event emails follow each event’s own email rules and use built-in wording.
  • Email-address confirmations and policy update notices use built-in wording.
  • Failed-payment (dunning) emails aren’t sent yet.
• There’s no org-wide pause for automatic emails yet.
• Lifecycle emails like receipts and lapse notices always send and can’t be opted out of by members. Renewal reminders: There is no member control to turn renewal reminders off in the portal (Story 2.5.4). An unsubscribe recorded through the API or the catch-up email is honoured only while the level respects member preferences (the default).

Steps

Find a template

1. Go to Lifecycle automations (at /admin/email/automation).
2. Templates are grouped by phase — Join, Billing, Renewal, Lapse — and then Other templates. Under each name, a short note says where the template is used:
   • “Starter for broadcasts” — a starter you can use for a broadcast
   • “Not used by any automatic email yet — a renewal reminder could use it, but no screen chooses a reminder template yet” — an active transactional template
   • “Not used by any automatic email yet” — any other template

Edit a template’s wording

1. Select Edit on the template’s row. The template editor opens.
2. Edit the subject and body. Use the Insert merge tag menu to include member-specific details such as {{first_name}} or {{renewal_date}}.
3. Select Save. Templates MapleGather set up for your organization save the same way as ones you created — your change applies only to your organization.

The Automatic sending panel beside the editor repeats where this template is used. Editing a template changes what it says when it’s used — it doesn’t turn anything on.

Make a copy of a template

1. In the template editor, select Fork this template.
2. MapleGather creates a draft copy named “{template name} (copy)” — or “(copy 2)”, “(copy 3)” and so on if that name is taken — with the same subject, body and merge tags, and opens it for editing.

A copy keeps the original’s type and category. It starts as a draft, and a draft never sends: a renewal reminder uses a template only while it’s active.

Change when renewal reminders go out

1. Renewal reminder timing isn’t set on the automation page. Set your organization’s default cadence, or a level’s own reminder schedule, as described in Configure auto-renewal, reminders, and catch-up.

Verify

• After you save a template, “Saved” appears in the editor and your changes are there when you reopen it.
• After you fork a template, “Template forked — you’re editing your copy” appears and the editor shows the copy.

If something goes wrong

• “You can view this template but not change it” — your role doesn’t include permission to edit lifecycle email templates. Ask an org owner if you need to edit lifecycle emails.
• “Edit” isn’t visible on a row — your role may not include permission to edit lifecycle email templates.
• “Couldn’t fork this template” — the copy wasn’t created. Try again; the message gives the reason.
• You edited a template but members still get the old wording — check the note under its name on Lifecycle automations (at /admin/email/automation). Most automatic emails use built-in wording at this release, including renewal reminders — no screen chooses a reminder template yet.

Related

• How lifecycle email automations work
• Lifecycle automation matrix reference
• Configure auto-renewal, reminders, and catch-up
• Manage your email preferences as a member