Message Templates

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Message Templates Overview

MESSAGE TEMPLATES allows you to create and edit re-usable email message templates. You can personalize your messages by including "tokens" to represent fields (like a contact's "first name") in your message's subject and body. These "tokens" will be replaced with the actual value of the corresponding field in your message (EXAMPLE: Dear{contact.first_name} = Dear Jose, Dear Vanessa, etc.)

If you are using the CiviMember component, you can also use a message template to send Membership Renewal Reminders.

Configure Message Templates

To configure message templates, begin at the Administer CiviCRM page.

In the Configure section, choose Message Templates.

You will see a list of existing templates. If no templates exist, you will see the message:

There are no Message Templates entered. You can add one.

Click add one to create a new template.

You can create NEW message templates or Edit, Preview, Disable or Delete EXISTING message templates using the links to the right of each template.

NEW

To create a NEW message template, choose >>New Message Template

You will be taken to the New Message Template page.

Create a Message Title for the template. This title is used to organize your messages and will not appear in the email.

TOKENS: The next three fields can all use "tokens". You insert a "token" into your message to help personalize your messages with things like names, dates and amounts of gifts, etc. When you send the email, CiviCRM will look at each contact record that is set to receive the message and replace the "token" with the actual value from the contact record. Rather than a generic, impersonal message that says "Dear Friend, Thank you for your recent contribution..", you can create personalized messages like "Dear Eleanor and Franklin, Thank you for your $50 gift on June 6th..."

Here is a list of the tokens you can use

Create the Message Subject for your email. Use tokens if desired, i.e., "We need your help, Alice", where you have used the token {contact.first_name} to put recipients first names into the message subject.

Create your Text Message and HTML Message. Include tokens to personalize your messages.

Choose *Enabled?" to enable the message template for use.

Click Save to save the template or Cancel to cancel.

If successful, you will see the message:

"The Message Template "Membership Renewal Initial Message" has been saved."

EXISTING

For EXISTING templates you can Edit, Disable or Delete each template using the links to the right of each template.

EDIT

Select Edit to view the Edit Template page where you can change the values for each option. Here you can also enable/disable the template by checking or unchecking the box labeled Enabled? at the bottom of the page.
Click Save to save the template.

If successful, you will see the message:

The Message Template "Membership Renewal Initial Message" has been saved.

DISABLE

Select Disable to temporarily disable an Existing Template. You will see the warning:

"Are you sure you want to disable this Message Template? "

Click OK to continue or Cancel to cancel disabling the template.

To re-enable the template, simply click on Enable.

DELETE

Select Delete to delete the template. You will be given this warning:

Do you want to delete this message template?

Click Delete to continue or Cancel to cancel the deletion.