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How do I create a custom template in message center?

Create a Custom Message Center Template

Also searched as: build an email template, new e-blast template, custom message builder

Overview

Custom Templates let you prefabricate and format your own unique message frameworks for communicating with community Members via Membership > Members > Message Filtered Members.

Note: Only Custom Templates provide the ability to create new messaging. Automated Templates support specific software functions — you can edit, deactivate, and activate some of them, but you cannot create new ones.

 How to Start a New Custom Template

  1. Click on the Message Center tab, then Templates.
  2. In the TEMPLATES window, click the +New button.

 Required and Standard Elements

  • Template Name (required) — The template's internal title. Not visible to message recipients.
  • Subject (required) — Appears on the actual message in a recipient's inbox.
  • Heading (optional) — Typically appears in larger type above the Body.
  • Body (optional) — Provides the overall message content.
  • Attachments (optional) — Add one or more documents to accompany the message.

Heading and Body are both optional, but a message without them may not offer much value to recipients.

 Static vs. Dynamic Fields

  • Static items add content modules to your template: Heading, Body, Button, Image.
  • Dynamic variables create recipient-specific text inside a Static module — for example, Organization Name, Member First Name, Member Last Name, Member Email.

 Add a Static Module

  1. Drag and drop a module from the Static list into the editing window.
  2. Drag a module up or down within the template to change its vertical order — a black dot marks where it will land.
  3. Click the pencil icon on a module to edit it, or the trash-can icon to delete it.

 Add a Dynamic Variable to a Static Module

  1. Click the pencil icon to edit the Static module (e.g., Subject or Heading).
  2. Drag and drop the Dynamic variable from the field list into the text area — either on its own line or into existing text.
  3. Click Done to save the module, or Cancel to discard the change.

 Editing Each Module Type

  • Subject — Type or paste your text. Use the toolbar to style it. Click Done or Cancel.
  • Heading — Same as Subject, with the full formatting toolbar (bold, italic, lists, links, etc.).
  • Body — Same toolbar as Heading; this is where most of your message content goes.
  • Attachments — Click Upload file to attach a document (intended for PDFs). Click the "x" next to the filename to remove it.
  • Button (optional) — Replace the placeholder text "Button" with your desired button label, and enter the URL you want the button to open when clicked.
  • Image (optional) — Click Browse to upload a GIF, JPG, or PNG directly from your computer or tablet. This module displays an image in the message body — use Attachments, not Image, for PDFs. Click Remove Image to remove just the photo, or the trash-can icon to remove the whole module.

Example: A "Snow Removal" template with a Subject of "$OrganizationName snow removal scheduled for 8:00 a.m. today" sends an email where "$OrganizationName" is automatically replaced with the actual community name (e.g., "Covington Cove") for every recipient.

 How to Save Your Template

Click Save at the top of the template-editing window to save the whole template. Click Cancel to discard all changes and return to the Templates list without saving.