Templates

Templates are the reusable communication unit: they define layout, branding, and variables filled in at send time.

Types

System templates (read-only by default, but editable): donation receipt, registration confirmation, check-in alert, etc. Used by the transactional engine.
Custom templates: created by the church for its own campaigns and notifications.

Create a custom template

Communications → Templates → New.
Pick channel: Email, SMS, WhatsApp, Push.
For email: visual block editor or raw HTML.
Define the variables you use ({{member.first_name}}, {{event.start_time}}, etc.).
Preview with a real member.
Save as draft or published.

Only published templates can be used in a campaign.

Variables: namespaces

Namespace	Examples	Available in
`member.*`	first_name, last_name, campus.name	Any communication with an individual recipient
`church.*`	name, logo_url, address.short	Any template
`event.*`	name, start_time, location, url	Event-bound templates
`donation.*`	amount, currency, fund.name, date	Receipt and recurring templates
`group.*`	name, leader.name, next_meeting	Cell-group templates
`campus.*`	name, address, contact_email	Multi-campus templates

Per-campus branding

Each campus can override:

Logo (transparent PNG, ≤ 200 KB)
Primary and accent color
Email signature (HTML)
Sender name and “reply-to”

If a template doesn’t specify branding, it inherits from the recipient’s campus.

Single source of truth

The donation receipt template is one for the whole church, but the final output uses the donor’s campus branding. Change the logo on a campus and all its receipts change instantly.

Approvals (optional)

For large churches, enable the approval flow in Settings → Templates:

Editor creates/edits template → state pending.
Approver (comms_admin role) gets an email + reviews.
Approves or rejects with comments.
Only approved goes live.

There’s a log of who created, who approved, what changed (diff).

WhatsApp templates

WhatsApp requires Meta approval for templates that start a conversation. Allowed categories: UTILITY, MARKETING, AUTHENTICATION. Marketing has stricter rules and rate limits.


Category: UTILITY
Language: en_US
Body:
"Hi {{1}}, reminder that {{2}} starts at {{3}}.
To confirm attendance reply YES."

Typical approval time: 1–3 business days. Rejected templates can be re-submitted with changes.

Defaults for missing variables

If a member has no preferred_name, {{member.preferred_name}} falls back to {{member.first_name}}. If neither, falls back to "friend" (en) / "hermano(a)" (es). Configurable per church.