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Email Templates

Email Templates let you save reusable email content -- a welcome message, an event reminder, a giving thank-you -- so you (or a workflow) can send it in one click instead of writing it from scratch every time. The same list also holds text message templates for the group and person Text windows.

Before You Begin

  • You need the Edit Church Settings permission (the Email Templates menu item only shows with it). People with Edit Group Members can also open the page directly at /settings/email-templates.

Accessing Email Templates​

  1. In B1 Admin, open the Jump menu (the search bar at the top-left) and expand Settings.
  2. Click Email Templates.
  3. You will see a list of existing templates with their Name, Subject, Category, and Modified date.

Creating a Template​

  1. Click New Template.
  2. Enter a Template Name to identify it in the list, and choose a Category (General, Events, Groups, Giving, Welcome, or Text) to help organize your templates. Choose Text to make a text message template instead (see Text Templates below).
  3. Enter the Subject line.
  4. Write the Body using the rich text editor.
  5. Click Save.

Merge Fields​

Click a merge field chip above the Subject or Body to insert it at your cursor -- click into the text where you want the field first, then click the chip. Your cursor stays in place, so you can keep typing right after the inserted field. If you click a Body chip without first clicking into the body, the field is added at the end of the body. When the email is sent, each merge field is replaced with the recipient's actual information:

  • {{firstName}}, {{lastName}}, {{displayName}} -- The recipient's name
  • {{email}} -- The recipient's email address
  • {{churchName}} -- Your church's name

Gift merge fields​

These fields fill in only when the email is sent by a workflow that a Donation · Created trigger started. In any other email they are left blank.

  • {{amount}} -- The amount of the gift, such as $50.00
  • {{giftDate}} -- The date of the gift
  • {{fund}} -- The fund or funds the gift went to
  • {{receipt}} -- A gift summary: the date and method, a row for each fund with its amount, and the total. Use it to send the donor a receipt in the same email as your thank-you. It is only offered for the body, not the subject.

Text Templates​

A template with the Text category is a plain-text message for texting rather than an email:

  • It has no subject. The rich text editor is replaced with a plain Text Message box that holds up to 1,600 characters.
  • The merge field chips above the box insert {{firstName}}, {{lastName}}, {{displayName}}, {{churchName}}, or the gift merge fields at your cursor. In a text, {{receipt}} becomes one line, such as $50.00 to General Fund on Nov 8, 2026.
  • Text templates show up in the Load Template (optional) picker of the Text window for a group or a single person. Picking one fills in the message, and you can still edit it before you send.
  • They are left out of the email template pickers, including the workflow Send email action.

Texting requires a connected texting provider.

Previewing a Template​

Click Preview to see how the subject and body will look with sample data filled in for the merge fields, before you save or send.

Using a Template​

Saved templates are available to select from when composing an email to people or a group, and as an action in Workflows. Before your church can send them, the ChurchApps team needs to approve it for group email once. See Turning On Group Email for Your Church.

Editing and Deleting​

Click Edit on a template's row to update it, or Delete to remove it permanently. B1 asks you to confirm before deleting.

Next Steps​

  • Workflows -- Trigger a template email automatically based on rules