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GC Events - Email Settings

Updated

 

GC Events - Email Settings

 

How it works

GC Events administrators can now configure the following emails associated with each newly created GC Event:

 

Registration Confirmation

Confirms event registration and is used to provide event details, tickets, guest information, activities schedule, and payment receipt.

 

Registration Summary

Provides updated event details when an add-on or activity ticket is added or removed from a registration or after an offline registration is added. It can also be sent manually by an admin.

Manually resending the Registration Summary

To resend the Registration Summary email to a registrant (for example, to update a list of selected activities), follow these steps from the registrant's record:

  1. Open the event in the admin dashboard. Click Registrations in the breadcrumb navigation to view the list of registrants.
  2. Locate the registrant and click their registration to open the record.
  3. Click Send Registration Summary Email.

Email content differences

  • Registration Summary: This email is sent to the registrant and provides updated event details when add-on or activity tickets are modified, or after an offline registration is added. Resending it delivers the latest summary to the registrant’s email.
  • Registration Reminder: Configured in Email Settings, this email can include a summary of the selected activities (using the $ACTIVITIES$ merge token) and is sent automatically based on your settings.
  • Admin notification: The copy sent to administrators at registration submission or change is separate and cannot be manually retriggered.

Additional options for admins

  • For a complete, current view of a registrant’s selections (e.g., for printing or folder inserts), generate a Custom Report under Events in the admin dashboard. Custom Reports provide live registration data and can be exported as a CSV.
  • For last-minute attendee reminders that include a full activity summary, add the $ACTIVITIES$ merge token to your Registration Reminder template so that each registrant receives a complete summary near the event date.

Q: Can I resend the admin notification email after a registration change?

A: No. The admin notification is a separate system alert without a manual resend option. To capture current registration data, use a Custom Report.

Q: I need a printable copy of a registrant’s current activity list. What should I do?

A: Use Custom Reports under Events to include the registrant, ticket, add-on, and activity fields. Export the report as a CSV to produce a printable copy.

 

Registration Reminder

Reminds the registrant of event details before the event, such as location and check-in instructions. The registration reminder is configured in Email Settings. To enable it, check the **Send a reminder email** checkbox, specify how many days before the event the reminder should be sent, and customize the email content as needed. When the reminder is enabled and the days-before setting is specified, GiveCampus automatically calculates the exact send date and queues the email accordingly. Reminder emails are sent at the event's start time on the scheduled day — not at midnight or a fixed hour. They must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance to ensure proper delivery.

Important: Reminder emails are only sent to registrants with an RSVP status of "attending." Registrants with any other status will not receive the reminder.

Depending on your event's configuration, additional emails may be available within Email Settings: - **RSVP No Confirmation** — sent when a registrant RSVPs as not attending (displayed only if your event allows RSVP No responses). - **Waitlist Confirmation** — sent when a registrant joins the waitlist (displayed only if Waitlist is enabled). - **Waitlist Invitation** — sent when a waitlisted registrant is invited to register (displayed only if Waitlist is enabled).

Automatic scheduling and timing for reminder emails

Event reminder emails are scheduled automatically based on the “days before event” setting. The send time is determined by subtracting the specified number of days from the event start date.

How it works

  • If the event start date changes, the send date is recalculated automatically to ensure the reminder is sent the correct number of days beforehand.

Quick tips

  • Use the Send Test Email button in the template editor to preview the reminder, verify merge tokens, and check the layout before relying on the scheduled send.
  • Each registration receives its own reminder email with a unique QR code, even if one person registers multiple times.

 

Email Merge Tokens

 

How to access email merge tokens

To find the full list of email tokens for event confirmation emails and other event emails:

 

  • Open your event email template in the email builder
  • Click the merge tag (x) icon — this will show you all available merge tags
  • Available tokens include:

    •  - Event details - Registrant information - Guest details - QR code for check-in - Event-specific information

     

    Important: Use correct merge tokens

    • For Events emails, use $EVENT_REGISTRANT_FIRST_NAME$ for the registrant's name
    • Do NOT use $PREF_FIRST_NAME$ (this is for GC Outreach, not Events)
    • Always select merge tokens from the dropdown menu to ensure they work correctly

    Email Delivery and Management

     

    Reminder email frequency

    • Each separate registration receives its own reminder email
    • If someone registers multiple times for different events, they will receive separate reminder emails for each registration
    • Each email includes the unique QR code for that specific event registration

    Preventing unwanted emails

    • Registration reminders are sent automatically based on your settings
    • Once sent, reminder emails cannot be recalled or resent automatically
    • To prevent future emails, you can:

    - Disable reminder emails in Email Settings - Change RSVPs to "Not Attending" - Cancel the event if necessary

     

    Common Questions

     

    Q: Why didn't names populate in my reminder email?

    A: This usually happens when the wrong merge token is used. Make sure you're using $EVENT_REGISTRANT_FIRST_NAME$ and $EVENT_REGISTRANT_LAST_NAME$ for Events emails, not tokens from other GiveCampus modules.

     

    Q: Will duplicate registrants get multiple reminder emails?

    A: Yes, each registration receives its own reminder email with a unique QR code, even if it's the same person registering multiple times.

     

    Q: How do I add the QR code check-in token to my email?

    The image field in Email Settings

    Where to find it:

    1. Open the event in the admin dashboard.
    2. Click Edit Event and then select Email Settings from the left navigation menu.

    The Image section appears between the Event Contact and Notifications sections.

    UI guidance:

    The help text states: "This image will be shown below the school logo and above the content of the email templates." A second line reads: "The image uploaded will be constrained to 800x600 for display purposes."

    How it works:

    • The image field is optional. If an image is uploaded, a preview is displayed at 800px width with a Remove Image link. Click Remove Image to delete a previously uploaded image.
    • When uploaded, the image appears in sent event emails between the school logo (which always appears at the top) and the email body content. It is included in both the Registration Confirmation and Registration Reminder emails.
    • If no image is uploaded, the image section is omitted from the delivered email.

    How it differs from the school logo:

    The image is event-specific and supplemental. The school logo is configured at the school level and always appears as the top header, while the uploaded image is an additional graphic placed below the logo and above the email content.

    Preview and testing tips:

    • The admin preview renders the uploaded image at 800px width so you can check its placement.
    • Use the Send Test Email button from the email template editor to view how the image appears in a delivered email (school logo → uploaded image → email content).

    Practical recommendations:

    • Upload an image sized or cropped to approximately 800×600 for best results.
    • Use a simple graphic (such as a logo, banner, or short horizontal artwork) for clear display between the school logo and the email body.
    • If you prefer not to include an extra graphic, leave the image field blank; no empty placeholder will appear.

    A: Click the merge tag (x) icon in the email builder and select the QR code token from the available options.

     

    Common variations of this question

    • How to customize event confirmation emails
    • Event email merge tags
    • Event email tokens
    • Registration reminder setup
    • QR code in event emails
    • Names not showing in event emails
    • Multiple reminder emails for same person

    Troubleshooting Email Delivery Issues

    Common variations of this question

    • "Why isn't my registrant receiving emails?"
    • "Registration confirmation emails not being delivered"
    • "Event emails going to spam"
    • "Registrant says they didn't get their confirmation email"
    • "Email shows as sent but registrant didn't receive it"

    Why registrants might not receive GC Events emails

    If a registrant reports not receiving their registration confirmation, summary, or reminder emails, even when the system shows the email was sent, here are the most common causes:

    FAQ — Tax receipt (FMV / tax-deductible amount) lines showing in Registration Confirmation emails

    Q: My Registration Confirmation email shows a "Fair Market Value of Tickets" and "Tax Deductible Amount" section even though I removed tax language from the template. How do I remove it?

    A: The receipt block displaying the Fair Market Value (FMV) and tax-deductible amount is generated by the $TAX_RECEIPT$ merge token. How you remove it depends on the email editor your event uses:

    New template editor

    1. Open the event in the admin dashboard, click Edit Event, and select Email Settings from the left navigation menu. If the newer template editor is active, you will see a table listing templates, including Registration Confirmation.
    2. Click the pencil icon or the template name for the Registration Confirmation template.
    3. Open the merge-tag menu by clicking the merge tag icon and locate $TAX_RECEIPT$ among the available tokens.
    4. Delete the $TAX_RECEIPT$ token from the template body and click Save. This prevents the receipt block from rendering.

    Legacy email editor

    If your event uses the legacy editor (a collapsible "Registration Email Body" panel with a plain textarea), the system appends the receipt block automatically. In this mode, the FMV and tax-deductible amount lines cannot be removed via the admin UI.

    Q: Where do the FMV and tax-deductible values come from?

    A: They are calculated based on each ticket type’s Fair Market Value field. To view or edit the FMV for a ticket type, open the event, click Edit Event, select Ticketing from the left navigation menu, expand the ticket type, and locate the Fair Market Value field. The receipt uses this value to compute the tax-deductible amount (ticket price minus FMV).

    Q: Why can't I edit the Fair Market Value field on my ticket type?

    A: Once tickets have been issued with a given ticket type, the Fair Market Value field is locked and cannot be changed. Finalize your FMV values before opening registration.

    Q: The receipt shows "Total Fair Market Value: $0.00" and the full ticket price as the "Total Tax Deductible Amount." What does FMV = $0 mean, and is that right?

    A: Yes – this display is correct. The tax-deductible amount is calculated as the ticket price minus the ticket's Fair Market Value (FMV). When a ticket's FMV is set to $0.00, the entire price is treated as tax-deductible, so the receipt shows a Total Tax Deductible Amount equal to the ticket price and a FMV of $0.00.

    Why this happens:

    • Calculation: The tax-deductible amount = ticket price minus FMV. This same calculation is used in event notifications and reporting.
    • FMV = $0.00: This indicates that the ticket provides no taxable benefit (for example, a donation without an associated benefit such as dinner or a reception). In this situation, the full ticket price is considered tax-deductible.

    To have a portion of the ticket price non-deductible:

    • Set a non-zero FMV that reflects the value of the benefit provided (such as the cost of a dinner or other tangible benefit). The tax-deductible amount will then be the ticket price minus that FMV.
    • How to set FMV: Open your event, click Edit Event, select Ticketing from the left navigation menu, expand the ticket type you want to change, and enter a value in the Fair Market Value field (located in the same row as Price (USD)).

    Important: timing and FMV lock

    • Finalize FMV values before opening registration. Once tickets are sold for a ticket type, the Fair Market Value field is locked and cannot be changed for those tickets.
    • After setting or updating FMV values (and before sales begin), use the Send Test Email button in Email Settings to verify how the Registration Confirmation displays the FMV and Tax Deductible Amount.

    Q: How can I tell whether my event uses the newer template editor or the legacy textarea?

    A: Open the event, click Edit Event, and select Email Settings from the left navigation menu:

    • If you see a table of email templates with pencil-icon edit links, you are in the newer editor. Remove the $TAX_RECEIPT$ token to suppress the receipt block.
    • If you see a collapsible panel labeled Registration Email Body with a plain textarea, you are using the legacy editor, where the system appends the receipt section automatically.

    Recommended workflow

    • Use the newer template editor if you need full control over the Registration Confirmation layout. Remove the $TAX_RECEIPT$ token to hide the receipt block.
    • Finalize the Fair Market Value for each ticket type before opening registration.
    • After editing, use the Send Test Email button in Email Settings to confirm that the receipt section appears (or is omitted) as expected.

    1. Spam/Junk folder filtering - Event emails may be automatically filtered into spam or junk folders

    2. IT security blocking - The recipient's IT team may be blocking GiveCampus emails or IP addresses

    3. Email server issues - The recipient's email server may have bounced or deferred the email due to:

    - Full inbox

    - Invalid email address

    - Domain-level email blocks

    - Server-side spam protection

    How to resolve email delivery issues

    For registrants:

    1. Ask them to check their spam, junk, or promotions folders

    2. Search their email for messages from info@givecampus.com (this is the sender address for all GiveCampus emails)

    3. Ask them to add info@givecampus.com to their safe sender list

    For IT teams:

    The recipient's IT team should whitelist:

    • Sender address: info@givecampus.com
    • GiveCampus IP addresses and domains for email delivery

    For administrators:

    • You can manually resend registration summary emails from the event dashboard
    • Use the "Send Registration Summary" option in the registrant's record
    • Consider providing the registrant with their registration details directly if email continues to fail

    Alternative solutions

    If email delivery continues to be problematic:

    • Direct the registrant to use the "View and manage your registration" link if they have it
    • Provide registration details manually via phone or alternative communication method
    • Help the registrant create a new registration if absolutely necessary

    Troubleshooting test event email delivery

    When you use the Send Test Email function in the event email template editor, GiveCampus creates a preview registration (state: preview) and sends the test email to your current administrator email address. The test email is generated using the same event notification system and merge tokens as regular emails.

    If you do not receive the test email, check the following:

    • The email may be in your spam or junk folder.
    • Your email provider or corporate firewall may be blocking emails from GiveCampus.

    Recommended actions:

    1. Check your spam or junk folders.
    2. Confirm that your email provider or firewall is not blocking emails from GiveCampus.
    3. If the issue persists, ask your IT team to review any security or filtering rules that could be intercepting these messages.

    Handling declined card transactions

    If a donor’s card is declined during registration, the transaction does not complete and no confirmation email or receipt is sent. Instead, the donor sees an on-screen error message. The donor must reattempt the transaction with a different payment method to complete the registration.

    Test Email Functionality

    Administrators can now send test emails directly from the event email template editor. To send a test email, click the Send Test Email button in the Email Settings tab. When you click this button, the system automatically creates a preview event registration with state: preview to populate merge fields and sends the test email to your current administrator email address (i.e., the email associated with your account).

    Please note that test email functionality is only available if the event has contact fields configured. Also, if you do not immediately see the test email in your inbox, check your spam or junk folders because IT security filters or spam settings may divert the message.

    Handling failed payment attempts during event registration

    When a card is declined during event registration, the system sets the registration state to payment_failed and no confirmation email or receipt is sent. Registrants see an on-screen error message indicating the payment failure and must retry the transaction with a different payment method to complete their registration.

    Failed Registration Notifications

    When a registrant’s card is declined during event registration, the system does not send any automated confirmation, receipt, or follow-up notification. Instead, the only feedback provided is an on-screen error message at the time of checkout. No registration record is created for failed payment attempts, although such attempts may be noted in the admin logs. Registrants must reattempt the registration process using a different payment method in order to successfully register for the event.

    Send different confirmation emails for different activities

    For events with multiple activities, you can customize confirmation emails to include details specific to the activities registrants selected.

    Include activity information in confirmation emails

    1. Open your event in the admin dashboard.
    2. Click Edit Event in the upper right-hand corner.
    3. Select Email Settings from the left navigation menu.
    4. Customize the registration confirmation email template by adding activity-related merge tokens.
    5. Insert the $ACTIVITIES$ merge token to display the activities each registrant selected.
    6. Save your changes and send a test email to verify that the activity details appear correctly.

    Tips for activity-focused confirmations

    • Ensure the $ACTIVITIES$ merge token is included so that the email automatically shows the selected activities.
    • Add extra details such as arrival times, locations, and any items registrants need to bring for each activity.
    • Note that if a registrant later updates their activity selections, the Registration Summary email will automatically reflect those changes.

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