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GC Outreach: Using the New Email Editor (Beta)

Updated

The new email editor introduces a block-based editing experience that makes it easier to design emails for Outreach and Advocacy Emails.

This guide explains how to enable the new editor, navigate the interface, and use the available content blocks.

Enabling the New Email Editor

When creating a new email, you’ll see a toggle labeled “Use the new editor for this email” in the Create Outreach side panel.

The toggle is off by default, meaning the current editor will be used unless you turn it on.

The new editor is available when creating emails from:

  • Outreach
  • Online Giving Advocacy Emails

Access is available to anyone at a partner school with existing Outreach email creation permissions. No additional permissions are required.

Important notes

  • The toggle appears each time you create a new email, so you can choose which editor to use.
  • Once an email is created, it always opens in the editor it was created with.
  • Existing emails cannot be switched between editors.
  • All Outreach settings (audience selection, segmentation, scheduling, etc.) work the same regardless of which editor is used.

The only difference is the editing interface.

Editor Layout

The editor has three main areas:

Top Toolbar

Contains formatting tools, the Insert menu, and utility controls.

Canvas

The center editing area where your email content appears.

Side Panel

Displays Block Settings for the selected block and Email Settings for global email styling.

Full Screen Mode

Click the Full Screen button located on the right - above the editor, to expand the editor.

This is helpful on smaller screens because it reduces scrolling and provides more space for editing.

The Top Toolbar

The toolbar provides quick access to formatting tools and block insertion.

Insert Menu (+)

Use the Insert menu to add new content blocks.

Available block types include:

  • Text
  • Button
  • Image
  • GC Video
  • Section
  • Divider
  • Spacer
  • Columns
  • Bulleted List
  • Numbered List

New blocks are inserted below the currently selected block.

Undo / Redo

Undo or redo changes using the toolbar or keyboard shortcuts:

  • Ctrl + Z (Windows)
  • Cmd + Z (Mac)

Text Formatting Tools

The toolbar also includes tools for:

  • Headings and paragraph styles
  • Font selection
  • Font size (default 16px)
  • Bold, italic, underline
  • Text color (including saved brand colors)
  • Line height (default 1.5)
  • Text alignment
  • Bulleted and numbered lists

Links and Personalization

Additional tools allow you to:

  • Add standard hyperlinks
  • Insert GiveCampus links (giving forms, event pages, Personalization, Unique Tracking Links, etc.)
  • Insert merge tags for personalization
  • Add emojis

HTML Editor

You can toggle between the visual editor and HTML view at any time.

Selecting and Moving Blocks

Click a block to select it. Its settings will appear in the right-side panel.

Blocks can be reordered by:

  • Dragging and dropping using the drag handle located to the top left of each block
  • Using the Move Up / Move Down arrows in the block actions toolbar
  • Section and Column blocks can contain other blocks within them. Selecting the internal blocks will display the selected block's settings in the side panel. To view the parent block's settings - select the drag handle or the block name tab at the top left of the parent block.

Block Actions Toolbar

When a block is selected, a small toolbar appears with options to:

  • Move the block
  • Duplicate it
  • Delete it

You can also delete a block using the Backspace key.

Content Block Types

Text Block

The Text block is the default block for email content and supports all formatting tools.

Typing behavior

Currently:

  • Press Enter to create a new text block
  • Press Shift + Enter to add a line break within the block

Merging blocks

If pasted content is split across multiple blocks:

  1. Place your cursor at the start of the lower block
  2. Press Backspace

Repeat until the blocks merge.

Button Block

The Button block creates a call-to-action button.

Settings include:

  • Link URL
  • Button text
  • Size (Full Width or Medium)
  • Alignment
  • Button color
  • Border style
  • Text color
  • Border radius
  • Font size and weight
  • Padding

Image Block

The Image block allows you to add images.

You can insert images by:

  • Clicking the "click to upload" link in the Image block, then selecting an image from the file menu
  • Dragging and dropping an image onto an image block
  • Dragging and dropping an image into the editor

Image settings include:

  • Change image
  • Link URL
  • Alt text
  • Image size
  • Alignment
  • Background color
  • Border settings
  • Padding

Edge-to-edge images

To create a edge-to-edge image with no padding:

  1. Set the image size to Full Width
  2. Go to Email Settings → Content Settings
  3. Set Padding to None

This will remove the padding for the entire content area. You can apply padding to individual blocks if desired.

GC Video Block (if you have GC Video as a part of your subscription)

The GC Video block adds an image preview of a GC Video page .

After adding the block, choose a video from the dropdown in the block settings. The editor will insert the video thumbnail with a play button that links to the video page.

Section Block

A Section block groups multiple blocks together so they can share styling.

Section settings include:

  • Background color
  • Padding
  • Borders
  • Border radius

Sections are useful for grouping blocks together and applying style changes across them all. For example - If you have removed padding from the Content Settings in order to have an edge-to-edge image header but still want padding applied to the rest of your email content - adding multiple blocks within a section will allow you to apply padding in the section block settings and have it apply to all the content within it.

Columns Block

The Columns block creates multi-column layouts.

By default, it creates two columns, each containing a text block. Any block type can be placed inside columns, including images, buttons, or nested columns.

Column settings include:

  • Number of columns
  • Column widths
  • Stack on Mobile (enabled by default)

When stacking is enabled, columns will appear vertically on smaller screens. When side-by-side is enabled it retains side-by-side positioning even on smaller screens.

A common use case is creating rows of social media icons.

Deleting or replacing a Columns block

If you want to simplify your layout by removing or replacing a Columns block, follow these steps:

  1. Select the Columns block.

    • If your cursor is inside one column’s content, click the drag handle or the block name tab at the top left until the entire Columns block is selected.

  2. Delete the block.

    • With the block selected, the block actions toolbar appears. Click the trash icon or press Backspace to delete the block.

  3. Note:

    • You cannot delete an individual column; you must delete the entire Columns block.

  4. Replace with another layout.

    • After deletion, use the Insert menu (+) to add a new block such as Text, Image, Button, or Section.

Tip: If you don’t see the trash icon, click the block’s border or drag handle to reselect it.

Divider Block

The Divider block adds a horizontal line between sections of content.

You can adjust the thickness, color, and background color.

Spacer Block

The Spacer block adds vertical spacing between blocks.

Available sizes include:

  • Small
  • Medium
  • Large
  • Custom height

Lists

You can insert bulleted or numbered lists using the Insert menu or by applying list formatting to selected text.

Email Settings

The Email Settings tab in the right panel controls styling applied to the entire email.

These settings help maintain consistent branding.

Document Settings

Document settings control the outer frame of the email.

Background Color

The color behind the email content area.

Padding

Space between the email edge and content.

Options include None, Small, Medium, and Large.

Set padding to None for edge-to-edge layouts.

Margin

Controls horizontal positioning. The recommended setting is Auto.

Border Radius

Rounds the corners of the email content area.

Content Settings

Content settings control styling inside the email body.

Button Color

Sets the default color for buttons.

Content Background Color

The background color of the email body.

Text Color

The default text color used for text blocks.

Link Color

The default color for hyperlinks.

Known Limitations:

The following features are not currently available in the new editor but planned for a future release.

Troubleshooting: missing buttons in test emails

If a Button block appears in the editor but does not display in your test email, check that the button is fully configured.

Troubleshooting: missing padding controls and text-block spacing

If padding controls are missing for a Text block or if text areas display with extra spacing, clipped content, or unresponsive styling, rebuild the affected block to clear the formatting glitch.

To rebuild a problematic block:

  1. Delete the problematic text block or the containing Section/Column.
  2. Click the + (Insert) menu in the top toolbar to add a new Text block (or a Section with a Text block for shared styling).
  3. Paste your content as plain text into the new block, then reapply your formatting.

Rebuilding typically restores the normal padding controls and resolves spacing issues.

Additional tips:

  • Test after every change: Send a test email to ensure the email displays correctly in an actual inbox.
  • When rebuilding helps: A fresh block uses clean markup, allowing the editor’s spacing controls to attach properly.
  • Preserve important styles: If copying complex content, paste as plain text and then reapply formatting to avoid hidden styles.

If rebuilding a single block doesn’t restore padding controls, try rebuilding the surrounding Section (by adding new Text blocks inside) and reapplying your content.

Check the following:

  • Confirm that each Button block has both a URL and label text. Default values are available, but meaningful content improves functionality.
  • Verify that every Button block, including those nested within Columns or Sections, is set up with the correct link destination and display text.

Workflow tip:

Before sending a test email, click each button in the editor preview to ensure they work as expected.

  • Converting email from the current editor to the new editor
  • Using saved templates from the current editor in the new editor
  • Snippets
  • Mobile preview
  • Custom font support
  • Expanded font selection
  • AI email generation
  • AI content editing

Note: As this is a beta feature, functionality may change. Contact your account team with questions or feedback.

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