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Create and Manage Email Templates

Updated this week

Use email templates to save time and effort when sending emails to your supporters. You can use templates to create mass emails or automation emails. Build your email message faster by using templates that populate these settings:

  • Purpose

  • Type

  • Email header

  • Design including content, layout (rows), and settings

There are two types of templates:

  • Bloomerang templates — Bloomerang CRM creates and manages. View a list of these templates.

  • Custom saved templates — Your organization creates and manages

Bloomerang templates are designs and sample copy that we provide to help you get started building your emails. These are professionally designed templates, rooted in donor psychology and fundraising best practices, to inspire your fundraising campaigns and save you time. You can also use Bloomerang templates as a starting point to create and save your own templates.

Custom saved templates are templates that your organization creates and saves. Start from a Bloomerang template or existing email and add your logo, placeholder text, design elements, formatting, and settings to streamline building emails for your sends. These are stored as Saved Templates in Bloomerang CRM.

Create Templates

You can start building your template from a few different sources:

  • Bloomerang template

  • Custom saved template

  • Existing email message

Once you have created a template, use the email builder to edit the template design, content, or settings.

Create Templates From Existing Templates

To create a new template from a Bloomerang template or a Saved Template:

  1. Click Communications.

  2. Select Emails.

  3. Click New Template.

  4. Choose the Boomerang Template or Saved Template category.

  5. Click the template you’d like to start from.

  6. Enter a name for the new template.
    ​Note: The template name must be unique. If another template with the same name exists, you are prompted to change the name before you can save or edit the new template.

  7. The template is now ready to edit. See Edit Templates for next steps.

Create Templates From Existing Email Messages

To create a new template using an existing email message as your starting point:

  1. Click Communications.

  2. Select Emails.

  3. In the row for the email message you’d like to use, click Action > Save as Template.
    ​Note: The template name is automatically set to the original email name plus (template).

  4. (Optional) Click Edit to change the template name. Press Enter or click away from the template name to update.

  5. The template is now ready to edit. See Edit Templates for next steps.

Note: Email messages created before November 11, 2019 use Bloomerang CRM’s legacy editor. You are unable to create saved templates from an email message created with the legacy editor.

Open Custom Saved Templates

To open an existing custom saved template for editing:

  1. Click Communications.

  2. Select Emails.

  3. Click New Template.

  4. Click Saved Templates.

  5. In the row of the template you’d like to edit, click Action > Edit.

Edit Templates

To edit templates, create a new template or open an existing saved template, then:

  1. Select a Purpose. Read more about email purposes.

  2. Select the Type: Constituent, Interaction, or Transaction. The email type determines the merge fields and filters available for emails created with this template.

  3. On the Header tab, check or enter message information that recipients see in their inbox: Subject, From Name, and From Email.

  4. To customize the email template design and content, click Design.
    ​Tip: Save your template periodically as you work.

    • To add rows and columns, and to apply styles to individual rows, click Rows.
      ​Tip: You can keep the default layout or remove rows and blocks to start with a blank canvas.

    • To apply styles to your entire email, click Settings.

    • To add or edit content blocks (text, images, videos, social media buttons, and other elements), click Content.
      The Bloomerang CRM email builder includes robust design options and an optional AI writing assistant. See Edit Email Content for details on editing template design, elements, and copy.

  5. When you are finished editing your template, save your work.

Save Templates

Save periodically as you work, including before you navigate away from the email builder.

  1. To save your work, click Save and.

    Screenshot of the dark green Save And button with menu expanded.

  2. Choose from two options for where to go next after you save:

    • Save and Keep Editing — Save and remain in the email builder to keep working on your template.

    • Save and Go to Email Home — Save and go to the email list that displays all active and inactive emails.

Delete Templates

To delete saved templates:

  1. Click Communications.

  2. Select Emails.

  3. Click New Template.

  4. Click Saved Templates.

  5. In the row of the template you’d like to delete, click Action > Delete.

  6. Confirm that you’d like to delete the template. Click Delete.
    This deletes the template. Note: You cannot recover deleted templates.

Note: You can delete only custom saved templates. Bloomerang templates are always available and cannot be deleted.

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