Has anyone created an HTML Event Email with embedded RSVP Links?

Michael Multari · April 2015

We would like to be able to send an event email from BBNC that has RSVP links embedded in the email. This way the constituent can let us know if they are attending the event without logging into BBNC. The less clicks, the better!

Here's an example of the functionality that we are looking for:

http://www.celebrations.com/gallery/d...

Any ideas?

Michael Multari · April 2015

Note that the link for the RSVP is unique:

http://cdn.image1.pingg.com/3859284.m...

Jesse Hall · April 2015

There's a few ways to do this:

Create a button that, when they click it, it emails you with a pre-populated subject line and body. They'll fill in the part in the body that says Your Name, Guest(s) name, are you attending, etc.

Create a button that sends them to an Event 2.0 form you created in NC or a common form you created in NetCommunity. You'll have to ask for their name/email at the least to know who said what.

Otherwise I'd say Google 'Free RSVP'.

Hope this helps!

Bullet proof HTML button: http://buttons.cm/

Bullet proof HTML button: http://www.industrydive.com/blog/how-...

Jesse Hall · April 2015

Here's the site that will generate the mail link: http://www.cha4mot.com/t_mailto.html

Michael Multari · April 2015

Thank you! This is definitely helpful. The next steps would be for the user's information to be pre-populated on the Event Registration form. When you click on a link from Celebrations.com, the site already knows who you are. Do you know if there is a way to embed a GUID or some sort of unique identifier that corresponds with either the event or the constituent?

Thanks again!

Jesse Hall · April 2015

I'm not sure about that. They'll definitely have to be logged in for the event form to pre-populate.

I wish I knew but, for example, when I send a personalized email that will say:

Dear Bob,

Thanks for your gift to the College of Health Professions!

If Bob hits "View Email Online" (the semi-new netcommunity feature) they can't even port over merge fields like his name or where he gave in the online version of his email so he'll see

Dear ,

Thanks for your gift to the !

I've complained and NC said it's working as intended and something about it being cumbersome, difficult, etc. to develop...

Sorry I was no help but I'll take any opportunity to complain about NC, lol.

Michael Multari · April 2015

Thanks Jesse. I had a feeling that this would require extensive programming. Or we would have to create a link/page for each user (which would bey WAY too many haha).

Thanks again for helping out a newbie!

Raluca Staicu · April 2015

Hi all

Actually you can have the form pre-filled without the recipients being logged in. The functionality sits in NC Administration tab -> Sites and settings -> Settings tab, then within the page, the category "Email settings" where you check "Use email links to autofill forms".

(To insert constituent data on forms when users click email links, select this option. The program pulls data such as addresses from constituent records even though users are not logged in. Autofill expires for the links after 30 days.)

We use it constantly for event registrations, as the invitation emails are always sent using RE queries, and it's working perfectly.

Hope this helps:)

Jesse Hall · April 2015

Oh yea I forgot about that! We do have that checked, although it's not as often that we use an RE query for a list since a lot of our people wanting to send emails like to modify the lists, add some people, etc. so I'm doing more import lists, unfortunately.

Great answer though! I'll have to remember that when someone asks.

Raluca Staicu · April 2015

Hi Jesse

Our people too like to modify lists etc. But what we usually do is give them a query list export with the rough segmentation they would like, including the RE Constituent Number, and then they add/remove recipients while still keeping that CN number. This way, even the hand-picked lists can be used as queries, by pasting the CN numbers into the query. (For this, we use the free SmartPaste plugin from Smartthing.com, which can paste up to 500 items at once).

Alternatively, you can smartpaste a list of email addresses into a query and the chances are that most of them (if not all) are already in the database.

Either way, you'll still be able to use the auto-fill functionality.

I'm aware that involves a bit more processing and resources than just use an external list in BBNC, but it pays off in the long run, in multiple ways.

Hope my explanations make sense:))

Jesse Hall · April 2015

Raluca Staicu:
Hi Jesse

Our people too like to modify lists etc. But what we usually do is give them a query list export with the rough segmentation they would like, including the RE Constituent Number, and then they add/remove recipients while still keeping that CN number. This way, even the hand-picked lists can be used as queries, by pasting the CN numbers into the query. (For this, we use the free SmartPaste plugin from Smartthing.com, which can paste up to 500 items at once).

Alternatively, you can smartpaste a list of email addresses into a query and the chances are that most of them (if not all) are already in the database.

Either way, you'll still be able to use the auto-fill functionality.

I'm aware that involves a bit more processing and resources than just use an external list in BBNC, but it pays off in the long run, in multiple ways.

Hope my explanations make sense:))

That's an excellent approach, thank you!

Michael Multari · April 2015

Thanks everyone! This worked perfectly!!

Has anyone created an HTML Event Email with embedded RSVP Links?

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