All Gnosis emails are directly linked to the recipient's record in Gnosis. Therefore, if a recipient directly forwards an email to family and friends it can create record confusion with communications preferences, event registrations, ticket purchasing, as well potentially allowing others to access the recipient's personal record. For this reason, Gnosis Communications provides a user- and system friendly email-forwarding process called Forward to a Friend. This article includes the following sections:
- How Forward to a Friend Works
- Email Comms Item Requirements for Forward to a Friend
- End-User Process to Forward to a Friend
- Final Note for Proper Use
How Forward to a Friend Works
Within the email editor in Gnosis Communications, the Available Fields > Special Merge Fields provides a field called Forward to a Friend to be linked to text or a button in your email designs.
If included in an email design, an email recipient clicks this Forward to a Friend link/button/image instead of forwarding the email directly.
This action then severs the direct link between the email and the original recipient's personal record.
Email Comms Item Requirements for Forward to a Friend
There are two requirements for the Forward to a Friend function to operate properly:
- The Foward to a Friend field must be included in the email design.
- You must create the web copy of the email to be forwarded.
Adding the Forward to a Friend Field
This Special Merge Field can be added as text link, button, or even an image. Most Gnosis standard email templates include this field as an image link in the footer area.
- Prepare the text/image/button.
- Locate the FowardtoAFriend field from the Available Fields Picker > Special Merge Fields. Double click to copy the field.
- Paste the copied content to the text/button/image URL field in the setup panel on the right.
- Complete the remainder of the email design.
Create the Web Copy to be Forwarded
- With your design complete, click the Website Media Type.
- Click Copy Email to Web button. If desired, you can make edits to the web copy using the Edit Message button to enter the email editor.
- Click back to the Email Message Media Type and Save Changes.
- Send/Schedule your email.
IMPORTANT NOTES:
If you make any changes to your email design after having completed the web copy steps above, you should complete these steps again to update the web copy content with your changes.
If you created your email by copying an existing email, you must complete these steps to update the website copy with your current design.
End-User Process to Forward to a Friend
Instead of using the forward option in their email system, the recipient will click the Foward to a Friend link/button/image in your email.
A web page from your Gnosis Portal site will open, allowing the original recipient to enter the names and emails of people they wish to forward the message to. This page also allows the original recipient to customize the email Subject and introduction text of this forwarded message.
Final Note for Proper Use
For optimal success and less record confusion, be sure to not only educate all staff using Gnosis Communications but to also introduce and periodically remind your constituents of this functionality.
During new Gnosis Implementations, our recommended introduction text to constituents includes the Forward to a Friend feature of your new system.
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