Email templates

A template is a saved email design you can reuse as a starting point for new campaigns. Instead of rebuilding your layout, colors, and header every time, you pick a template and customize the content for that send. Templates live in a shared library for your organization.

The template library

Open Outreach in the workspace sidebar, then select Templates under Email. The library shows the templates available to your organization. You can search by name or description, and filter to only My templates or only Starter templates.

Your organization's templates are designs your team creates and owns. You can edit, duplicate, and delete them at any time.

Starter templates are ready-made designs every organization gets: Announcement, Newsletter, Event invitation, Action alert, Fundraising appeal, and Welcome. They are read-only. To make one your own, open its menu (or open the template) and select Customize: a copy is added to your templates and opens in the editor. Starters leave the links, images, and event, petition, or fundraiser blocks for you to fill in.

Opening the template library, and creating, editing, duplicating, or deleting templates, requires the permission to manage email templates. Organization owners and admins have it, and so do custom roles that include it; without it, Templates does not appear in the sidebar. Anyone who can build campaigns can still pick a template in the campaign composer.

Creating a template

1. In the template library, select New template.
2. Give the template a name and an optional description, then select Create Template.
3. The template editor opens with a blank canvas. Build your design using the block editor.
4. Select Save. The button becomes available once you have changed the design, and turns back off after a save until you change something again.

When you reopen a saved template, the editor shows your design exactly as you left it. A new template appears in the campaign template picker right away.

The template editor is the full-featured version: it includes HTML and JSON output tabs and download and import controls. These are available here so you can inspect or transfer designs. The campaign composer uses a simplified editor that omits those controls.

Templates saved before the current editor

Templates saved with the previous version of the editor kept only the finished email, not an editable design, and that email cannot be turned back into blocks. When you open one, a notice explains this and the canvas starts blank. Rebuild the design and select Save. Saving replaces the old version, and from then on the template appears in the campaign template picker. Until it is rebuilt, it does not appear in the picker.

Managing templates

Every template card has a Use in campaign action, which starts a new campaign with that design already on the canvas. Your organization's templates also have these actions:

• Edit: update the design in the template editor.
• Duplicate: creates a copy named "Template name (Copy)" with the same design.
• Delete: removes the template from your library. Campaigns that were started from it keep their own copy of the design.

Using a template when composing a campaign

When you create a new campaign and reach the Design step, the editor shows an empty state with two options:

• Start with a template: opens a panel listing your organization's templates and the starter templates. Select one to load its design into the editor canvas. A template with nothing designed yet is not listed.
• Start from scratch: opens a blank canvas with no preset blocks.

You can also open the template picker from within the editor toolbar after you have already started, if you want to replace the current design with a different template. Selecting a new template replaces whatever is on the canvas. If you picked the wrong one, undo (Cmd+Z or Ctrl+Z) brings your work back. If a template cannot be opened at all, a message says so and your canvas stays as it was. Open that template in the template editor to rebuild it: it opens blank with a notice, and saving the rebuilt design makes it usable again.

If a template was built with an older version of the editor, the parts that can no longer be drawn are left out and a message tells you some blocks were removed. The rest of the template loads normally.

Your campaign's design is saved when you select Save draft, continue to the Review step, choose Save and exit, schedule, or send. If you leave with unsaved changes, you are asked whether to save a draft first. If you close the campaign and reopen it later, the editor restores your canvas exactly as you left it.

For a full walkthrough of the campaign creation flow, see Sending an email campaign.

Why this matters

Consistent branding builds trust with your members and supporters over time. When every email your organization sends shares the same header, colors, and layout, recipients recognize you immediately and are more likely to engage. Templates also reduce the time each organizer spends on setup, so your team can focus on the message rather than the design. Keeping a shared library means new staff can send on-brand emails from day one without needing design skills.