Smart Templates

Streamline scheduling with timeline-based templates tied to campaign Start or End. Smart Templates work with Channel Preferences and Channel Schedules when placing communications.

Templates (Legacy and Smart) are a Plus feature. Owners, Admins, Managers, and Editors can create and edit; Delete is for Owners, Admins, and Managers. Applying a template needs communication edit access on the campaign schedule.

Short path: Quick Start: Smart Templates

Smart Templates list

On the Templates page, Smart and Legacy templates appear together as cards in a grid. Each card shows a Smart or Legacy badge, category, duration, and communication count. Click a card to open the editor. Use the ⋮ menu for Duplicate or Delete (when allowed). Filter with Search templates and the category filter.

Legacy cards include Convert to Smart Template with a Convert button when you can create templates.

Creating a Smart Template

• Open Templates from the sidebar, then New → Smart template. (Sidebar New → New Template opens the Legacy builder.)
• On the Smart Template builder, set Name and optional Category.
• Anchor the template to the Start or End of the campaign. New Smart templates default to End.
  • Start — weeks labeled Week 1, Week 2, … from the campaign start.
  • End — weeks labeled 1 Week Out, 2 Weeks Out, … working backward from the campaign end.
• Drag channels from the Channels bank onto each week’s timeline. Use Week to extend the template; week menus also offer Week Before / Week After. Removing a week confirms with Remove week.
• For each placed channel, set placement:
  • Auto or Follow Preferences (label depends on whether preferences exist)
  • Follow schedule (pick the Schedule when several exist) — Plus; locked channels show Follow Schedule: {name}
  • Choose day — fixed weekday
• Save when finished (dirty bar: Unsaved changes → Discard / Save).

Applying a Smart Template on a campaign

• On the Communication Schedule on the Campaign page, open Template.
• Under Smart templates, pick the template you want. Entries longer than the current campaign appear unavailable (grayed).
• Template Preview: {name} shows in the header. Existing communications dim; preview placements appear on the schedule. Drag to adjust, then Apply or Cancel.
• If Conflicts remain, drag items onto valid dates, or Apply and confirm Apply anyway.

With multi-campus on, apply a global Smart template only from the Global workspace onto a global campaign; campus Smart templates only from that campus onto campus campaigns.

Legacy Templates

Legacy Templates use the week-and-day grid from earlier versions of Communicate. They remain available; for schedule- and preference-aware placement, prefer Smart Templates for new work.

On the Templates page, use Convert on a Legacy template card to create a Smart copy—see Templates and Quick Start: Smart Templates.

Best practices

• Use Start anchoring for launch-style series (“build toward the event”).
• Use End anchoring for countdown-style planning (“work backward from the event”).
• Pair Smart Templates with Channel Preferences and Channel Schedules so apply-time placement matches how your church actually sends.

See also Templates (overview of Legacy and Smart) and Quick Start: Smart Templates.