Reminder & Notifications
Automate communications and keep your club members informed
Quick Summary
The Reminder & Notifications system automates club communications by sending timely emails to members about role assignments and schedule updates. This feature helps ensure members are prepared for their roles and reduces the administrative burden on club officers.
📧 Automated Reminders
Automated reminders are emails sent to members before their assigned roles to help them prepare for upcoming meetings.
Reminder Timing
Configure how many days before a meeting the system should automatically send reminder emails:
| Days Before | Best For | Use Case |
|---|---|---|
| 1 day | Weekly clubs | Last-minute reminders for members who need a quick heads-up |
| 2 days | Most clubs | Gives members time to prepare without being too early |
| 3 days | Recommended | Ideal balance between early notice and meeting preparation time |
| 4 days | Monthly clubs or roles requiring extensive preparation | Maximum preparation time for speakers and major roles |
Meeting Date: Thursday, January 25
Reminder Setting: 3 days
Result: Reminder emails sent on Monday, January 22
Reminder Email Template
Customize the message sent to members when automatic reminders are triggered. The email template supports dynamic placeholders that are automatically replaced with actual values.
Available Placeholders
| Placeholder | Description | Example Output |
|---|---|---|
{member_name} |
Full name of the member receiving the email | "Sarah Johnson" |
{role_name} |
Name of the assigned role | "Toastmaster", "Speaker", "Evaluator" |
{club_name} |
Your club's official name | "Springfield Toastmasters" |
{meeting_date} |
Date of the meeting | "Thursday, January 25, 2025" |
{meeting_location} |
Club meeting address | "123 Main St, Springfield, IL" |
Default Template Example
Dear {member_name},
This is a friendly reminder that you are scheduled for the role of {role_name} at our {club_name} meeting on {meeting_date}.
Meeting Location: {meeting_location}
Please confirm your attendance or let us know if you need a replacement.
Thank you for your participation!
Best regards,
{club_name} Leadership Team
Customization Tips
- Keep it concise: Members prefer brief, clear reminders
- Include action items: Tell members what you need from them (confirm, prepare, etc.)
- Add helpful links: Consider including preparation resources or role guides
- Match your club's tone: Formal or casual, match your club's culture
- Test the template: Use the "Send Reminder Now" feature to test your customizations
⚡ Manual Reminder (Send Reminder Now)
In addition to automated reminders, you can manually send reminder emails at any time.
How It Works
- Navigate to Reminder & Notifications page
- Click the "Send Reminder Now" button
- Confirm the action in the popup dialog
- System sends emails to all members with role assignments in upcoming meetings
When to Use Manual Reminders
- Last-minute changes: After reassigning roles close to the meeting date
- Important meetings: Special events or contests that need extra attention
- Low response rate: When many members haven't confirmed their assignments
- Testing: Verify your email template and settings before meetings
🔔 Notification Settings
Notifications are automatic emails triggered by specific events in the system. These keep relevant people informed about changes and updates.
Available Notification Types
📢 Notify All Members - New Schedule Published
What it does: Sends an email to all club members when you publish a new schedule.
Who receives it: All active club members
When it's sent: Immediately after an administrator publishes a schedule (changes status from Draft to Published)
What it includes:
- Notification that a new schedule is available
- Link to view the published schedule
- Summary of their role assignments (if any)
- Call to action to accept or decline assignments
Recommended setting: ✅ Enabled
Keeps everyone informed about upcoming meetings and their responsibilities. Members can plan ahead and confirm availability.
VP Education publishes the schedule for February meetings. All 25 club members immediately receive an email with their assignments and a link to view the full schedule.
📋 Notify VP Education - Assignment Updates
What it does: Sends an email to the VP of Education when members accept, decline, or claim role assignments.
Who receives it: VP of Education only
When it's sent:
- Member accepts an assignment
- Member declines an assignment
- Member claims an available/declined role
What it includes:
- Member name and action taken
- Role name and meeting date
- Current assignment status
- Link to edit the assignment if needed
Recommended setting: ✅ Enabled
The VP of Education oversees meeting schedules and needs to know when roles are confirmed or declined to ensure all positions are filled.
John declines his Toastmaster assignment for the January 25 meeting. The VP of Education receives an immediate notification and can reassign the role to someone else.
🎙️ Notify Toastmaster - Assignment Updates
What it does: Sends an email to the Toastmaster of the Week when assignments for their specific meeting are updated.
Who receives it: The member assigned as Toastmaster for that specific meeting only
When it's sent:
- Any role assignment for their meeting is accepted, declined, or changed
- Administrator manually reassigns a role
- Member claims a role for their meeting
What it includes:
- Which role was updated
- Member name and action taken
- Current status of all meeting roles
- Link to view full meeting assignments
Recommended setting: ✅ Enabled
The Toastmaster runs the meeting and needs to know who is filling each role. This helps them prepare introductions and coordinate with role takers.
Sarah is Toastmaster for January 25. When the Timer declines and someone else claims the role, Sarah receives a notification so she can update her meeting notes.
👤 Notify Member - Assignment Changes
What it does: Sends an email to a member when their role assignment is changed by someone other than themselves.
Who receives it: The member whose assignment was changed
When it's sent:
- Administrator reassigns them to a different role
- Administrator removes them from a role
- Another member claims a role they had declined
- Administrator assigns them to a new role
What it includes:
- Description of the change made
- Previous assignment (if any)
- New assignment details
- Meeting date and time
- Link to accept or decline the new assignment
Recommended setting: ✅ Enabled
Members should always know when their assignments change. This prevents surprises on meeting day and gives them a chance to accept or decline the new assignment.
The VP Education needs to reassign Maria from Timer to Evaluator due to a last-minute change. Maria immediately receives an email notifying her of the change and can accept or decline the new role.
How Notifications Work
Automatic vs. Manual
| Feature | Automatic Reminders | Event Notifications |
|---|---|---|
| Trigger | Time-based (X days before meeting) | Action-based (when something happens) |
| Frequency | Once per meeting per member | Every time the triggering action occurs |
| Purpose | Remind members to prepare | Inform stakeholders of changes |
| Can be manual? | Yes ("Send Reminder Now" button) | No (always automatic) |
Email Delivery System
The Club Schedule uses SMTP2Go as the email service provider to ensure reliable delivery of all reminder and notification emails.
- Emails are typically delivered within seconds of being triggered
- Members must have valid email addresses in their profiles to receive notifications
- Members can manage their email preferences in their account settings
- Check your spam/junk folder if emails aren't appearing in the inbox
Configuration Best Practices
Recommended Settings for Most Clubs
Automated Reminders
- Reminder Days: 3 days before meeting
- Email Template: Use default template or customize minimally
Notifications (All Enabled)
- ✅ Notify all members when new schedule is published
- ✅ Notify VP Education when assignments are updated
- ✅ Notify Toastmaster when their meeting assignments change
- ✅ Notify members when their assignments are changed by others
Tips for Success
- Start with defaults: The recommended settings work well for most clubs. Only customize if you have specific needs.
- Test before meetings: Use "Send Reminder Now" after initial setup to verify emails are working correctly.
- Keep templates professional: Remember that emails represent your club. Use clear, respectful language.
- Monitor response rates: If members aren't confirming assignments, consider adjusting reminder timing or template wording.
- Educate members: Let members know they'll receive automated emails and encourage them to check spam folders.
- Review quarterly: Periodically review notification settings to ensure they still meet your club's needs.
Settings by Club Size
Small Clubs (8-12 members)
- Reminder Days: 2-3 days (shorter notice acceptable with smaller groups)
- Notifications: All enabled
- Manual Reminders: May be needed more frequently due to limited member pool
Medium Clubs (12-20 members)
- Reminder Days: 3 days (recommended)
- Notifications: All enabled
- Manual Reminders: Occasional use for important meetings
Large Clubs (20+ members)
- Reminder Days: 3-4 days (more advance notice helpful)
- Notifications: All enabled (critical for tracking many members)
- Manual Reminders: Rarely needed; automated system handles most cases
Troubleshooting & FAQs
Q: Members aren't receiving reminder emails. What's wrong?
A: Check these common issues:
- Verify members have valid email addresses in their profiles
- Ask members to check spam/junk folders
- Ensure the email system is properly configured
- Confirm members haven't disabled email notifications in their preferences
- Verify the meeting date is in the future (reminders aren't sent for past meetings)
Q: Can I preview emails before they're sent?
A: The template editor shows you exactly what members will see, with placeholders indicated. For a real test, use "Send Reminder Now" to send actual emails, or add yourself as a test member.
Q: How do I change the reminder timing from 3 days to 5 days?
A: Navigate to Reminder & Notifications page, select "5 days before meeting" from the dropdown, and click "Save Notification Settings." Changes apply immediately to future reminders.
Q: Will reminders be sent for meetings that are more than a week away?
A: Automated reminders are sent based on your "Reminder Days" setting. If you set it to 3 days, reminders will be sent 3 days before each meeting, regardless of how far in the future it is. Manual reminders (Send Reminder Now) only target meetings within the next 7 days.
Q: Can individual members opt out of reminder emails?
A: Members can manage their email notification preferences in their account settings. However, critical notifications (like assignment changes made by admins) may still be sent to ensure members are informed.
Q: What happens if I disable all notifications?
A: Members will not receive automatic emails, but they can still log in to see their assignments. This significantly increases the administrative burden as officers must manually communicate with members about assignments.
Q: My email template has placeholders showing instead of actual values. Why?
A: Placeholders (like {member_name}) are replaced with actual values when emails are sent. In the template editor, you'll see the placeholders. Test with "Send Reminder Now" to see actual emails with real values.
Q: Can I add attachments or images to reminder emails?
A: Currently, reminder emails are text-only. You can include links to external resources (role guides, meeting agendas, etc.) in your template.
Q: Who gets notified when I manually reassign someone's role?
A: Depends on your notification settings:
- The member whose assignment changed (if "Notify Member - Assignment Changes" is enabled)
- The VP of Education (if "Notify VP Education - Assignment Updates" is enabled)
- The Toastmaster for that meeting (if "Notify Toastmaster - Assignment Updates" is enabled)
Related Help Topics
- Configuring Club Settings - Other club configuration options
- How Schedules Are Created - Understanding the assignment process
- Getting Started Guide - Complete setup walkthrough