Important note for all 360Alumni Clients: As of January 2023, the account approval and rejection messages your members receive will automatically have "Hi <firstname>," as the first line. This salutation is not shown in the Settings > Custom Welcome Messages text editor boxes.
Previously the default copy had "Hi %name%," as the first line, shown in the text editor boxes. This line needs to be removed from any custom messages to avoid redundant salutations. Please be sure to review and update your approval and rejection messages to ensure a smooth user experience.
Custom welcome messages can create a great first time user experience for new members. Here's an explanation of how they work, along with some sample copy for a new site or to tune up messaging in an existing community.
To edit your messages go to Admin > Settings > General tab and expand the "CUSTOM WELCOME MESSAGES" section on the top right.
This text shows above the login section. It's best to tell visitors what the site is for, and how to create an account if they haven't yet. Here's sample copy:
Welcome to the XYZ Community, where you can search the directory, join groups, register for events, browse the job board and much more! Log in below, or click "SIGN UP" to create a new account.
This text shows on the sign up page, where users will look up their record to activate it. Or, if they are not pre-loaded into your community, they can create a new record. Note that on this page, the header "Create or Activate your Account" will show below your logo and above whatever copy you put. Here's sample copy that works well:
Welcome to the Community! Please enter your first and last name (as we knew you before) to locate your record. If no match is found, you can create a new profile.
For information about limited access and full access privileges, see our knowledge base article, "Managing Access in your Community".
In a closed community, where new users have limited access until they are approved, you can welcome new users and let them know what they can access until they are approved. After they enter their email, set a password and check the terms and conditions, they will be logged in and land on the events page (it's important to always have events coming up!).
Your message here will slide out from the left and display until the user closes it. Here's sample copy:
Thank you for creating a profile in XYZ Connect. You can now register for events, support our fundraisers and fill out your profile. We'll review your account, and if you are an alum of one of our programs, give you full access to the directory, job board, groups, and all the other resources in this community.
The new user will also receive an email asking them to confirm their email address. The copy reads:
Sender: <Your Organization Name> Community <noreply@360alumni.com>
Subject: Welcome to the XYZ Online Community
Your request to join the XYZ community has been sent
In the meantime, you have limited access until alumni relations staff approves your request.
Please confirm your e-mail address by clicking the link below: <confirmation link>
To ensure that all your users have provided a valid email address, they will be reminded in the user interface to confirm their email until the action has been completed.
New users can be reviewed on the Approval Requests page, which is accessed from the Admin menu. To grant a user full access to the community, check the box next to their name and click "Approve X Selected".
The user will now have access to all the features in use in your community, but they need to log out and log in again to see their new navigation bar.
Here is sample copy to use for this message:
We're so glad you found the XYZ Community! We've approved your account for full access. Please log out and log back in to get access to all of the features.
You'll now see the Connect, Groups and Jobs menus in your navbar, where you can access the alumni directory, map, lists, chapters, classes, career opportunities and more.
Feel free to message old friends and colleagues, start your own groups or organize your own events - right in the community! We look forward to seeing you there.
If you reject a new user, it will not change their access. They will still be able to register for events, donate, and manage their profile. They will only receive the message you save in this box. Here's sample copy:
Thank you for creating a profile in the XYZ community. Based on the information you provided in your profile, we will keep you as a "light access" user so you can register for future events and support other campaigns.
In the XYZ community, Alumni have access to the directory, groups and job board so if we've made a mistake, please let us know by emailing <admin email address>. Thanks and have a great day!
If you do not require administrator approval for user registration, then all new users will have access to all the features in your community. In this case, you will not have the last three messages above. You will have one welcome message shown for all new users.
After a new visitor has created a new account or activated a pre-loaded account in an open community, they will land on the Edit Profile page and see your custom welcome message as an overlay on the left side. It will be displayed until they click "CLOSE". Here is sample copy to use:
Thank you for creating a profile in XYZ Connect. You can now register for events, support our campaigns, and have full access to all the resources in this community.
Please complete your profile, find your class group and say hello on the discussion boards. We're glad to see you!
The new user will also receive an email asking them to confirm their email address. The copy reads:
Sender: <Your Organization Name (XYZ, below)> <noreply@360alumni.com>
Subject: Welcome to the XYZ Online Community
You're almost registered!
Please click on the link below or simply copy and paste it into your web browser to confirm your e-mail address. <confirmation link>
To ensure that all your users have provided a valid email address, they will be reminded in the user interface to confirm their email until the action has been completed.
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