Goodworld supports two primary types of email communications: Automated Communications and Scheduled Communications.
While both are used to communicate with donors, registrants, volunteers, and other supporters, they serve different purposes and are configured differently within the platform.
This article explains how each type works, when to use it, and how Default Settings interact with campaign-level communication settings.
Automated Communications
Automated Communications are triggered by a specific action in Goodworld.
Examples include:
Donation acknowledgements
Event registration confirmations
Ticket purchase confirmations
Volunteer sign-up confirmations
Other transactional or action-based emails
Because these emails are tied directly to a specific action, they can access information related to that action through merge tags.
For example, a donation acknowledgement can include the donor’s gift amount using the appropriate merge tag, such as:
We are deeply grateful for your generous gift of {{amount}} to {{Designation}}.
This type of transaction-specific information is available because the communication is being generated from an individual donation.
Where to manage Automated Communications
The default versions of Automated Communications are managed under:
Settings > Default Settings > Communications
From here, you can customize the organization-wide version of each automated email template.
These Default Settings act as the baseline for automated communications across the platform.
How Default Settings work
Default Settings are universal settings that apply across campaigns unless a campaign-specific version has been customized.
This means that any campaign that has not had its automated communication template edited will automatically use the version configured under:
Settings > Default Settings > Communications
Think of Default Settings as the organization-wide fallback.
Default Settings hierarchy
The hierarchy works as follows:
Goodworld first checks whether the communication has been customized at the campaign level.
If a campaign-specific version exists, that version is used.
If no campaign-specific customization exists, Goodworld uses the version configured in Default Settings.
In other words:
Campaign-level customization takes precedence over Default Settings.
If no campaign-level customization exists, the platform falls back to the default template.
Example
Suppose your default donation acknowledgement says:
Thank you for your generous support. Your gift helps us continue our work in the community.
That message will be used for donation acknowledgements across your campaigns unless you customize the acknowledgement for a specific campaign.
If you create a campaign for a year-end appeal and change its acknowledgement to:
Thank you for supporting our Year-End Campaign. Your generosity helps us start the new year strong.
That campaign will use its customized version instead.
Other campaigns that have not been edited will continue using the Default Settings version.
If the campaign-level customization is removed or reset, the communication will revert to the version configured in Default Settings.
When should I customize a communication at the campaign level?
Campaign-level customization is useful when the communication needs to reflect the specific context of a campaign.
For example, you may want to customize an automated email when:
The campaign has unique branding or messaging
You want to thank supporters for contributing to a specific initiative
The acknowledgement should reference a particular event or program
You want to provide campaign-specific next steps
The tone or instructions need to differ from your organization-wide standard
If the standard organization-wide messaging works well, there is no need to customize the communication at the campaign level.
Scheduled Communications
Scheduled Communications are different from Automated Communications because they are not triggered by a supporter completing an action.
Instead, they function more like email blasts.
Scheduled Communications can be sent:
At a specific date and time
Based on a time-related reference
As campaign reminders
As announcements
As updates
As other proactive outreach to a selected audience
Templates for Scheduled Communications can be created under:
Settings > Templates > Communications
Merge tags in Scheduled Communications
Scheduled Communications have a more limited set of merge tags than Automated Communications.
This is because they are not tied directly to a specific transaction at the moment they are sent.
For example, a gift amount merge tag is not available in a Scheduled Communication because there is no individual donation transaction associated with that email.
By contrast, an Automated Donation Acknowledgement can include the gift amount because the email is being triggered by a specific donation.
Automated vs. Scheduled Communications
The simplest way to distinguish the two is:
Automated Communications | Scheduled Communications |
Triggered by a supporter action | Triggered by timing |
Sent automatically after an action | Sent at a scheduled time or time-based reference |
Can include transaction-specific merge tags | Have a more limited set of merge tags |
Best for acknowledgements and confirmations | Best for reminders, announcements, and updates |
Can inherit from Default Settings | Managed separately as reusable scheduled templates |
Which type should I use?
Use Automated Communications when the email should be sent as a direct response to something a supporter has done.
Examples include:
Thanking someone after a donation
Confirming an event registration
Confirming a ticket purchase
Confirming a volunteer sign-up
Use Scheduled Communications when you want to proactively send a message to an audience based on timing.
Examples include:
A campaign kickoff email
A reminder before a deadline
An event reminder
A campaign update
A general announcement
Example: including a gift amount
If you want to send a message that says:
We are deeply grateful for your generous gift of {{amount}} to WorldWise Microfinance.
that message should be configured as an Automated Communication, because the amount is tied to the donor’s specific transaction.
A Scheduled Communication would not have access to that same transaction-level gift amount.
Best practices
When configuring communications in Goodworld:
Use Default Settings to establish your organization-wide baseline for Automated Communications.
Only customize campaign-level communications when the campaign truly needs different messaging.
Remember that campaign-level customizations override Default Settings.
Use Automated Communications for transactional messages tied to supporter actions.
Use Scheduled Communications for proactive, time-based outreach.
Confirm that the merge tag you need is available for the type of communication you are creating.
Avoid recreating the same automated message individually across campaigns unless there is a specific reason to override the default.
Understanding the difference between Automated Communications, Scheduled Communications, and the Default Settings hierarchy helps ensure that supporters receive the right message at the right time while keeping your communications consistent across the platform.
If you have questions about Communications, schedule a support call with our success team.