Automations — Workflows: step-by-step

This guide gives complete, numbered walkthroughs for the most common automations. Each one assumes you have access to Automations in the left menu; if it's missing, ask your system administrator to grant access.

Create and publish a new automation

1. Go to Automations in the left menu.
2. Click Create automation.
3. In the top-left of the automation canvas, name your automation.
4. Click the Trigger automation node, then click a trigger type in the Add a trigger panel (for example, Form submitted, Custom field updated or Schedule). Its settings open straight away.
5. If you chose Custom field updated:
   • Select Person or Organisation as the Record Type.
   • Tick one or more custom Fields from the list.
   • For each ticked field, choose Trigger on any value change, Trigger if value changed from, or Trigger if value changed to.
6. Click Add trigger.
7. Click Add action and choose one:
   • Update custom fields — pick the trigger's contact (for example Affected Contact for a Custom field updated trigger, or Created contacts, Updated contacts or Created or updated contacts for a Form submitted trigger), Specific People, or Specific Orgs, choose the field, choose the change (Set / Add / Remove / Clear), and set the value.
   • Send an email — choose the recipient (the trigger's contact, such as Affected Contact's Email for a Custom field updated trigger or The contact who filled the form for a Form submitted trigger, or Specific email addresses), set the sender name and email, add a subject line, compose the body (or Browse templates / Go to full builder), and insert merge fields with @.
   • Send a text message — set the recipient, sender number, message and unsubscribe method, and insert merge fields with @ if needed.
   • Delay — set the Duration and Timeframe (seconds, minutes, hours, days, or weeks).
   • Find people and organisations — choose People or Organisations, a Saved list or Criteria, and what to do if a step fails for one record; the steps you add inside the loop run once per record.
   • Create post — choose who to link the post to and write the post content.
   • Split by record type — when a path may carry a person or an organisation, split it so each type gets its own actions.
   • Create a task — name the task, optionally set a due date, and assign it to a User or Team.
   • Manage categories — add or remove categories on the record.
   • Add conditions — add outcomes, name each, choose All conditions are met or One condition is met, and add field conditions.
8. (Optional) Repeat step 7 to chain more actions and add delays between them.
9. Click Save without publishing to keep a draft, or Publish changes to go live.

Email members on a schedule (for example, an expiry reminder)

1. Trigger: Schedule — choose Daily at a set time, set the Time and Time zone, and click Add trigger.
2. Action 1: Find people and organisations — People, then either a Saved list (for example, a List Builder list of members whose expiry date falls in the next three months) or Criteria built in the panel. Click Add action.
3. Inside the loop, Action 2: Send an email — the recipient is the current person; merge in their details with @.
4. Inside the loop, Action 3: Update custom fields — for example, set a "Reminder sent" field so the same person is not emailed again on the next run (and make sure your list or criteria exclude them once it is set).
5. Save the automation as a draft, then reopen it and publish. A scheduled automation can't be published on the first save — see Triggers (custom field, address, contact, form submitted, receipt).

Build conditional branches based on a form answer

1. In your automation, add Trigger → Form submitted.
2. Add Action → Add conditions. Click Add Outcome for each branch you need (for example, Branch A, Branch B, Branch C).
3. For each outcome:
   • Enter an Outcome Name.
   • Choose All conditions are met (or One condition is met).
   • Add conditions on the form answers using the Field / Modifier / Value row (for example, "Branch is Victoria" or "Rating contains Positive").
4. Click Add action to create the branches.
5. Under each branch, add actions such as Send an email with tailored content and the relevant merge field values. Create one email per branch.
6. Save without publishing or Publish changes.

Send a thank-you plus internal notification after a join form

1. Trigger: Form submitted — select the join form.
2. Action 1: Send an email → Recipient: The contact who filled the form (the submitter) → compose a thank-you, merging in form fields as available.
3. Action 2: Send an email → Recipient: Specific email addresses (your internal team) → include the key form answers via merge fields.
4. (Optional) Action 3: Update custom fields → set an onboarding status.
5. Publish.

Email a receipt for a donation form (Transaction block)

1. Trigger: Form submitted — select the donation form (which contains a Transaction block).
2. Action: Send an email → Recipient: The contact who filled the form.
3. In the email, insert the transaction merge field values (type @): Total Amount, Payment Method, Transaction ID, Receipt ID.
4. Publish. The email will appear on the contact's Insights tab when sent.