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Create a message campaign

Pour :Administrateur
View of the 'create a message campaign' page

This page documents the creation workflow of an email, SMS or WhatsApp campaign from the Message Campaigns module.

Route: /app/messages/campagnes → Create a Campaign button

In two stages​

Important to understand from the start: creation happens in two distinct stages:

  1. Create the campaign (this page): you fill in a form, you validate → the campaign is saved as a Draft. Nothing is sent yet.
  2. Validate and send: from the list, click on the Validate and send button (green send icon) on the campaign row. It is this click that actually triggers sending (or scheduling).

This separation lets you prepare a campaign quietly, review it, modify it, then launch it when ready.

The form in four blocks​

The form is structured in four sections separated by visual dividers:

  1. Targets: who will receive the message
  2. Message Content: what will be sent
  3. Additional Content: links, documents, videos
  4. Scheduling: when sending will be launched

Block 1 — Targets​

Choose the channel​

The Channel is the first thing to choose: it determines the rest of the form (Mail Subject field for EMAIL, GSM-7 limit for SMS, etc.).

Available options depend on your organization's configuration:

ChannelConditions
EmailAvailable if your organization has configured at least one email sender
SMSAvailable if your organization has subscribed to the SMS quota
WhatsAppAvailable if your organization has connected a WhatsApp Business account
SMS / EmailIf email and SMS are active — Unisoft chooses the available channel for each contact (email if the address exists, fallback SMS otherwise)
WhatsApp / SMSIf WhatsApp and SMS are active — tries WhatsApp, falls back to SMS if the contact is not reachable on WhatsApp
WhatsApp / SMS / EmailComplete cascade — tries WhatsApp then SMS then email, depending on what is available for each contact

Target the recipients​

You have two targeting modes:

Option A — Send to all my contacts

Check the Send to all my contacts box. The Categories field becomes grayed out and unusable. The Contact Count displayed below is the total of your base (contacts who have at least one email for an Email campaign, or a phone for SMS/WhatsApp).

Option B — Filter by categories

Uncheck Send to all my contacts. The Categories field activates. Type or select one or more contact categories. Each added category recalculates the Contact Count live.

Example: selecting the categories Regular donors and Board members → the counter will display 124 contacts (the sum of both categories without duplicates).

The recipient counter​

Below the Categories field, you permanently see:

Contact Count: 87

This number is calculated in real time by the backend with each modification of your targeting. It accounts for:

  • Contacts with a compatible channel (valid email for Email, phone for SMS/WhatsApp).
  • Unsubscribed: a contact who has unsubscribed from emails is excluded from the Email counter.
  • Duplicates: the same contact in two selected categories is counted only once.

The number displayed here is the actual number who will receive the message.

Block 2 — Message Content​

Insertable variables​

Above the Message field, three blue clickable tags let you insert a personalization variable at the cursor position:

VariableWill be replaced by
NameThe contact's last name, with initial capital
First nameThe contact's first name, with initial capital
Hebrew First NameThe contact's Hebrew first name (prenomHE field of their profile)

On click, the corresponding variable is added to the text in its technical form ({{prenom}}, {{nom}}, {{prenomHE}}).

Example message:

Dear {{prenom}},

We are pleased to invite you to the inauguration
of our new study room this Sunday at 6 PM.

Looking forward to seeing you there,
The Unisoft team

When sent, the contact David Cohen will receive: "Dear David, …".

For the complete list of variables available depending on context (campaign, form, payment), see Email template variables.

Write the message​

The Message field is a free text area. Constraints depend on the channel:

ChannelConstraints
EmailNo character or format limit. HTML possible if you use a template.
SMSBeyond a short message, your operator splits the text into multiple segments billed per unit (generally 160 characters per segment in GSM-7 alphabet, or 70 characters in Unicode if the message contains emojis or special characters). The system indicates the cost in segments before validation — check it to avoid unexpected consumption.
WhatsAppNo character limit, simple WhatsApp formatting supported (bold with *text*, italics with _text_).

Mail Subject (if Email channel)​

Appears only if the channel contains EMAIL. Required field: it is the subject that will appear in the inbox.

Best practice: a short (50-60 characters max) and clear subject that makes people want to open.

Examples:

  • ✅ "Rosh Hashanah service — schedules and registrations"
  • ❌ "Monthly newsletter from your community for the month of Tishrei 5786"

Email template (if Email channel)​

Optional field. Lets you select an email template created in advance in the Email templates module (/app/templates/email).

If a template is chosen:

  • The HTML content of the template is used for sending instead of the raw Message field.
  • The Message field can remain empty.

See Email templates to create and manage your templates.

Email Sender​

Appears only if multiple sending email addresses are configured on your organization. Lets you choose with which address the campaign will be sent (e.g.: contact@exemple-unisoft.org vs treasury@exemple-unisoft.org).

Block 3 — Additional Content​

Click on Add a Web link. A window opens with two fields:

  • Link name: label that will appear in the message (e.g.: Registration page).
  • URL: the full address (https://...).

Added links are automatically inserted at the bottom of the message when sending, in clickable form.

Use case: point to a donation page, a registration form, a public calendar.

Documents​

Available for Email and WhatsApp (not for SMS).

Click on Add a document. You can drag and drop a file in PDF or image format (JPG, PNG, etc.).

Documents are attached to the email or sent as WhatsApp attachments.

Use case: assembly invitation, agenda, event brochure.

Videos​

Available for Email and WhatsApp (not for SMS).

Click on Add a video. Drag and drop a video file.

Block 4 — Scheduling​

Schedule sending (optional)​

DatePicker field in format DD/MM/YYYY HH:mm.

  • If empty: the campaign will be sent immediately after you click Validate and send in the list.
  • If filled in: the campaign will wait for the specified date and time before going out.

Typical use case: prepare today a birthday message that will go out Sunday morning at 9 AM.

Save the campaign​

Click on Save at the bottom of the form.

The campaign is created in Draft status (INIT). It appears in the list with a — deliverability (nothing has been sent yet).

Validate and send​

From the list /app/messages/campagnes, locate your Draft. In the Actions column, click on the Validate and send button (green send icon).

What happens then:

  1. The campaign moves to Validated status (VALIDATE).
  2. The Unisoft backend generates one send record per recipient (one per targeted contact).
  3. If scheduling is defined, sending waits for the planned date; otherwise it starts immediately.
  4. An asynchronous worker processes the sends one by one:
    • For emails: send via the configured sender.
    • For SMS: send via the Unisoft telecom service.
    • For WhatsApp: send via your connected WhatsApp Business account.
  5. As sends complete, the status of each recipient moves to SUCCESS or ERROR.
  6. The campaign remains in Validated status (VALIDATE) even once all sends are processed. There is no switch to a "Completed" status: progression is read in the statistics (KPI and tabs) of the detail page.

You can track progression from the View send details button on the campaign row. See Track a campaign.

Modify a campaign before validation​

As long as the campaign is in Draft, you can:

  • Click on the Edit button (pencil icon) on its row.
  • Adjust any field (targets, content, scheduling).
  • Re-save.

Once the campaign is Validated, it is no longer editable — you must delete and recreate.

Special cases​

  • Contact without email: automatically excluded from an Email campaign. Does not appear in the recipient counter.
  • Contact without phone: automatically excluded from an SMS or WhatsApp campaign.
  • Unsubscribed contact: if a contact has unsubscribed from your emails (see Email unsubscribe), they are automatically excluded from all future Email campaigns, without any action on your part.
  • SMS campaign with emoji: will be rejected at save (GSM-7 format). Remove the emojis or choose the WhatsApp channel.
  • WhatsApp campaign without connected account: the campaign can be created and validated, but sending will fail until you have scanned the WhatsApp Business connection QR code (orange button in the list).

Going further​