Every automated email Civify sends on your organization's behalf — what it does, who it reaches, and how it affects your email usage.
Overview
Civify sends a variety of thoughtfully designed automated emails on your organization's behalf — welcoming new users, keeping residents informed about projects and road work, keeping your team on top of feedback and reviews, and more. This guide walks through every system email your organization can send, so you always know what's going out, why, and who receives it.
In total, Civify sends 33 kinds of system emails. Of these, 31 use a polished, fully branded template and 2 are delivered as simple, direct messages for certain team notifications.
Email usage, at a glance
Every one of Civify's 33 system emails counts toward your organization's email sending usage and is tracked against your email allowance — from resident welcome messages and feedback updates to road restriction alerts, resident record exports, and staff notifications. One consistent, predictable way to track your usage, with nothing left to guess at.
How to read the tables below
Purpose — what the email helps you and your residents accomplish.
Recipients — who receives the email.
Trigger / Schedule — what causes it to send, and how often.
Usage — whether it counts toward your organization's email sending usage.
Notes — helpful extra details worth knowing.
Auth & account
A smooth, secure start for everyone who signs in to Civify — residents, staff, and organization admins alike.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Resident welcome / set password | Give a new resident a warm welcome to your resident portal, with a simple link to set up their password and get started. | New resident | Immediate — as soon as a resident account is created or an invite is sent | Counts toward usage | Sent right away so new residents can log in without delay. |
Resident password changed | Reassure a resident that their password was updated successfully, with an easy way to reach support if something looks off. | Resident | Immediate — whenever a resident updates their password (for residents who've opted in) | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident forgot password | Send a resident a secure link so they can reset their password in just a couple of clicks. | Resident | Immediate — whenever a resident requests a password reset | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident email verification | Confirm a resident's email address so they can finish registration and start receiving your updates. | Resident verifying their email | Sent automatically right after registration | Counts toward usage | — |
Team member welcome | Welcome a new staff member to your team's Civify account and help them set up their password. | New staff/team member | Immediate — as soon as their account is created | Counts toward usage | May include a note about their access window if they're an outside collaborator. |
Organization admin welcome | Welcome a newly added organization admin and get them set up with a password right away. | New org admin | Immediate — as soon as their account is created | Counts toward usage | — |
Municipal forgot password | Send a staff or admin user a secure link to reset their password. | Staff/admin user | Immediate; link stays valid for 1 hour | Counts toward usage | — |
Municipal credentials changed | Confirm to a staff or admin user that their password was changed, with an easy way to reach support if it wasn't them. | Staff/admin user | Immediate — whenever their password is updated | Counts toward usage | — |
Feedback
Automatic updates that keep residents engaged and your team responsive, from the moment feedback comes in to the moment it's resolved.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Feedback assigned to staff | Let staff know the moment new feedback needs their attention, so nothing sits unanswered. | Assigned staff | Immediate — on submission or reassignment | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident feedback submitted ack | Reassure residents right away that their feedback was received and is being looked into. | Complainant resident | Immediate — for residents who've opted in | Counts toward usage | — |
Staff response to resident | Let residents know as soon as your team responds, keeping the conversation moving. | Complainant resident | Immediate — when staff reply (for residents who've opted in) | Counts toward usage | — |
Feedback closed | Let residents know their feedback has been resolved, giving them a clear sense of closure. | Complainant resident | Immediate — when staff close the item | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident replied (to staff) | Notify your team the moment a resident continues the conversation, so follow-up never falls through the cracks. | Org admin + assignees | Immediate — on resident reply | Counts toward usage | — |
Feedback share (external) | Make it easy to loop in a partner department or outside contact on a specific piece of feedback. | Any email address your team chooses | Immediate — sent on request | Counts toward usage | Replies go straight back to the staff member who shared it. |
Projects & posts
Keep your team aligned and residents informed about the work happening across your community.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Project assignment | Let staff know right away when they've been added to a project. | Assigned staff | Immediate — on assignment | Counts toward usage | — |
Post assignment | Let staff know right away when they've been added to a post. | Assigned staff | Immediate — on assignment | Counts toward usage | — |
Project deletion | Give your team a heads-up when an inactive project is archived, along with a complete export of its data to keep for your records. | Project contact | Automatic — after 90 days without activity | Counts toward usage | Typically runs as part of routine, behind-the-scenes housekeeping. |
Post deletion | Give your team a heads-up when an inactive post is archived, along with a full export to keep for your records. | Post contact | Automatic — after 90 days without activity | Counts toward usage | — |
Project status update (resident) | Share new project updates with subscribed residents, automatically translated into each resident's preferred language. | Subscribed residents | Immediate — whenever a new status update is posted | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident daily digest | Send residents a friendly daily recap of new and updated projects and posts. | Residents who've opted into digests | Daily at 7:00 AM (your organization's time zone) | Counts toward usage | — |
Restrictions
Help residents plan ahead with clear, well-organized alerts about road work and closures near them.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Restriction subscriber-group digest | Send subscribed residents a clear daily summary of active road restrictions in their area. | Subscriber group members | Once daily, in the early morning | Counts toward usage | Each resident gets one tidy summary per day, however many updates came in. |
Resident zone restriction digest | Send residents a digest of restrictions in the specific zone they've subscribed to — daily or weekly, based on their preference. | Zone subscribers | Daily or weekly, based on resident preference | Counts toward usage | Residents already covered by the group digest won't receive a duplicate. |
Resident zone realtime alert | Send an immediate alert the moment a new restriction affects a resident's subscribed zone — ideal for urgent news like an emergency closure. | Matching zone subscribers | Immediate — as soon as a matching restriction is posted | Counts toward usage | — |
Resident broadcasts
A direct, reliable channel for your organization to reach residents with timely announcements.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Resident notification blast | Deliver your organization's own announcements straight to the residents who need them. | Targeted residents | Sent promptly after your team schedules it | Counts toward usage | Includes a one-click unsubscribe link, so residents always stay in control of what they receive. |
Routing & design review
Keep reviews moving by looping in the right people at the right time, whether they're on your team or an outside partner.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Routing review request (app users) | Invite a team member to review a routing stage as soon as it's ready for their input. | Selected team members | Immediate — when a review is requested | Counts toward usage | — |
Routing comment request (guests) | Invite an outside partner or agency to share comments, no Civify account required. | Outside contacts | Immediate — when an invite is sent | Counts toward usage | A quick tip: share the link only with the intended reviewer, since it's what lets someone comment. |
Compiled routing comments | Deliver a tidy, compiled summary of everyone's review comments to the right people — automatically or with one click. | Chosen recipients | Sent on request, or automatically on the review's due date if your organization has scheduling turned on | Counts toward usage | — |
Design review request | Ask a reviewer to weigh in on design plans for a project stage, with the due date included. | Assigned reviewer | Immediate — when a review is requested | Counts toward usage | — |
Exports
Peace of mind for staff, with clear updates on the resident record exports they've requested.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Resident record export ready | Let staff know their requested resident record export is ready to download. | Requesting staff member | As soon as the export finishes processing | Counts toward usage | The download link stays active for about 24 hours. |
Resident record export failed | Let staff know right away if an export couldn't be completed, along with a simple suggestion for trying again. | Requesting staff member | If the export doesn't complete successfully | Counts toward usage | — |
Staff in-app
Help staff stay on top of their notifications, delivered exactly the way they prefer.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Staff in-app email digest | Send staff a tidy daily or weekly summary of their in-app notifications. | Staff with digest preferences | Daily at 8:00 AM, or weekly on Monday mornings | Counts toward usage | — |
Staff in-app real time email | Deliver an instant email the moment an important notification comes in, for staff who like to stay current in real time. | Staff with real-time preferences | Immediate — as soon as a qualifying update occurs | Counts toward usage | Covers a wide range of updates — from project and feedback activity to routing and restriction alerts. |
Team notifications
One more simple, dependable way for your team to send a direct notification when needed.
Email | Purpose | Recipients | Trigger / Schedule | Usage | Notes |
|---|
Team notification message | Send a direct notification email to recipients your team selects. | Recipients configured by your team | Immediate | Counts toward usage | One of Civify's original notification tools, still available today for teams who rely on it. |
A note on this guide
This guide reflects the live system emails Civify sends. Types of emails is subject to change with ongoing development.