Alerts in BoardWorks are used to communicate important information to board members.
When an alert is created and published, an email notification is automatically sent to the selected recipients. Alerts can include specific details and messaging defined by the sender and are commonly used to share announcements, reminders, or time‑sensitive updates.
Please note: Attachments can be added to an alert; however, they are not included in the email notification sent to recipients.
Please note: Users must sign in to BoardWorks to access any documents attached to an alert.
From the Alerts section, administrators can:
Create a new Alert or Alert Template
View which alerts are published
View alerts that have been created but not published
View and manage Alert Templates
View archived alerts
The upper section of the Alerts screen is divided into three areas:
Navigation tabs that display alerts by category: Published, Unpublished, and Templates
An action area that allows administrators to create a New Alert or New Alert Template
A visibility control that allows administrators to choose whether archived alerts are displayed
Please note: Alerts are archived automatically after 60 days.
On the Published, Unpublished, and Templates screens, administrators can view the following details for each alert:
Alert Title
Alert Description
Date Created
Actions
On the Published and Unpublished screens, the number of documents attached to each alert is also displayed.
By clicking on the hyperlink on the Alert title, the Alert will open in a read-only view. It displays the details for review, the administrator may click on Cancel, to return to the Alert Hub Screen, View the details on the Alert, or Edit.
Selecting the documents hyperlink displays a list of documents associated with the alert. Selecting a document downloads it so administrators can review the content.
From the Manage menu, administrators can publish, unpublish, view, or delete an alert.
For alert templates, administrators can edit or delete the template from the Manage menu.
Creating an Alert or Alert Template
When creating an alert or alert template, consider the following:
What the alert is about
How to best describe the information included in the alert
What content should appear in the email notification sent to recipients
What the email subject line should be
Alerts can be sent to:
One or more committees
Selected users across multiple committees
Please note: Information included in alert emails is not protected by BoardWorks.
Please note: If a user belongs to multiple committees, they will receive only one email notification per alert.
Creating a New Alert or Alert Template
To create a new alert or alert template, select New Alert or New Alert Template.
Complete the following fields:
Title
The name of the alert as it appears in BoardWorks.Alert Description
Descriptive information shown within BoardWorks to explain the purpose of the alert.Email Subject
The subject line used for the email notification generated by the alert
(for example: “Alert regarding the Q3 Meeting”).Email Body
The content of the email notification. Because email content is accessible outside of BoardWorks, it is recommended to direct recipients to sign in to BoardWorks to view full alert details.Recipients
Select the committees and/or individual users who should receive the alert.
If needed, select Add Document to attach documents to the alert.
Please note: The Add Document option is not available when creating alert templates.
Next, select who should receive the alert. You can send an alert to:
A committee, or
Specific members across one or more committees
To view individual committee members, select the down arrow next to the committee name.
Use the Access column to select recipients by checking the box next to the appropriate committee or user.
When finished, choose one of the following options:
Publish to send the alert
Save to finish and publish later
Cancel to discard the alert
Viewing or Editing an Alert
Administrators can view or edit an alert or alert template at any time.
Alerts can be in one of two states:
Unpublished – Not yet visible to recipients
Published – Visible to the selected committees or users
If an alert is unpublished, it can be edited directly.
If an alert is published, an additional step is required before changes can be made.
Please note: After an alert is saved, the title and recipients cannot be changed during the editing process.
A published alert is an alert that has been made visible to its selected recipients.
Please note: Published content must be unpublished before it can be edited.
To edit an alert, locate the alert under Published, Unpublished, or Templates on the Alerts screen.
Select the alert or alert template you want to view or edit.
The alert opens with the basic details displayed for review. From this screen, administrators can select Cancel to return to the Published, Unpublished, or Templates screen.
To view additional details—such as recipient information—or to make changes to the email content, select View or Edit.
Editing an Alert
When an alert is in edit mode, administrators can make changes to the following fields:
Alert Description
Email Subject
Email Body
Administrators can also add or remove documents attached to the alert.
To attach a document, select Add Document.
When finished, choose one of the following options:
Publish to make the alert visible to recipients
Save to continue editing later
Cancel to discard any changes
Using an Alert Template
Alert templates allow administrators to preconfigure alerts for consistent messaging to committees or groups of users. Templates can be reused multiple times with minimal changes.
To use an existing alert template:
Select Templates.
Locate the template you want to use.
Select Use Template to activate it.
Once the template opens, update the information as needed, then choose:
Publish to send the alert
Save to finish later
Cancel to exit without saving
