Build a Journey for commitment changes
Updated 2 weeks ago
Commitment changes can start Journeys, so your team can automate follow-up when a commitment starts, is reassigned, ends, is cancelled, or is restored.
Journeys are relationship workflows in Automations. When a commitment event happens, the journey can send messages, notify staff, wait, branch, tag records, and create follow-up tasks. This guide covers the commitment lifecycle triggers and the Commitment Reassignment Stewardship starter.
Choose a lifecycle trigger
Each trigger starts the journey when the matching event happens. A reassignment, cancellation, new commitment, or restoration can each start the follow-up process your team builds.
When a recipient exits a program — starts when a recipient leaves a program.
When a commitment starts — starts when a new commitment begins.
When a commitment is reassigned — starts when an existing commitment moves to a different recipient.
When a donor cancels a commitment — starts when a donor ends a commitment.
When a commitment ends — starts when a commitment ends.
When a commitment is restored — starts when a commitment is restored.
Restoration has a lifecycle trigger, but no restoration-specific starter is included in the template library. Build one from a blank draft if you want a restoration workflow.
Use the Commitment Reassignment Stewardship starter
This starter coordinates staff and donor follow-up when an existing commitment moves to a different recipient.
Audience: Sponsors whose continuing support moves to a different recipient.
Goal: Confirm continuity and complete the donor follow-up.
Exit rule: Exit after the follow-up task is created or staff removes the commitment.
The starter is a linear workflow with these steps:
Start when a commitment is reassigned.
Notify the Sponsorship coordinators with an internal message.
Send the Sponsorship reassignment update email to the donor.
Wait 7 days.
Create a follow-up task assigned to the journey owner, due in 2 days.
When you edit the When a commitment is reassigned trigger, you can narrow it by Reason. Leave the reason unset to start the journey for every reassignment, or choose a reason to start it only for that reason.
This is a starting point. Your team can change any step or build different workflows around these events.
Selecting a template creates a draft
Choosing the starter creates a draft. It does not activate the Journey or send the donor message automatically.
After the draft is created, edit every step in the journey builder. The first version stays in draft until your team publishes it. People enter the journey only after publishing and when the selected trigger happens.
Next steps
Follow Create a Journey to start from a template or a blank draft, then Build and Publish a Journey to configure and publish the workflow when it is ready to run.
Related guides
Sponsorship changes overview — how lifecycle changes fit together