Understanding Notifications
Boardwise keeps you informed about important events through email notifications and an in-app notification center. This guide explains the different types of notifications and how to manage them.
Types of Notifications
Meeting Notifications
Meeting notifications keep attendees informed throughout the meeting lifecycle:
- Meeting invitation - Sent when you're added to a meeting that has been announced or published
- Meeting update - Sent when key meeting details change (date, time, location)
- Materials ready - Sent when a meeting moves to published state, indicating all documents are available
- Meeting reminder - Sent before a meeting to help attendees prepare
- Meeting cancellation - Sent if a meeting is cancelled
Group Message Notifications
When someone posts a message to a board or committee you belong to, you receive an email notification with the full message content. Opening the message in Boardwise marks it as read, and the sender can track who has viewed the message through read receipts.
Assignment Notifications
When you're assigned to an action item, you receive a notification so you can track your responsibilities. The notification links directly to the action item for easy access.
Group Membership Notifications
Notifications inform you about changes to your board or committee memberships:
- Added to group - When you're added to a board or committee, with your assigned role
- Role changed - When your role within a group changes
- Removed from group - When you're removed from a board or committee
Invitation Notifications
- Invitation accepted - When someone you invited joins the organization
Access Notifications
- Access blocked - If your access to an organization has been suspended
- Removed from organization - When you've been removed from an organization
Email Notifications
Boardwise sends email notifications for time-sensitive events to ensure you don't miss important updates.
What Triggers Email Notifications
| Event | Email Sent |
|---|---|
| Meeting invitation | Yes, with calendar attachment |
| Meeting update | Yes, with updated calendar event |
| Materials ready | Yes |
| Meeting reminder | Yes |
| Meeting cancellation | Yes, with calendar cancellation |
| Group message | Yes, to all group members |
| Action item assignment | In-app only |
| Group membership change | In-app only |
| Invitation accepted | Yes |
| Access blocked | Yes |
| Removed from organization | Yes |
Calendar Attachments
Meeting invitation emails include calendar attachments (ICS files) that work with:
- Google Calendar
- Microsoft Outlook
- Apple Calendar
- Most other calendar applications
When you accept, decline, or mark a calendar event as tentative, your response is automatically synced back to Boardwise and the meeting organizer is notified.
In-App Notification Center
The notification center collects all your notifications in one place for easy reference.
Accessing the Notification Center
Click the bell icon in the top navigation bar to open your notifications. A badge indicates the number of unread notifications.
Reading Notifications
Notifications are organized into two sections:
- New for you - Unread notifications requiring your attention
- Previous notifications - Recently read notifications for reference
Click any notification to view more details. If the notification relates to a specific item (meeting, action item, etc.), clicking takes you directly to that page.
Marking Notifications as Read
- Click a notification to mark it as read and navigate to the related item
- Click Mark all read to clear all unread notifications at once
Managing Notification Preferences
Your notification preferences are managed through your account settings.
Email Notifications
To adjust email notification settings:
- Click your name in the top navigation
- Go to Profile > Notifications
- Toggle email notifications on or off for different event types
Calendar Integration
If your organization has calendar invites enabled, meeting invitations include calendar attachments. You can respond to meetings directly from your calendar app, and your RSVP will sync automatically.
See Calendar Integration for more details on connecting your calendar.
Meeting Announcement Notifications
When an administrator announces a meeting, all attendees receive an invitation notification. This notification:
- Includes meeting details (date, time, location, video link)
- Contains a calendar attachment for easy scheduling
- Provides quick RSVP buttons to respond immediately
- Links to the meeting page for more information
The meeting organizer can see notification history on the meeting page, including when announcements were sent and how many recipients received them.
RSVP and Reminder Notifications
RSVP Buttons in Emails
Meeting invitation and reminder emails include RSVP buttons allowing you to respond without logging in:
- Yes - Confirms your attendance
- No - Declines the invitation
- Maybe - Indicates you're uncertain
Meeting Reminders
Boardwise sends two kinds of meeting reminders, each controlled by a setting in Organization Settings:
- Prep reminders go to all attendees before a published meeting, so everyone reviews the materials in time. Each one summarizes the meeting details, lists any attached documents, includes RSVP buttons, and links to the meeting page.
- RSVP reminders go only to invited attendees who haven't responded yet. They arrive daily in the days leading up to the meeting and stop as soon as the attendee responds or the meeting passes.
Calendar Responses
If you respond through your calendar app:
- Accept maps to confirmed attendance
- Decline maps to declined
- Tentative maps to maybe
The meeting organizer receives a notification whenever an attendee responds via calendar.