What are user invitations?
Invitations let you securely onboard users by giving them a personalized way to register, while assigning roles and access automatically.
Invitations are linked to a unique registration token, and can:
Be sent via email (manually or in bulk).
Be distributed physically using registration codes.
Automatically assign roles (admin, project manager) or group membership.
Prevent impersonation or unauthorized registrations.
Invitations expire after 30 days and bypass email verification since the email is already known.
How to invite users through mail?
Go to Users > Invite Users in the admin panel.
Choose a method:
Option 1: Manually enter email addresses
Separate multiple emails with commas.
Set options: assign admin or project manager roles, add to manual groups, set preferred language.
Add a personal message (optional).
Option 2: Import an Excel file
Use the provided template with the following columns:
email(required)first_namelast_namelanguage(e.g., "en", "nl-BE")groups(manual or smart groups)admin(TRUE/FALSE)
The Excel file overrides any settings selected in the admin interface.
After sending:
Users receive an email with a link to register and fill in their profile.
A reminder is sent automatically after 3 days.
Invitations expire after 30 days, but you can resend or delete them manually.
Users skip email verification during sign-up.
Note: If someone is already registered using the invited email, they won’t get a new email but can still be added to groups automatically.
How to invite users by letter using a code?
Create unique invitation codes for offline campaigns or residents without email addresses.
When to use:
Target specific neighborhoods or streets.
Register participants at in-person events.
Reach audiences without digital access.
How to create and distribute codes:
Create a manual group (e.g. "North Avenue Residents") in Users > Groups.
Click Invite Users > Generate codes.
Fill out the Excel template:
One row per code
Leave
emailblank if unknownSpecify the group in the
groupscolumn
Upload the file.
Go to All Invitations and export the list to retrieve each code (under the
tokencolumn).Insert each token into your letters/postcards using mail merge or manual entry.
Important:
Instruct users to go to
yourplatform.com/invite, where they’ll be prompted to enter their token.If they register via the regular homepage, the token won't be applied.
Users who already registered should log in without using the code and update their info manually to meet project access conditions.
How to accept an invitation without the invitation email?
Option 1: Send their unique token
Go to Invitations > All Invitations > Export.
Find the user and copy the value in the
tokencolumn.Send them this URL:
yourplatform.com/invite.They’ll be prompted to enter the token and complete their registration.
Option 2: Delete the invitation
In All Invitations, click the trash icon next to the person’s invite.
Re-invite them with the correct email or send a new code.
Deleting an invitation also removes any roles or group assignments it included.
What happens when an invitation is accepted?
What users experience after clicking their invite link or using a registration token.
Once users accept:
They complete their profile (name, password, etc.).
Their email is auto-confirmed.
Any assigned roles (e.g., admin, project manager) are applied.
They are added to manual or smart groups.
They gain access to the platform according to their assigned rights.
Invited users:
Skip the “email verification” step.
Can still be re-invited later (if needed) by deleting and resending.
How to whitelist invitation emails?
For Outlook / Exchange:
Log in to the Exchange Admin Center.
Navigate to Protection > Spam Filter.
Select the policy > Edit > Allow Lists.
Add
mg.citizenlab.coto the trusted domain list.
For Google Workspace (Gmail):
Go to Admin Console > Apps > Gmail > Advanced Settings.
Select the top-level domain.
In the Spam section, find Email whitelist.
Add IP address:
104.130.122.18.Click Save.
You’ll need email system admin rights to do this.