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Inviting people to the platform

Nola Moreau avatar
Written by Nola Moreau
Updated over 2 weeks ago

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?

  1. Go to Users > Invite Users in the admin panel.

  2. Choose one of the methods below:

Option 1: Manually enter email addresses

  1. Separate multiple emails with commas.

  2. Set options: assign admin or project manager roles, add to manual groups, set preferred language.

  3. Add a personal message (optional).

Option 2: Import an Excel file

  • Use the provided template with the following columns:

    • email (required)

    • first_name

    • last_name

    • language (e.g., "en", "nl-BE")

    • groups (name of the 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.

ℹ️ If someone is already registered using the invited email, they won’t get a new email but can still be added to groups automatically. Additionally, if a user has a pending invitation and tried to register via the normal registration button on the homepage instead of going through the invitation link, they will not be able to register in the normal way and will be prompted to use the pending invitation.

How to invite users in person 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:

  1. Create a manual group (e.g. "North Avenue Residents") in Users > Groups.

  2. Go to the general Users tab, Click Invite Users > Download Template

  3. Fill out the Excel template:

    • One row per code

    • Leave email blank if unknown

    • Specify the manual group name in the groups column

  4. Upload the file and send the invitations

  5. Go to All Invitations tab and export the list of invitations you just sent.

  6. From the exported excel file, retrieve each token code (under the token column).

  7. 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

  1. Go to Invitations > All Invitations > Export.

  2. Find the user and copy the value in the token column.

  3. Send them this URL: yourplatform.com/invite.

  4. They’ll be prompted to enter the token and complete their registration.

Option 2: Delete the invitation

  1. In All Invitations, click the trash icon next to the person’s invite.

  2. Re-invite them with the correct email or send a new code.

ℹ️ 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:

  1. Log in to the Exchange Admin Center.

  2. Navigate to Protection > Spam Filter.

  3. Select the policy > Edit > Allow Lists.

  4. Add mg.citizenlab.co to the trusted domain list.

For Google Workspace (Gmail):

  1. Go to Admin Console > Apps > Gmail > Advanced Settings.

  2. Select the top-level domain.

  3. In the Spam section, find Email whitelist.

  4. Add IP address: 104.130.122.18.

  5. Click Save.

You’ll need email system admin rights to do this.

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