Recreate Your Existing Branded Email Templates (Dashboard v2)

Last updated: July 13, 2026

Moving to Dashboard v2? Your email templates aren't migrated automatically, so you'll rebuild your branded templates in the new visual editor. The good news: the new editor is a drag-and-drop builder that makes it easy to recreate your header, colors, logo, footer, and overall look — usually in a few minutes per template.

This guide walks you through it step by step.

Before You Start

Have these handy so you can match your existing template exactly:

  • Your logo (a hosted image URL works best, or have the image file ready to upload)

  • Your brand colors (hex codes, e.g. #4B3F92)

  • Fonts you normally use

  • Your footer text — mailing address, organization name, and any legal/compliance language

  • A copy of your old template open side-by-side (a screenshot or the live email) so you can copy content and styling over

Tip: It's much faster to recreate a template when you can see the original next to the editor.

Step 1: Open Email Templates

From the left-hand navigation, go to Email Templates, then click Create (or Add Email Template).

Step 2: Choose a Starting Point

A Create Email Template window appears with two tabs:

  • Default Templates — pre-built starting points provided by WeGive. The Blank Beefree Template gives you a clean canvas to build your brand from scratch.

  • My Templates — any templates you've already saved (useful once you've built a few).

To recreate a branded template from scratch, select Blank Beefree Template, then click Use template.

Why blank? When you're matching an existing design, a blank canvas gives you full control over layout, colors, and spacing without having to undo someone else's styling.

Step 3: Name Your Template

On the Create Email Template page, enter a Template Name (this field is required). Use something clear and findable, like "Donation Receipt — 2026 Brand" or "Monthly Newsletter."

Names can be up to 255 characters. Choose a name your team will recognize later when selecting templates for messages and campaigns.

Step 4: Open the Visual Editor

Under Visual Template Editor you'll see the editor selector (set to Beefree) and a few options:

  • Choose starter template — browse additional pre-designed layouts.

  • Open visual editor — launches the drag-and-drop builder. This is where you'll do the actual design work.

Click Open visual editor to begin. (If you don't see Beefree available, it may not be enabled for your organization yet — reach out to WeGive Support.)

Step 5: Build Your Branded Layout

The editor opens with an empty canvas and a panel of building blocks on the right. There are three tabs:

  • Content — drag-and-drop blocks: Title, Paragraph, List, Image, Button, Divider, Spacer, Social, HTML, and Icons.

  • Rows — choose column layouts (1-column, 2-column, etc.) to structure your email.

  • Settings — set email-wide styling like background color, content width, and default fonts.

To recreate your branded look:

  1. Set your global styling first. In Settings, set your background color, content area width, and default font to match your brand. Doing this up front keeps everything consistent.

  2. Add your logo/header. Drag an Image block to the top and add your logo (upload the file or paste a hosted image URL). Link it to your website if your old template did.

  3. Rebuild your body content. Use Rows to recreate your layout, then drag in Paragraph, Title, Button, and Image blocks to match your original. Copy your text and headings over from the old template.

  4. Apply your brand colors. Click any block to style it — set button colors, link colors, and text colors to your hex codes.

  5. Rebuild your footer. Add a Paragraph block at the bottom with your organization name, mailing address, and any required compliance text. Add Social icons if your old template had them.

Preview on mobile: Use the desktop/mobile toggle in the top-left of the editor to check how your template looks on phones before saving.

Step 6: Add the Unsubscribe Link

Branded marketing and newsletter emails should include an unsubscribe link. Add the unsubscribe merge tag where you want the link to appear (typically in the footer):

{{unsubscribeLink}}

When the email sends, WeGive automatically replaces this tag with a working unsubscribe link for each recipient. Place it inside a text/paragraph block in your footer.

Step 7: Save in the Editor

Click SAVE in the top-right of the editor. Saving in the editor automatically compiles your design into the final template content (the HTML, styling, and layout are generated for you) and returns you to the Create Email Template page, where you'll see your design in the Current Preview.

Step 8: Review and Finish

Back on the Create Email Template page, click Review details to confirm the template name and preview, then save. Your template is now stored under Email Templates and available to use.

Using Your Recreated Template

Once saved, your branded template appears in your template list and can be selected when you build messages and campaigns. It will also show up under the My Templates tab the next time you create a template, so you can reuse it as a starting point.

Repeat for Each Template

Recreate each branded template you used in your previous dashboard — for example:

  • Donation receipt / acknowledgment

  • Recurring donation reminders

  • Newsletters and announcements

  • Event invitations and confirmations

A good approach: recreate your most-used template first, then duplicate it as the starting point for the others so your header, footer, and brand styling carry over automatically.

Frequently Asked Questions

Do my old templates transfer over automatically?
No. Templates are recreated in the new visual editor. This guide walks you through rebuilding them.

Can I paste in HTML from my old template?
Yes — drag in an HTML block and paste your code. However, for most branded templates the drag-and-drop blocks are easier to maintain and look better across email clients.

What's the difference between Beefree and Stripo?
Both are visual editors. Beefree is the default drag-and-drop builder for most organizations. If your account is set up to use Stripo, the steps are similar but the editor interface differs slightly.

My logo looks blurry — what size should it be?
Use a high-resolution image (roughly 2x the display size). For a 300px-wide logo, upload an image around 600px wide.

Do I have to add the unsubscribe link?
For transactional emails like receipts it may not be required, but for newsletters and marketing emails you should include {{unsubscribeLink}} to stay compliant and give recipients an easy way to opt out.

Need help? Contact WeGive Support and we can walk through recreating a specific template with you.