If you use the events template feature of RSVPMaker to create multiple events including the same boilerplate details that repeat every time, now you can also create automated reminder messages for each of those events more easily.
When you create a series of events based on a template, each event gets a copy of the basic content (where and when you meet, who to contact with questions) and most of the associated metadata (like whether RSVPs are being collected, whether there is a fee, what event type the post is associated with). However, the reminder message setup isn’t duplicated by default — and you might not necessarily want the reminder message to be the same each time. Just like you do not want to automatically overwrite the content of posts that might have been updated independently of the template.
On the other hand, you may want the reminder message to be the same (or basically the same) most of the time. Improving how this is handled is one of those features I needed for my own purposes. Since I run an Online Toastmasters club (Online Presenters) that meets every week, and every one of those meetings needs an automated reminder message to the people who signed up to attend as a guest. The reminder includes details like the online meeting link and basic instructions for how to sign in. Adding those reminders one meeting at a time was a drag.
Now, when you update a reminder message for any event associated with a template, you will see an option to apply that update to all the other events associated with that template. This is similar to the process for updating events based on a template, where you can click “Check all” but still make exceptions for special events that require a slightly different message.
Note that the subject line includes a series of date formatting codes, which default to the same ones used in your site’s “long date” format from the RSVPMaker settings page. You may want to tweak it, for example if you do not think it’s necessary for the year to be displayed.
The result looks like this
For basics on how the reminders function works, see this post.