Let’s build a real form. A community trust in Cardiff is running a free summer family day and needs to know who is coming, how many children they are bringing and whether anyone needs step-free access. It also wants to invite attendees to future events, which means asking for marketing permission properly. Here is how to build that form in Mailpro.
Step 1: Choose a template
In Mailpro’s form section, pick an event registration template, or start from a blank form. Templates give you a sensible layout and field order that you can change later. Browse the options on the online forms page.
Step 2: Customise the look
Add the trust’s logo, set the colours and write a short introduction: the date, the venue and what to expect. If the trust serves a Welsh-speaking community, it can create a Welsh version of the form too. Keep the introduction brief; the important information is in the fields.
Step 3: Set up the fields
- Name and email: required, so the trust can send a confirmation.
- Mobile number: optional, formatted for UK numbers, for day-of updates if the weather changes plans.
- Number of adults and children: drop-down menus.
- Accessibility needs: an optional free-text field. Keep it optional and explain why you are asking, since it may reveal health information.
- Marketing consent: two separate unticked boxes: “Email me about future events” and “Text me about future events”.
Use branching logic to show extra questions only when relevant, for example asking about pushchair access only if children are coming.
Step 4: Configure the settings
- Privacy notice: link to it beside the submit button, explaining how the trust will use the data and how long it keeps it.
- Confirmation: send respondents an automatic confirmation email with the event details.
- Team alerts: notify the organiser of each new registration.
- List link: add people who ticked the email box to the trust’s events list, ready for the next invitation.
- Protection: add a captcha to stop bot sign-ups.
- Closing date: close the form when the event is full or the day arrives.
Step 5: Publish and share
Embed the form on the trust’s website, post the link on social media, include it in the next newsletter and print a QR code for posters in the local library and community centre. Mailpro’s guide to sharing forms lists the options.
Checking it before launch
Before sharing, fill in the form yourself on a phone and on a computer. Check the confirmation email arrives, the organiser alert works and your test entry appears in the right list with the consent boxes recorded correctly. Then delete the test entry so it doesn’t skew your numbers.
After the event
Export the responses for the day’s sign-in sheet, then think about retention. Delete accessibility notes once the event is over unless you have a reason to keep them. Contacts who ticked the marketing boxes stay on the list; those who didn’t shouldn’t receive promotional emails. The trust could also send a short feedback survey afterwards using Mailpro’s online surveys.
All responses are stored on Mailpro’s private Swiss infrastructure, outside US jurisdiction. For an overview of what the form builder can do, see online forms for UK organisations.