01
Start with what the person declared
Separate expressed interests, preferred length and contact channel. “I want news about workshops” means neither “text me” nor “ask me for a donation”. Record the choice, its source and its date. A missing preference remains unknown; use general wording or seek clarification in an appropriate setting.
Do not infer personal circumstances, opinions or a psychological state from a click, first name or donation. Use only information relevant to the project. The GDPR principles of purpose limitation and data minimisation provide the framework for this selection.
CNIL: purpose limitation and minimisation, Article 5 (French)
02
Check the channel, consent and withdrawals
Have the nature of the solicitation and its lawful basis assessed for your situation. France’s CNIL distinguishes commercial prospecting from non-commercial solicitations, including charitable appeals, where information and the right to object remain essential. A declared preference does not settle that assessment.
Where processing relies on consent, retain evidence of the choice and provide an easy withdrawal method. Apply objections and withdrawals before preparing another version. In our fictional example, someone asks to stop emails about an event: exclude that solicitation; do not switch to SMS to bypass the request. Clarify an ambiguous scope without continuing the affected solicitation.
03
Adapt the format while preserving the facts
Establish the shared information: purpose, date, confirmed venue, conditions and proposed action. In the fictional nonprofit event, an email explains the programme; a newsletter places it among other news; a letter develops the context; an SMS keeps essential information and access to details. No format removes a material qualification.
Résonance prepares six compositions from a brief: email, newsletter, letter, SMS, poster and web ad. The individual matrix applies to email. For the other channels, this guide provides an editorial method and a brief outline for review; it does not describe individual generation in those formats. These preparations do not send anything. Use readable sentences and descriptive links, following W3C guidance.
04
Review a specific version and retain its record
Assign someone to check facts, wording and links. Also review the purpose, selected channel and exclusions. Read the text after variables have been replaced: a sound template can become ambiguous once completed. For an SMS, check the final text and its length constraints.
Keep the source versions, declared choices used, agreed text and review decision, including its date and scope. If the event venue changes, locate the affected formats and renew their approval. An export prepares a handover; the decision to distribute and its execution remain separate steps.
05
Measure without overstating the message’s effect
Before the campaign, define what you will observe and over which period. Separate prepared texts, approvals, sends confirmed by the distribution tool and observed responses. Where information is missing, mark it “unconfirmed”. State the denominator for every rate; an opening demonstrates neither attentive reading nor agreement.
A registration after a message does not prove that the message caused it. Consider other points of contact and the limits of attribution. Reporting should help the team improve its work, without promising fundraising or participation gains. Do not collect additional personal information simply to populate a fuller dashboard.
Points to check
- The preferences used were declared and their source is known.
- Purpose, channel and exclusions have been checked.
- Facts and qualifications remain consistent across formats.
- Review covers each final version.
- Reporting separates preparation, confirmed distribution and observations.
Your working template
Copy this outline into your own tools and complete it for your dossier.
Read the template on this page
MULTICHANNEL CAMPAIGN Objective and purpose: Declared choices, source and date: Channel and contact conditions checked: Objections or withdrawals to apply: Shared facts and sources: Variants and versions to review: Decision, responsible person and date: Distribution tool and confirmation needed: Indicator, period, denominator and limitations:
Common questions
Can an interest determine the channel?
An interest can guide the content. The channel requires a separate check of contact conditions and the person’s requests.
Does the workshop send the messages?
No. Demonstrations use fictional examples; compositions and exports prepare copy for review. Evidence of sending comes from the distribution tool actually used.
Adapting a campaign starts with respecting expressed choices and making every decision understandable.
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