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How to Enroll Participants in a Journey

Learn how to add people to Journeys that facilitate Offsites, Happy Hours, Opt-In Trainings, Mentorship Programs, and more.

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Written by Essence
Updated over 3 weeks ago

Who are Participants?

Participants are individuals who you enroll in your Journey program. While messages can be sent to people other than the 'Participant', the majority of your content will be tailored for the 'Participant'. Anyone else receiving messages who have not been added as a 'Participant' will have some connection to the 'Participant's' journey.

Note: To learn how New Hires differ from Participants, click here.

Enrolling Participants

There are three ways to enroll a participant into a Journey:


1. Manual Enrollment

Manual enrollment allows you to add participants to a journey by specifying their journey start date, role, and other relevant details. This method provides flexibility for customizing participant details based on their unique roles.

Note: These instructions guide you through enrolling participants with the new method, which includes a CSV import option. If you prefer the old version, you can click the banner at the top to switch back. The information required for the fields is the same, but the format differs.


To get started:

  1. Go to All Participants
    In the left sidebar menu, click on All Participants.

  2. Click Enroll Participants
    Click the Enroll Participants button in the upper-right corner.

  3. Select One-Time Enrollment
    In the pop-up window, select One-time enrollment on the left-hand side.

  4. Click Manually
    Choose the Manually option to add participants individually.

  5. Select the Journey
    From the drop-down menu, choose the journey you want to enroll the participant in. 💡 You can change this later.

  6. Fill Out Participant Details


    When adding participant details, you have various customization options to ensure the information is accurate and tailored for your Journey. Including:

    • Anchor Date: The participant "Anchor date" is the day that all of the participants' messages will be anchored around. This is typically when you would like them to start the Journey program.

    • Journeys: Click the gear icon next to 'Journeys' to assign a Journey or multiple Journeys to every row below. You can also delete or add a Journey for each row individually, offering flexibility for customizing each participant's path.

    • Participant: Click into the drop-down menu to select Slack users to add as participants

    • Manager:

      • Assigning a Manager: Click the gear icon next to 'Manager' to decide how the Manager will be chosen for each row.


        Options include:

        • Picking a Manager manually for all participants.

        • Allowing a Manager to be chosen by another role or a specific person.

        • Selecting a random person from the Slack channel.

      • HRIS Integration:


        Click the icon with the box and downward arrow next to 'Manager' to import Managers directly from your HRIS. If your HRIS is not yet connected, you'll be prompted to integrate it with Donut for seamless data access.

        Note: This method is most useful for non-onboarding Journeys like Training, Events, Mentorship, etc.

    • Buddy:
      Click the gear icon next to 'Buddy' to decide how the Buddy will be chosen for each row. Options are similar to the Manager selection process, including manual selection, role-based assignment, or random selection from the Slack channel.

    • Event Organizer:
      Since this is a non-onboarding journey, you can assign an Event Organizer for each row. Click the gear icon next to 'Event Organizer' to choose how the Event Organizer will be selected. You can pick one manually, assign based on roles, or choose randomly.

    • Time Zone:

      • Participants' time zones can be imported automatically from Slack. If a participant hasn't joined Slack yet, any messages sent will default to Central Time (US & Canada).

      • Alternatively, you can manually select a time zone from the drop-down menu to ensure accurate scheduling for each participant

  7. Complete the Enrollment
    After filling out the participant details, click Add Participants to complete the process.

Bulk Enrollment

For enrolling multiple participants at once, you can either manually enter each participant's details or use a CSV file to upload the information.

  1. Bulk Import via CSV

    For a faster process, you can import participant data by uploading a CSV file:

    • Download Template: Click the 'Download Template' button to get a CSV template.

    • Fill in the Data: Complete the CSV file with the necessary participant details.

    • Upload the File: Once completed, upload the CSV file to automatically populate the table with participant information.
      ⚠️ Uploading a CSV will clear all unsaved changes on the page.

  2. Complete the Process
    After entering or uploading all the participant details, click Add Participants to finish the process and enroll everyone.


2. Form Enrollment


How to set it up:

1. Visit your Participant's page, and click Enroll Participants in the upper right-hand corner. Ensure One-time enrollment is selected on the left-hand side, and click Participants enroll by answering a form.

2. Select the Journey you'd like to assign to participants who complete the form. Click Next.


3️⃣ Customize the invitee message, title, description, and questions (required or optional) according to your preferences.


⏰ To save time, you can add pre-written questions from our new Question Library:

  • Click the "Question Library" button on the Enrollment Survey form page

  • Browse the categories to find relevant questions for your Journey

  • Click on a question to add it to your survey

  • Repeat as needed, then customize or remove questions as desired

4️⃣ Choose where you want to share the form - as a direct message or in a channel.

💡 Clicking 'Send Later' saves the form, allowing you to send it whenever you're ready.


3. Auto-Enrollment via Slack Channel

For automatic enrollment, participants can be added to a journey when they join a designated Slack channel. This method is best for training or Employee Resource Group onboarding.

  1. Choose Ongoing Automatic Enrollment
    In the Enroll Participants section, select the option to enroll participants by joining a Slack channel. Then, select Auto-enroll participants by Joining a Slack Channel.

  2. Select a Journey
    Choose the journey you want participants to be auto-enrolled in upon joining the Slack channel.

  3. Select the Slack Channel(s)
    Type the name of the Slack channel(s) where participants will be enrolled automatically. Private channels will only appear if Donut is a member.

  4. Save the Enrollment
    Once you've selected the channel(s), click Next to confirm. A success message will appear confirming the auto-enrollment.


❓ Questions? Concerns? Click the Donut icon in the lower right corner to get in touch with our support team.

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