Alerts let you broadcast time-sensitive messages to your community through multiple channels at once: a banner on the dashboard, email, and SMS text. Use alerts for emergencies, maintenance notices, safety updates, or any message that needs immediate visibility.
Creating alerts requires the Create Alert permission. Dismissing and deleting alerts require their own permissions. Residents see active alert banners on the dashboard but cannot create or manage alerts unless granted the appropriate permissions. Some options may be unavailable or appear differently depending on your level of account access.
Log in to Communitrak at https://app.communitrak.com.
Click Alerts in the main navigation menu.
The page lists all alerts for your community, with active alerts displayed first. Each alert card shows the message, status (Active or Expired), delivery methods, who created it, when it was sent, and when it expires (if an expiration was set).
Use the search bar to find alerts by message text or creator name. Use the status dropdown to filter by Active Only or Expired Only.
Click New Alert in the top-right corner of the page.
Enter your Alert Message. Messages are limited to 140 characters.
Select one or more delivery methods:
Display banner on dashboard: shows a prominent banner at the top of the dashboard for all members.
Send via email: delivers the alert to members' email addresses.
Send via SMS text: sends the alert as a text message to members with phone numbers on file.
If you selected the dashboard banner, you can optionally set a Dashboard Banner Expiration date and time. The banner will automatically disappear when the expiration passes. Leave this blank to display the banner until it is manually dismissed.
Review the confirmation prompt, which lists the delivery methods that will be used.
Click Send Alert.
Each community gets 5 free SMS alerts per billing cycle. After that, each SMS alert costs $2.00. When you select the SMS delivery method, the dialog shows your current usage and whether the alert will count against the free limit or incur a charge.
Active dashboard alerts appear as a banner at the top of the dashboard and other pages. The banner shows the alert message, who created it, and when it was posted.
When multiple alerts are active at the same time, the banner cycles through them automatically, with navigation arrows and a counter (e.g., "1 of 3") so residents can browse each alert.
This requires the Dismiss Alert permission.
Dismissing an alert removes its dashboard banner for the entire community. The alert remains in the history on the Alerts page with an Expired status.
Find the alert on the Alerts page or on the dashboard banner.
Click Dismiss.
Confirm the action in the dialog that appears.
This requires the Delete Alert permission.
Deleting an alert permanently removes it from the system. Unlike dismissing, a deleted alert will no longer appear in the alert history.
Find the alert on the Alerts page.
Click the trash icon.
Confirm the deletion in the dialog that appears.
The Alerts module must be enabled in Preferences for the Alerts menu item to appear.
Email and SMS alerts are sent immediately when you click Send Alert. They cannot be recalled once sent.
Dashboard banners with no expiration date remain visible until someone with the Dismiss Alert permission manually dismisses them.
The notification badge on the Alerts menu item shows the number of active alerts.
Alerts are different from Bulletin Board posts. Alerts are designed for urgent, short messages delivered across multiple channels. Use the Bulletin Board for longer announcements and community discussion.
If you have questions or need help, chat with Communitrak Support from any page using the messenger icon in the bottom-right corner.
