Zapier Automation: From Program Form to Email Announcement

What This Builds

You'll create an automation that watches a Google Form where your team adds new library programs — and automatically sends a promotional email announcement to your patron list via Mailchimp (or Gmail) when a new program is submitted. Instead of one staff person manually copying event details from a planning form into an email announcement every time, it happens automatically.

Prerequisites

• Free Zapier account (zapier.com) — free tier allows 5 Zaps; this requires 1
• Google Forms (free) — used to enter new programs
• Mailchimp (free up to 500 contacts) or Gmail for sending announcements
• Your patron email list imported into Mailchimp (or a group set up in Gmail)
• Time needed: 1–2 hours to build; runs forever after

The Concept

Think of Zapier as a set of automated pipes between your apps. You define a trigger ("when someone fills out the program form") and an action ("send an email announcement"). After setup, adding a new program to the form automatically creates and sends the announcement — no copy-pasting, no forgotten notifications.

This is the most common manual chore in library event management: the same information gets typed into 3–4 places (planning spreadsheet, website calendar, email list, social media). This automation handles the email piece automatically.

Build It Step by Step

Part 1: Create your Google Form for new programs

Go to forms.google.com and click + to create a new form. Title it "New Program Submission."

Add these fields:

• Program Name (Short answer)
• Date and Time (Short answer — e.g., "Tuesday, April 15 at 6:00 PM")
• Location (Short answer — e.g., "Main Branch, Community Room")
• Brief Description (Paragraph — what attendees will do/experience, 2-3 sentences)
• Target Audience (Multiple choice or short answer — e.g., Adults, Teens, Kids, Families, All Ages)
• Cost (Short answer — e.g., "Free" or "$5")
• Registration Required? (Yes/No — and registration link if yes)

Click Share and share the form link with your programming staff. This is the form they'll fill out when adding a new program.

What you should see: A clean form with all event fields.

Part 2: Set up a Mailchimp audience

If you don't have Mailchimp yet:

1. Go to mailchimp.com, create a free account
2. Click Audience → Manage Audience → Import Audience
3. Upload your patron email list (CSV format: Name, Email)
4. Create a campaign template called "Program Announcement" with your library's branding

If you already use Mailchimp: note the name of the Audience (mailing list) you'll send to.

Part 3: Connect them in Zapier

Go to zapier.com and create a free account. Click Create Zap.

Step 1: Set the Trigger

• Search for "Google Forms" and select it
• Choose trigger event: New Response in Spreadsheet
• Connect your Google account
• Select your "New Program Submission" form
• Click Test Trigger to confirm it finds your form data
• Click Continue

Step 2: Set the Action

• Search for "Mailchimp" and select it (or "Gmail" if you prefer)
• Choose action event: Send Campaign (Mailchimp) or Send Email (Gmail)
• Connect your Mailchimp account
• Configure the email:

  • To: Your patron audience/list
  • Subject line: Click the form field selector → select "Program Name" + " — Free Library Program"
  • Email body: Type your template and use Zapier's "Insert Data" feature to pull in form fields:

Join us at [Library Name] for a new program!

[Program Name]
Date: [Date and Time field]
Location: [Location field]
Who it's for: [Target Audience field]
Cost: [Cost field]

[Brief Description field]

[If Registration Required = Yes]: Register here: [Registration Link]
[If Registration Required = No]: Just drop in — no registration needed!

We hope to see you there!
[Library Name] | [address] | [phone] | [website]

Part 4: Test the automation

Turn the Zap on. Go to your Google Form and submit a test entry with a fake program. Wait 1–2 minutes, then check your Mailchimp "Sent" campaigns — you should see the test email was created and sent (or check Gmail sent folder).

Review the test email for formatting issues. If form fields appear with extra spaces or odd formatting, return to Zapier and adjust the body template.

Troubleshooting: If the Zap doesn't trigger, check that your Google Form responses are being saved to a linked Google Sheet (Form Settings → Responses → Link to Sheets). Zapier reads the Sheets version.

Real Example: A New Adult Program is Added

Setup: Your programming team submits a form entry: "Medicare Open Enrollment Help" / "Wednesday, October 16 at 2:00 PM" / "Main Branch, Meeting Room A" / "SHIP volunteers will help you compare Medicare plans and answer enrollment questions. This is not insurance sales." / Adults / Free / No registration needed.

Trigger: Google Form receives the submission.

Automatic output (email sent to patron list within 5 minutes):

Time saved: 20–30 minutes of manual email drafting + sending, every program.

What to Do When It Breaks

• Zap isn't triggering → Check that the Google Form is linked to a Google Sheet (required for Zapier to read responses). Go to Form → Responses tab → Sheets icon.
• Email is formatted wrong → Edit the Zap's action step body template; map each form field explicitly using Zapier's insert-data picker rather than typing field names manually
• Wrong audience is receiving it → Check the Mailchimp audience selected in the Zap; you may have multiple audiences/lists
• You need to cancel a program → Zapier can't "unsend" an email; send a follow-up cancellation email manually. Consider adding a "Status" field to your form so you can filter out test/cancelled entries

Variations

• Simpler version: Skip Mailchimp; configure the Zap to send a Gmail to your staff distribution list so everyone is notified when a new program is added — no patron emails, just internal notification
• Extended version: Add a second Zap step that posts a Facebook update via Buffer when a new program is submitted — same form data, two automatic outputs (email + social)

What to Do Next

• This week: Build the form and test the trigger/action with a practice submission
• This month: Track how many program announcements were sent automatically vs. how many you had to send manually (aiming for 100% automated)
• Advanced: Add a second Zap that creates a Google Calendar event for the program automatically — no more manual calendar entries either

Advanced guide for public services librarian professionals. Test with a fake program before going live. Review Zapier's free tier limits (5 active Zaps, 100 tasks/month) to confirm it fits your program volume.