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Public forms creation

On the first page in this series, the public forms overview page, we looked at some of the different ways public forms could be used. In this documentation, we’ll create a public form to capture signed digital cards submitted by the members of a bargaining unit. To accomplish this we will need to:
  1. Navigate to the Public forms page
  2. Click the New Public Form button for a person
  3. Name and configure the form
  4. Select fields to include on the form
Before you start, think about whether the form you want to build will, when submitted, create or update a person record or an organization record (i.e. a shop or department) in Broadstripes. In most cases, public forms are used to create or update people, not organizations. Therefore, this documentation describes the creation of a digital card public form for a person.

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Step 1: Navigate to Public forms

To create a public form, you must be an admin in your project. As with most admin-only functionality, Broadstripes’ Public forms index page is accessible via the Settings menu.
  1. Click Settings in top right corner of the app
  2. Type “Public forms” in the filter input box
  3. Click the Public forms option
The Public forms index page displays a table of all your public forms with columns for name (with an actions dropdown menu where you can edit, duplicate, or delete an existing form), type (person or organization), link (copy or go to the URL to the form), enabled status (whether the form is enabled or disabled), and creation/update information.

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Step 2: Start creating the form

On the Public forms index page, click one of the buttons to create a form:
  • New person form - For individual contacts (workers, volunteers, members)
  • New org form - For organization contacts (shops, departments, companies)
These buttons appear both at the top and bottom of the Public forms page.
Most campaigns use person forms for worker sign-ups and organizing. Organization forms are less common and typically used for employer/shop data collection. This documentation focuses on creating a person form.
You should now see the Public form editor.

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Step 3: Name your public form

The next step in building our form is to name it and configure basic settings in the public form editor. Type the name of your form into the Name field input box. Choosing a good form name: The form name appears in the Broadstripes interface and helps you identify the form in the list. It does NOT appear on the public form itself (unless you do not indicate a form header). Examples of good form names:
  • “2025 Worker Interest Card”
  • “Training Registration - March”
  • “Shop Steward Application”
  • “Volunteer Sign-Up”
  • “Digital Membership Card”
Examples of names to avoid:
  • “Form 1” (not descriptive)
  • “Test” (unclear purpose)
  • Generic names like “Card” (specify the year or campaign)

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Step 4: Enable the form for public access

Below the name field, you’ll see: Enable this form for public internet access? checkbox Ensure this checkbox is checked. If this is not checked, the form will become inactive. Anyone who uses the permanent URL associated with this public form will not be able to complete the form. When enabled:
  • The form is accessible via its public URL
  • Anyone with the link can open, complete, and submit the form
  • Form submissions are processed and create/update contacts
When disabled:
  • The form URL shows an error message
  • No submissions can be made
  • Useful for temporarily pausing submissions or testing changes
Important: You can enable/disable forms at any time from the Public forms index page by toggling the checkbox in the Enabled column.

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Step 5: Configure duplicate matching

In the form editor, you’ll see a checkbox for Attempt to match to existing contact. When enabled (recommended):
  • Broadstripes searches for existing contacts with matching email or phone number
  • If found, the form submission updates the existing contact instead of creating a duplicate
  • If not found, a new contact is created
  • Helps keep your project data clean
When disabled:
  • Always creates a new contact
  • May result in duplicate contacts if someone submits multiple times
How matching works: The matching process uses name fields and contact information (email and/or phone) to identify existing contacts. Name-matching uses “fuzzy logic,” so “Thomas” will match “Tom” and “Tommy.” At least one contact method (email OR phone) must match along with the name for a record match to be found. If a match is found, the records are merged intelligently:
  • Single-value fields (like assessment or custom dates) are updated with the new value
  • Multi-value fields (like phones or emails) preserve both old and new values

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Step 6: Review the information badges

Below the matching checkbox, you’ll see two informational badges: Record-matching badge Record-matching badge
  • Hover for details on how matching works
  • Explains the fuzzy name matching logic
  • Describes which fields are used for matching
Email confirmation to form submitter badge
  • Hover for information about email confirmations
  • Reminds you to configure email settings in the Email tab
  • Notes NLRB compliance requirements for authorization cards
These badges provide quick reference information.

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Step 7: Understand the form editor tabs

The form editor has a tabbed interface with six tabs. You’ll configure different aspects of your form in each tab:
  1. Standard fields - Select which standard fields appear on the form
  2. Timeline - Configure automatic timeline entry creation
  3. Employment - Set up employer information collection (person forms only)
  4. Form content - Customize logo, header, introduction, legal text, and signature field
  5. Email - Configure confirmation emails to submitters and others
  6. Other options - Set event steps, contact types, attachments, and PDF options
The Standard fields tab is selected by default when you first create a form.

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Step 8: Save your initial configuration

At this point, you might want to click the Save button at the bottom of the page. This will:
  • Save the form with the name you entered
  • Preserve the enabled/disabled status
  • Generate the permanent public form URL
  • Return you to the main Public forms page (index page)
Why save now?
  • Ensures your form is created with the correct name
  • Allows you to see the generated public URL
  • Prevents losing work if your session times out
  • You can continue editing later
You can continue editing without saving by moving to other tabs. All changes across all tabs are saved together when you click Save. However, it’s good practice to save periodically, especially when making significant changes.

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Next steps: Customize your form

Your form has been created and is ready to be customized. The next step is to indicate which fields you want on your form. The best place to start is the The “Standard fields” tab. The following articles discuss the functional details of each tab on the public form editor: Configure what information to collect: Customize appearance and communications: Configure advanced options: Manage and share your form: