Email Blast is an essential time-saving tool for any site manager. You can use this email system to communicate to users registered with your Get Connected site, and even send inspiring emails to engage volunteers.
The User Filter
The User Filter tool, located within the Email Blast tab, allows you to send targeted emails to different groups of users based on the criteria you select. The User Filter is helpful because:
You won’t have to manually build email lists.
You can save a filter to use again.
Your emails will reach the right people.
There are many combinations of email recipients you can create with the User Filter, from agencies who are posting new opportunities dedicated to volunteers who haven’t logged in in a while. Whomever you need to communicate with, the user filter will help you select your intended audience and automatically populate your email recipient list with users that meet your criteria:
Check out this article, which provides a list of the user filters most commonly used by Site Managers.
Note that you can save your filters for future use, so it’s even easier to send emails to a targeted group of recipients the next time around:
Template Keys
Now that you’ve learned about targeting your communications, let’s look at how you can quickly create personalized emails (without having to send separate messages to each recipient). Your messages will feel more personal and human (less “automatic”), but you’ll save tons of time communicating with your volunteers and agencies.
If you select the {{to_firstname}} template key, for example, the system will automatically replace this key with the recipients’ first names in the email that is sent. Take a look at the example below:
Within the message body, tags are used to automatically customize the email for each recipient. In your email, you may want to invite volunteers to check out new opportunities by inserting the {{site_url}} tag.
Email Signature
Create a custom email signature that you can quickly insert into any message body. This signature can serve as your email “sign off.” The signature adds a bit of a personal touch, and lets recipients know who to contact if they have questions. So it’s a good idea to create a signature that communicates vital contact information and includes your site logo. We recommend using the following signature format:
[Your Name]
Volunteer Coordinator
United Way of [Your Affiliate]
[Street Address]
