Email Tools

Email Communication Tools

Learn how to use The Club Schedule’s email features to communicate with your club members effectively.

Types of Email Communication

The Club Schedule provides several ways to communicate with members:

1. Manual Club-Wide Emails

Send custom messages to all members or selected groups.

2. Automated Notifications

System-generated emails that send automatically based on events:

• Schedule publication notifications
• Meeting reminder notifications
• Assignment notifications

3. Individual Assignment Emails

Emails sent when individual assignments are created or changed.

Sending Manual Emails to Members

Accessing the Email Tool

1. Log in as a club officer
2. Click Email Members from your dashboard
3. Or navigate to Communication > Email Members in the menu

[Screenshot: Email Members button in Club Administration section of dashboard]

Composing Your Message

1. To: Select recipients
   • All active members
   • Only officers
   • Members with specific roles
   • Custom selection (coming soon)
2. Subject: Enter your email subject line
   • Keep it clear and concise
   • Include relevant dates or topics
   • Example: “Important: Meeting Moved to Next Week”
3. Message: Write your email content
   • Use the text editor to format your message
   • Keep it concise and actionable
   • Include any necessary links or attachments (if supported)
4. Preview: Review how the email will look to recipients
5. Send: Click Send Email to deliver the message

[Screenshot: Email composition form showing all fields]

Email Sending Limits

To prevent spam and protect your club’s reputation:

Active Subscription:

• Unlimited emails to members
• Automatic notifications work normally

Lapsed Subscription (Grace Period Ended):

• Limited to 2 emails per week
• Automatic notifications are disabled
• Reactivate your subscription to restore full email access

Automated Email Notifications

Schedule Publication Notifications

When you publish a schedule, members can be automatically notified.

To enable:

1. Go to Club Settings > Email Preferences
2. Check “Notify all members when a new schedule is published”
3. Click Save Settings

What members receive:

• Email with the schedule name and date range
• Link to view the full schedule
• List of their assignments (if any)
• Instructions for responding to assignments

[Screenshot: Email preference setting for schedule notifications]

Meeting Reminder Notifications

Set up automatic reminders sent before each meeting.

To configure:

1. Go to Communication > Meeting Notifications
2. Choose reminder timing:
   • 3 days before meeting
   • 1 week before meeting
   • 2 weeks before meeting
   • Custom timing
3. Customize the reminder message template
4. Click Save Settings

What members receive:

• Reminder about the upcoming meeting
• Their role assignments for that meeting
• Meeting date, time, and location (if configured)
• Link to view the full schedule

[Screenshot: Meeting notification settings page]

Assignment Notifications

Members automatically receive emails when:

• They’re assigned to a new role
• An officer changes their assignment
• They need to respond to an assignment

Email content includes:

• Role name and meeting date
• Accept/Decline buttons (one-click response)
• Link to view the schedule
• Deadline for responding (if configured)

Email Best Practices

When to Use Manual Emails

• Announcements: Important club news or changes
• Reminders: Special events or deadlines
• Updates: Changes to published schedules
• Emergency communications: Last-minute meeting cancellations
• Club business: Officer elections, club votes, etc.

When to Use Automated Notifications

• Regular meeting reminders: Set it once and forget it
• New schedule releases: Ensure everyone sees their assignments
• Assignment confirmations: Let the system handle routine communications

Writing Effective Emails

Subject Lines:

• Be specific: “Meeting Cancelled This Thursday” vs “Update”
• Use dates: “Schedule for March 2025 Published”
• Indicate urgency when needed: “URGENT: Change to Tomorrow’s Meeting”

Message Content:

• Start with the most important information
• Use short paragraphs
• Include specific dates and times
• Provide clear action items
• Add a friendly closing

Timing Your Emails

• Avoid late nights/early mornings – Send during business hours
• Give adequate notice – At least 24-48 hours for important changes
• Don’t over-communicate – Too many emails lead to members ignoring them
• Consolidate information – Send one comprehensive email instead of multiple short ones

Managing Email Preferences

Member Email Preferences

Members control their own email preferences:

• Assignment notifications: On/Off
• Reminder notifications: Frequency
• Club announcement emails: On/Off

Club-Wide Email Settings

As an officer, you control:

• Whether schedule publication sends notifications
• Meeting reminder timing and content
• Default email templates

Access these in Club Settings > Email Preferences.

[Screenshot: Email preferences section in Club Settings]

Troubleshooting Email Delivery

Emails Not Being Received

Check these common issues:

1. Member email addresses
   • Go to Manage Members
   • Verify members have valid email addresses
   • Check for typos in email addresses
2. Spam/Junk folders
   • Ask members to check spam folders
   • Whitelist emails from @theclubschedule.com
   • Add The Club Schedule to contacts
3. Email preferences
   • Check if the member has opted out of certain emails
   • View member profile > Contact Preferences
4. Subscription status
   • Verify your subscription is active
   • Check if you’ve hit the lapsed subscription email limit

Bounced Emails

If an email bounces (delivery fails):

• You’ll see a warning in the Recent Activity log
• Update the member’s email address
• Contact the member through another channel to get their correct email

Delayed Emails

Some emails may take a few minutes to arrive:

• Large email batches are queued to prevent spam filters
• Background processing ensures reliable delivery
• Check the notification job status in Recent Activity

Email Compliance and Privacy

What We Track

• Email delivery status (sent, failed, bounced)
• Email open rates (anonymized)
• Link clicks (anonymized)

What We Don’t Do

• Share member email addresses with third parties
• Send marketing emails without consent
• Include member emails in CC/BCC that exposes them to others

Member Rights

Members can:

• Opt out of non-essential emails
• Update their email address at any time
• Request deletion of their email from the system

Advanced Email Features

Email Templates (Coming Soon)

Save frequently used messages as templates:

• Meeting cancellation template
• New member welcome email
• Monthly newsletter template

Scheduled Sending (Coming Soon)

Schedule emails to send at a specific time:

• Prepare emails in advance
• Send during optimal times
• Coordinate with other club activities

Email Analytics (Coming Soon)

Track email effectiveness:

• Open rates
• Click-through rates
• Response rates to assignments

Related Articles

• Creating and Publishing Schedules
• Inviting New Members
• Club Settings Overview
• Subscription and Billing Guide