Direct Email: Sending Communication

Send Direct Email

Direct email refers to a simple email containing text and attachments. Use one of the methods below to send a direct email to a single or small number of volunteers. If you are communicating with a large number of volunteers or wish to use a template, it is recommended that you follow the Send Newsletter tutorial instead.

1. If you know the name(s) or email address(es) of the desired recipient(s):
1. Click Inbox at the top right next to your username.
2. Click Compose.
3. Next to “To,” select Volunteer.
4. Type the name of a volunteer in the “To” field and click on their name when it appears, or enter the volunteer’s email address. Continue adding volunteers, pressing Enter on your keyboard after each entry.
2. If you wish to search for recipient(s) using advanced criteria (e.g., City, Skill):
1. Conduct an advanced search for the volunteers with whom you wish to communicate using steps 1-4 of the Search for Volunteers tutorial.
2. In the list of volunteers, check the boxes next to the names of the desired volunteers.
3. To email all of the volunteers listed, select Send Email from the “All Search Results” dropdown menu.
   To only email some of the volunteers listed, check the boxes next to the names of the desired volunteers. Then, select Send Email from the “Selected Volunteers/Teams” dropdown menu.
3. If you wish to send a direct email to all of your volunteers:
1. From the Main Menu, click Volunteers then Volunteer list.
2. Select Send Email from the “All Search Results” dropdown menu, then click Apply.
4. On the New Email page, enter CC or BCC email addresses, if desired, and a Subject for the email.
5. To add a document or image to this email, click on Click here OR Drop file here under “Attachments.” Select the desired document from your computer.
6. If you wish to set or edit your email signature, click on Click here to set Email Signature. Follow the User Profile tutorial for help.
   Note: This step will redirect you to a new page, resulting in a loss of your work.
7. To use an existing template for this email, select it from the “Template” dropdown menu.
   Note: Only templates saved using the method listed in step 8 below will appear in this dropdown menu.
8. To save this email as a template for future use, check the box next to “Save As Template.” Then, name the template in the “Template Title” field.
9. Enter the content of your email in the “Body” field. If desired, you can use the formatting options available.
10. If you wish, you can add placeholders to the body of the email. Use placeholders to auto-populate the text with information (e.g., First Name, Total Hours Volunteered) specific to each recipient.
    
    1. To add a placeholder to the body of the email, place your cursor at the location in the email content where you want the placeholder to be added.
    2. Select the desired placeholder from the “Placeholder” dropdown menu, then click the add icon.
    3. Repeat for each additional placeholder.
11. To save your work and send the email later, click Save As Draft. To send now, click Send.
    Note: Saved drafts will appear in your “Communication History,” which can be accessed using the View Outgoing Communication tutorial.