Purpose

The purpose of the SCU Broadcast Email Policy is to clarify the roles, responsibilities, and processes for sending email communications to Santa Clara University alumni. The policy is intended to help maximize message effectiveness and increase alumni engagement.

Email marketing should be viewed as one of many ways to market University and departmental programs. Mass email, unlike mass mailing, has little direct financial cost. Because of this, organizations may be tempted to send emails more frequently. Without the diligence oversight in administering emails, the University stands to dilute an effective and economical means of communicating with a highly valued constituency group.

In response to the adoption of a central University database (Raiser's Edge) and email distribution tool (BBNC), University Relations has developed a policy to guide campus departments wishing to communicate with alumni.

Broadcast Email Policy Definitions

General Definitions

  • Broadcast emails or e-messages are general information and/or solicitation emails sent to a specific audience (i.e. alumni of an athletics team, alumni in a specific region, targeted class years, etc).
  • It is the University's policy that e-messages to alumni should be scheduled through the Alumni Relations department. Such e-messages must be created and sent using the BBNC broadcast email tool.
  • Raiser's Edge (RE) is the University's central database of choice. Use of a shadow database or 3rd party e-mail broadcast systems is not permitted.

Specific Messages

  • The Alumni Association monthly message, the Bronco Connect, goes to all undergraduate and graduate alumni of the University (including the Jesuit School of Theology) and is primary mode for alumni communication. The newsletter is news focused; all event focused information should be placed in the mid-month newsletter
  • The Alumni Association mid-month message (Northern and Southern California) goes to all undergraduate and graduate alumni who reside in the the Bay Area or Southern California areas and is primarily event focused.
  • Target messages can be segmented by class, department, school, region (based off an individual's preferred address zip code), donation level, or prior event attendance. All targeted messages must be segmented through a query in RE and be linked to a list in BBNC.

SCU Broadcast Email Policy Overview

  • E-messages to targeted groups of alumni may be sent by various sub-groups of the University (e.g. a school, athletics, center of distinction, etc.) provided they are scheduled with Alumni Relations office on the master email distribution calendar and sent through the University email distribution tool (BBNC). This is to both track and optimize the number and timing of messages sent to alumni, to minimize confusion with who alumni should update their email with, and to ensure the records in Raiser's Edge are kept current.
  • Campus organizations should be judicious with the use of mass email, bearing in mind that broadcast email is a shared campus resource.
  • Events are limited to two (2) email announcements, an initial invitation and reminder message.
  • All messages must adhere to the University editorial and design guidelines.
  • Messages will be restricted to those that pertain directly to Santa Clara University and are clearly relevant to alumni.  Some requests may not be granted if the message is deemed inappropriate to be sent from SCU.

SCU Broadcast Email Policy "How-To"

  • Requests for e-messages must be submitted to Carey DeAngelis in Alumni Relations (via email cdeangelis@scu.edu) no less than fourteen (14) days before the date the message is to be sent. Please note: The initial date to send your email may not be feasible. Please allow for flexibility on send date as there may be multiple requests for a single time frame.
  • When several organizations submit email requests to go out within the same time frame, Alumni Relations will, in consultation with the affected organizations, prioritize the requests and work with all parties to ensure the messages are sent in a timely and effective manner. In consultation with the sending organizations, concurrent messages to similar target audiences may be combined into a single email, if appropriate.
  • Once a date has been secured, the departmental representative who has been trained on BBNC will craft the HTML message in BBNC, ensuring content is in line with University guidelines, links work, and proper CAN-SPAM policies are met.
  • Senders should familiarize themselves with all applicable rules and regulations affecting e-mail. All e-mails to alumni must be in compliance with University and federal rules, particularly with regard to Federal Trade Commission Spam regulations and Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act guidelines.
  • In an effort to maintain good alumni relations, after a message has been sent email responses received from alumni should be read and followed up on within 48 business hours by the designated staff member of the sending organization.  Requests by alumni to be removed from University email lists should be referred immediately to Carey DeAngelis in Alumni Relations.
  • Senders should be aware that in contacting alumni, both their message and actions will likely be perceived as a reflection on the University as a whole, not just the sending campus group or organization. Even a seemingly insubstantial interaction can have lasting impact—for better or for worse—on an alumna or alumnus's relationship with Santa Clara.  Senders should be mindful of their role as ambassadors of the institution when contacting SCU alumni.

Monthly Broadcast- Bronco Connect (All Alumni)

  • Submission requests for the Alumni Association mid-monthly broadcast should be made to Alumni Relations by the 25th of each month.
  • Submissions must contain no more than two or three overview sentences (roughly 175 characters), a URL for an SCU-hosted web site which offers complete information about the event or program, and any corresponding imagery.

Monthly Mid-month Broadcast (Northern and Southern California Alumni)

  • Submission for the Alumni Association monthly broadcast should be made to Alumni Relations by the first Tuesday of each month.
  • Submissions must contain no more than two or three overview sentences (roughly 175 characters), a URL for an SCU-hosted web site which offers complete information about the event or program, and any corresponding imagery.

Targeted Emails

  • E- message audiences must be defined as closely as possible, segmented through a query in RE, and linked to a list in BBNC. All list query requests must be made with Deanna Alves in University Relations
  • Messages need to be composed in an HTML template. If you or your department dosen't have one, please contact Russ Morris in the Office of Marketing and Communications to develop a template using the University template system.
  • Each e-message must include:
    • Reply e-mail address - The email address of the staff person or other individual responsible for handling responses to the message must be submitted to Alumni Relations with the request.  Messages will generally be formatted such that the name of the sending organization and/or of the individual representing that organization appears in the "From" box.
    • Opt-out option  – "Unsubscribe from [specific type of e-mail].
    • E-messages must include an opt-out option in the footer of the message (handled by Alumni Relations). If a solicitation is included in the email, then a "do not solicit" option should be included in the footer.
    • Permanent mailing address for either the Alumni Association or the department on whose behalf the e-blast has been sent.
  • Subject lines must be clearly worded – not exceeding 45-55 characters - and convery should clearly convey the point of the message and that the message is being sent from an organization within Santa Clara University.
  • The stated purpose of the email must be included in the first few lines of the email as well as the subject line.
  • Images must be small in file size and using low resolution (6-8 KB)
  • Email messages should be precise and to the point. Essential information about the event or service should be included, but the message should not be excessively long. If an extended description or explanation is necessary, the message should include a link to a URL providing complete information.  No attachments may be sent with the e-blast.

Contact Information

Email Policy Administrator

Carey DeAngelis
Associate Director Marketing and Communications
Alumni Relations
408-554-7865
cdeangelis@scu.edu

HTML Templates

Russ Morris
Web Marketing Manager
Office of Marketing and Communications
408-554-5127
rmorris@scu.edu

List Queries

Deanna Alves
Raiser's Edge Senior System Administrator
Development
408-554-4975
dalves@scu.edu