Email Formatting Options?

[Kevin Mullen]

We are just starting our season and I am trying to figure out the options for formatting emails that we send out to members.  I don't see any options to do HTML emails or even just add a picture in the messaging interface in HQ.  Is there any way to do something besides just text and links?

[freezinKT]

8 hours ago, Kevin Mullen said:

We are just starting our season and I am trying to figure out the options for formatting emails that we send out to members.  I don't see any options to do HTML emails or even just add a picture in the messaging interface in HQ.  Is there any way to do something besides just text and links?

If you click "Members" -> "Directory" and scroll under the directory you will see "Use Legacy Directory (Permissions and Newsletters)." From there you can either click "Send Message" above the list of everyone in your org - if you want to email all of them - or go to the Groups tab and use the Groups to pick who to send messages to. If a group, pick the group and then click "Messages" and "Send New Message." The legacy directory allows for HTML formatted emails. We are required by a sponsor to include their logo in an email, and you can get it to work this way. You can even use the email templates you create under Website Tools in this interface.

Many will be quick to point out that this method doesn't integrate with beta Season Management, because while old Sports Management formed smart groups for teams, beta Season Management does not. That's unfortunately true. If you want to use HTML formatted emails and new Season Management teams, you kind of have to hack around, BUT it is possible.

In your registration, you can create a report in registration filtered on team name assigned in Season Management. Yes, that would be one report per team, a pain if you have a lot of teams. Then from that report, click "Create Smart Group." That way, you would have a legacy group per team that would allow you to email them using the legacy email interface.

Of course we can all hope that the HQ team makes a ton of progress making the new member directory as feature rich as the old when it comes to emails, and Season Management as well integrated with the site as Sports Management.

[Jonathan Jordan]

Test and Preview: Always test your emails before sending them to ensure they display correctly on different devices and email clients.