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Using the Admin - Bulk Email Tool

The Bulk Email tool allows Group Project Administrators to send an email to all of their Group Project members or to one subgroup of members.

Accessing the Admin - Bulk Email Tool

To access this page:

  1. Sign in to your GAP account by entering your Project Administrator username and password.
  2. On the navigation bar, hover your cursor over Project Admin and click Bulk Email on the drop-down menu.

    OR

    In the lower section of your GAP dashboard, in the Project Administration section, click Bulk Email.
    You are directed to the Bulk Email tool

Composing a Bulk Email

There are a variety of tools available to format and compose your email. The tool bar along the top of the text box are similar to those found in other word processing applications.

Bulk email tools.png

What to include in your bulk email

To avoid unsubscribes and to clarify from whom the email is being sent, please try to personalize your email as much as possible and include the following:

  • An introductory paragraph at the beginning of your email explaining that you are a Group Project Administrator and the name of the Group Project for which you are sending the email.
  • A signature in your email with at least your full name, your Group Project’s name, and your email address.

What to avoid in your bulk email

To help improve email deliverability and to avoid triggering SPAM filters, please adhere to the following:

  • Avoid using excessive capitalization, punctuation, or bold font in your emails.
  • Avoid highlighting large sections of text.
  • Avoid using extremely large font.
  • Do not include links to other websites outside of FamilyTreeDNA.
  • Do not include the footer text (disclaimer text, unsubscribe text, and company address) as this will automatically be generated in emails sent to members.
  • Do not include the FamilyTreeDNA logo in your email.
  • When copying text from a FamilyTreeDNA email that was sent to you, please only include text that is pertinent to your members, and please do not include any images from an email.

Bulk email closing/signature

Your bulk email closing/signature should always include your full name, that you are an Administrator of the Group Project, and at least your email address.

Example:

Sincerely,
Your First Name and Last Name
YYY Administrator
Your email address

Where YYY is the name of your Group Project.

For example, if your Group Project name is “mtDNA Haplogroups,” your closing/signature line will read:

Sincerely,
Mary Smith
mtDNA Haplogroups Administrator
msmith@email.com

Sample bulk email template

The following is a sample bulk email template:

A Message From Your (Group Project Name) Administrator

Dear (Group Project Name) Members,

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXBody TextXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

Sincerely,
(Full Name)
(Group Project Name) Administrator
(Email Address)

Email Submission Process

All bulk emails are submitted to the Group Projects Team for review before they are sent. If the Group Projects Team finds any issues with an email, the email will not be approved and a member of the team will contact you with an explanation of what needs to be corrected.

Note: The Group Projects Team does not edit bulk emails nor do they review email content for punctuation/grammar, genealogical references, whether or not an analysis of a particular SNP or haplogroup is correct, etc. The team only reviews emails to verify that all  Group Administrator Guidelines are being followed and that references to FamilyTreeDNA products, policies, and procedures are accurate.

These rules/guidelines are in place to help improve email deliverability and to avoid triggering SPAM filters. They are also to help members identify more easily that the email is coming from an administrator of a Group Project and from which administrator.

In order for your bulk email to be approved, you must adhere to the Group Administrator Guidelines as well as the guidelines outlined in this article.

Bulk Email Approval

When your bulk email is approved, all administrators of the Group Project will receive the bulk email, and all members of the Group Project or selected subgroup who have subscribed to Project notifications will receive the bulk email.

The bulk email uses the blind carbon copy (BCC) option. This means it will generate a list so that the only email shown to the recipient is their own. They will not be able to view the other email addresses included in the bulk email.

Note: Members can subscribe or unsubscribe to bulk emails on their Account Settings – Email Notifications page. For more info, see Account Settings – Email Notifications.

Bulk Email Denial

When your bulk email is denied, you will receive an email.

The email’s subject line will read:

Denied Bulk Email – A message from your YYY Group Project Administrator

YYY being the name of your Group Project.

The body of the email will state:

Your bulk email request has been denied for the following reasons:

Your email was not approved (reason entered here).

Please submit a new bulk email request with the necessary modifications to begin the process again.

 

If you have additional Bulk Email questions, please contact the Group Projects Team at groups@ftdna.com.

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