How does sending bulk emails in Sumac work? How do I set it up?

How does sending bulk emails in Sumac work? How do I set it up?

When Sumac sends bulk emails, it is essentially running a mail merge to personalize the emails as it sends them out. As such, you need a template that makes up the body of the email you're sending. Sumac combines the template with the data from your database to personalize the emails for each recipient. The Sumac Team provides some sample templates available for things like fundraising letters, thank you letters and receipts. They are available here.

However, a lot of clients like to build their own templates from scratch, especially for newsletters, since they usually have preferred formatting for how they want the email to look.
The template itself is an external file, created outside of Sumac. When you run a print mailing, you can use an .rtf or a .docx file as a template, so you can make print templates in Microsoft Word, for example. But for sending a bulk email, you must use an HTML template to ensure that colors, links, fonts, pictures, etc., all appear properly in each recipient's inbox. To do this, you should use a designated HTML editing program. We have several resources on our website to help you with finding an HTML Editor, as well as sample templates you can use to get started. 

We also have excellent training videos that walk you through the steps of setting up Sumac to send emails, creating your HTML template, and finally send out the mailing:

Step 2 - Create HTML Template

Step 3 - Send Bulk Email


    Societ Academy

    Learn what you need to know, any time. Free!
    ​


    • High quality training on demand - sessions are available every day, so you can access training that fits into your schedule.
    • Training sessions that are easy to follow - helpful tips throughout each session, and access to training moderators ensure your questions get answered.
    • A certificate of completion - you can request a certificate of completion for every session you attend.