Sending emails to large distribution lists or many individual recipients is a necessary part of university operations, but it carries a risk of being flagged as spam or phishing which can negatively impact the university's email reputation and delivery success. As email providers tighten restrictions, limits on the number of recipients per message may be reduced in the future, meaning many current practices will soon become unviable.
While there is not a defined number of recipients that is 'too many,' for most cases, emails going to over 50 recipients would be more suspicious to spam filters and receive additional automated scrutiny.
By adopting the following best practices, you can ensure your communications are delivered efficiently, mitigate security risks and prepare for future limitations.
For all communication directed at students within a course or specific group, utilizing Google Groups is the most efficient and future-proof method.
| Feature | Description | Benefit |
|
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A Google Group is created for every registered course through Wolfware and Google automation. | Immediate access for faculty and staff to communicate with the entire class roster. |
| Group-Based Sending | Send one email to the group address instead of hundreds of individual addresses. | Reduces the recipient count per message, significantly lowering the risk of triggering spam filters and adhering to potential future sending limits. |
| Subscription Management | Recipients (students) are automatically added/removed based on registration. Recipients can configure how they receive updates. | Ensures compliance and accuracy without manual list maintenance. |
For targeted communications (e.g., event invitations, specific departmental announcements) where personalization and tracking are essential, a mail merge tool like YAMM (Yet Another Mail Merge) is recommended as long as the volume of mail is below 1500 messages in a single day.
| Tool | Description | Benefit |
| YAMM (Yet Another Mail Merge) | An add-on for Google Sheets/Gmail that sends personalized emails based on a spreadsheet. | Allows high-volume, personalized sending using individual recipient fields (e.g., name, department). |
| Tracking Capabilities | Provides real-time metrics on who saw, who opened, who clicked links, and who bounced. | Offers valuable insight into engagement and helps refine future communications. |
| Unsubscribe Management | Can include an unsubscribe link to help maintain clean lists and comply with best practices. | Improves sender reputation by ensuring messages are only sent to willing recipients. |
For large-scale, professional marketing, fundraising or institutional campaigns, the university maintains licenses for dedicated mass mailing services. These tools are designed to handle high volumes and have established sender reputations that bypass many internal email limits.
| Tool | Primary Purpose | How it Works | Cost Model | Additional Information Link |
| Emma | Marketing, Newsletters, Events, Surveys | Uses dedicated IP addresses and robust list segmentation/management tools. | Centralized University License (Costs may be allocated to departments). | More information on Emma |
| MailJet | Transactional and Bulk Email Campaigns | Focuses on high-deliverability rates and API integration for automated sends. | Centralized University License (Costs may be allocated to departments). | More information on MailJet |
*Your department or college may offer additional mass mailing tools. Check with your local IT for more information.