How to Send Emails to Families

Rostered's Communications hub lets you send email campaigns to families in your club. This guide covers composing, targeting, and tracking your email communications.

Using the Communications Hub

1. Navigate to your club dashboard.
2. Click Communications in the sidebar.
3. The Communications page has several tabs:
   • Inbox - Received messages
   • Compose - Create new emails
   • Drafts - Saved but unsent emails
   • Sent - Previously sent campaigns
   • Weekly Updates - Automated weekly summaries
   • Preferences - Notification settings

Composing Email Campaigns

1. Click the Compose tab.
2. Enter your email details:
   • Subject - The email subject line
   • Body - Your message content (supports formatting)
3. Select your recipients (see below).
4. Preview your email before sending.
5. Click Send to deliver immediately, or Save Draft to finish later.

Selecting Recipients

You can target your emails to specific groups:

All Families

1. Select "All Families" to email every guardian in your club.
2. Useful for club-wide announcements.

Specific Divisions

1. Select one or more divisions from the list.
2. Only families with athletes in those divisions receive the email.
3. Great for division-specific updates.

Specific Teams

1. Select individual teams.
2. Only families with athletes on those teams receive the email.
3. Ideal for team-specific communications.

Combined Selections

You can combine divisions and teams:

1. Select multiple divisions and/or teams.
2. Families in any of the selected groups receive the email.
3. Each family only receives one copy, even if they're in multiple groups.

Working with Drafts

Save a Draft

1. While composing, click Save Draft instead of Send.
2. Your email is saved and appears in the Drafts tab.
3. Return anytime to continue editing.

Edit a Draft

1. Go to the Drafts tab.
2. Click on a draft to open it.
3. Make your changes.
4. Send or save the updated draft.

Delete a Draft

1. Find the draft in the Drafts tab.
2. Click to delete it.
3. Confirm the deletion.

Viewing Sent Campaign Metrics

After sending an email, you can track its performance:

1. Go to the Sent tab.
2. Click on a sent campaign to view details.
3. Available metrics include:
   • Recipients - Number of email addresses sent to
   • Delivered - Successfully delivered emails
   • Opened - Recipients who opened the email
   • Clicked - Recipients who clicked links in the email

Weekly Updates

Rostered can send automated weekly updates to families:

1. Go to the Weekly Updates tab.
2. Configure what information to include:
   • Upcoming schedule items
   • RSVP reminders
   • Recent announcements
3. View previously sent weekly updates.

Compose a Custom Weekly Update

1. In the Weekly Updates tab, click Compose Weekly Update.
2. Add custom content to include with the automated information.
3. Preview and send.

Email Best Practices

Subject Lines

• Keep subjects clear and specific
• Include relevant details (team name, date, event type)
• Avoid all caps and excessive punctuation

Message Content

• Get to the point quickly
• Use formatting (headers, lists) for readability
• Include relevant dates and times
• Add contact information for questions

Timing

• Send important announcements during weekday business hours
• Avoid late nights and early mornings
• Consider your audience's timezone

Notification Preferences

Families can manage their notification preferences:

1. The Preferences tab lets you view your own settings.
2. Families control which types of notifications they receive.
3. Transactional emails (RSVPs, schedule changes) are always sent.
4. Marketing and announcement emails can be opted out of.