Broadcast Email and Event Request Services

Be sure to have all the details nailed down and all related materials ready to go before you submit your information. This may include:

• High Importance Items
  • Event description/email content
    • Have you included all the information people need to know before deciding whether to attend your event?
    • Are names of people/organizations listed accurately and spelled correctly?
    • Did you write everything out the way you want it to read in the email/on the event page? (i.e., if we did nothing more than copy your content and paste it into our template “as is,” would it be ready to go live?)
  • Deadlines
    • Is there an RSVP deadline?
  • Images
    • Advancement Communications requires that all event invitations and registration pages  include an image, such as a photo of the venue or featured speaker. Please send image(s) in jpeg or png format.
• Other Important Items
  • Attendee Information
    • Do you have a maximum number of attendees?
    • Are attendees allowed to bring guests? Is there a limit on the number of guests per person?
  • Pricing Information
    • How much does it cost to attend the event? Are there different prices for different activities or ticket types?
  • Accessibility Information
    • Is your event accessible to people with physical disabilities or other accessibility challenges?
  • COVID Restrictions
    • Do guests need to be vaccinated or masked? Do they need to show documentation, including proof of vaccination or a negative test?
  • Bios
    • If your event features presenters,  we recommend linking to their LinkedIn page or including a few sentences to describe their background and expertise.
  • Links
    • Please include links that will help attendees understand your event, such as the URL for your venue’s webpage, links to purchase an author’s book, etc.
• For events that include multiple activities, please submit a separate Word document outlining each activity that requires an attendance count and/or payment. 

Please review all information before you submit your request. Incomplete requests or those that require changes after entering the queue will take longer to process. 

In short, if you don’t consider it to be final, you are not ready to submit.

For ease of processing, please submit email content and event information in the following format:

• Word document
  • Content should be in a Word file. Please do not submit your text as a PDF or any other file format.
• Images should be attached separately
  • Please do not include images in your document. They must be submitted as attachments. 
  • Avoid images that contain text, or be sure that the text included in the image is written out in the body of the email.
  • Indicate where you would like the images placed in the document by adding text to the Word document in the following manner:  [INSERT IMAGE]
  • If there is more than one image to be inserted, include the description of each image as follows: [INSERT IMAGE: description of image] (ex., [INSERT IMAGE: flowers])
  • If you are including multiple images or additional content files, you should create a .zip archive of these files for uploading:
    • Both Mac/Windows users: First select all files to include in the .zip archive
    • Mac users: Control-click on one of the selected files and choose “Compress” to create the archive
    • Windows users: Control-click on one of the selected files and choose “Send To > Compressed (zipped) folder” to create the archive.
• Include full URLs (do not hyperlink them to words in your document)
• Highlight email addresses
• Put instructions (ex., [INSERT IMAGE])  and URLs in brackets/parentheses and highlight the text.

Note: when submitting content through our online form, be aware that the form may timeout after 20 minutes, requiring you to start over.

Once we receive your submission, it will go through several processing steps.

• We will check your submission to ensure that it is complete.
  • We will contact you if we have any questions or something is missing.
• We will proofread your submission and edit for Vassar style.
  • We may make changes to content to improve accuracy or clarity.
• Our Advancement Communications team will take your content and put it into Vassar’s email and/or event templates.
  • These templates are set up to reflect Vassar branding. General layout, fonts, and colors cannot be changed.
• Advancement Communications will create a preview. This may take 7 to 10 full business after they receive your submission. 
  • Please note that during periods of a high volume of requests, the processing time may be longer.

Once we receive the preview, we will share it with you for review.

• The preview will be sent to the volunteer who submitted the information.
• You may share the preview with others who may need to approve the content (such as other volunteers, planning committee members, event speakers, etc.).
  • Please do not forward the email to anyone else, or use the included links to sign up for the event. All information in the preview is in draft form, and any data entered will be expunged before the event page goes live and the email is sent out.
• You will have the opportunity to submit one round of minor edits.
  • Please be sure that all relevant participants have seen the preview and shared their feedback.
• Once you have collected all changes, please share them with us in one email.
  • Please note that requesting changes will take additional processing time before your final materials can be posted.
• We ask that you submit your changes in the following format:
  • Reply to the preview email that we sent you.
  • Include your changes in the email:
    • Place your cursor in the body of the email preview and type directly into the preview.
    • Make your changes clear and apparent to us (see sample document for details).
      • Use red text to show us exactly what words you would like to change or add.
      • Use the strikethrough formatting option to show us exactly what text to delete or replace.
      • For less obvious changes (such as adding a comma or deleting a space), please also include a numbered list with a description of what the change is and in which paragraph we will find it.
• We will then send your changes to Advancement Communications, who will make all requested edits.
• You will not receive a second preview so please be sure that you have already submitted all necessary changes. We will ensure that your requested changes have been made, and then approve the materials to be sent and/or posted.

Reminder emails are a tool for boosting event registration numbers. When deciding if your event warrants a reminder email, please follow this process.

Monitor Event Registration

Two weeks before your registration deadline, check the number of people signed up for your event. (You can do this by clicking the “See Who’s Coming” button on your event registration page, which you can access through our online calendar.)

Is the number of registrants lower than expected?

• Remember, the number of registrants will vary depending on your market and the type of event you’re holding. Be realistic when estimating how many people your event might attract.

Determine if a Reminder is Needed

Before requesting a reminder, explore other means of promoting your event in order to prevent email fatigue and unsubscribes.

• Have you posted your event on social media?
• Have you considered personal outreach to alums in your area to invite them to your event?
  • Contact your staff leads for a directory and consider having volunteers reach out via phone or personal email.

A reminder email may not be necessary if:

• It has been less than a week since your email invitation went out.
• Your event has a limited number of slots available.
• Your registration deadline is in fewer than 8 business days.

Contact Advancement to Request a Reminder

If a reminder email is warranted, email your staff contacts no later than 8 business days before your registration deadline.

In your email, include the name and date of the event for which you are requesting the reminder.

Advancement Will Process and Send Out the Reminder

We will submit the reminder request to Advancement Communications based on the information provided in your email. 

Please note:

• The reminder wording will be an abbreviated version of your original email request. 
• We will schedule the reminder to go out two days before your registration deadline.
• You will not receive a preview of the reminder email.