The Federal Trade Commission’s CAN-SPAM Act establishes regulations for commercial messaging. To align with CAN-SPAM and campus requirements, Extension staff and volunteers must follow email best practice guidelines. Watch the introduction training to incorporating email marketing for engaging with the public presented Nov. 4, 2020.

There are seven key points that impact our email practices.

1. Outgoing emails must include clear header information in the From, To, Reply-To, and routing information. The Domain Name and Email address must be accurate and identify the business.
2. The subject line must accurately reflect the content of the message.
3. You must disclose clearly that your message is an advertisement.
4. You must include your valid physical postal address, such as street address or PO Box.
5. You must provide clear instructions for opting out or unsubscribing from receiving future messages from you.
6. You must honor an opt-out request within 10 business days. You cannot make the recipient take any step other than sending a reply email or visiting a single page on an Internet website to honor an opt-out request.
7. If a volunteer or business is acting on our behalf to send the digital communication, both Extension and the company or volunteer may be held legally responsible.

Check out the training on using Webtools Group Manager which includes training on creating groups (email distribution and opt out groups), using unsubscribe and opt-out functions, managing lists, and sharing access to the list.