Following anti-spam laws is crucial for businesses engaged in email marketing or electronic communication. These laws are designed to combat unsolicited and often intrusive messages, commonly referred to as spam.
Ensure that your messages are effective, compliant with regulations, and well-received by your audience by following these guidelines.
Email Messaging Guidelines
To keep email service available and to prevent Jackrabbit Technologies from being spam black-listed, all emails sent from Jackrabbit must adhere to these guidelines.
All emails are monitored by our email delivery platform which filters all content to check for spam indicators. Messages that violate spam legislation will not be delivered.
Jackrabbit reserves the right to disable email functionality if we are alerted to abuse.
Provide an easy opt-out option | Include a visible opt-out link in every email. Honor opt-out requests promptly. |
Maintain a clean mailing list | Email list cleaning involves regularly updating your email contact list by cleaning out inactive and outdated contacts and being responsive to opt-outs. Removing duplicates and bounced email addresses will also improve your email deliverability. Jackrabbit offers several email reports to help you with this effort. |
Use clear and honest subject lines | Use subject lines that accurately reflect the content of the email. Avoid clickbait or deceptive tactics to entice opens. |
Provide your contact information | Include your physical address and a way for recipients to contact you in every email, as required by email marketing regulations. |
Text Messaging Guidelines
Text messaging in Jackrabbit is intended to facilitate urgent and timely communication between your organization and customers.
Jackrabbit texting is not intended as a general marketing tool.
Texting has very strict regulations on use governed by the FCC, CTIA, and MMA. Not following these guidelines may cause your sending phone numbers to be blocked and your account to be closed.
Obtain consent | You must have consent from your families which can be obtained through an opt-in mechanism. Jackrabbit offers several ways to opt-in to receive your text messages. |
Provide an easy opt-out option | Include clear instructions on how to opt-out of receiving future messages and respect their preferences promptly. There are several ways to opt-out recipients in Jackrabbit. |
Additional best practices:
- Minimize the number of messages per day. Too many messages will not only annoy customers but may trigger a carrier to block your sending phone number permanently. Jackrabbit will alert you when you’ve sent 200 cumulative texts in a 1-day period.
- Avoid marketing phrases like "Congratulations," "Buy Now," or "Sale Today Only."
- Avoid $ or other symbols that indicate marketing such as $199, Buy Now!, or 20% off.
Jackrabbit sends out a large number of emails for our clients every day. A question we sometimes hear is, "Why are some of my customers not receiving emails?" It is important to understand the process of email before working towards a solution!
Before getting started, it's even more important to understand what you can do to avoid problems with delivery rates.
What You Should Avoid
- Bad content: Avoid ALL CAPS and exclamation points !!!!! Don't use a red font when drafting your email; this is a common trick used by spammers.
- Issues with HTML: When composing emails, it is sometimes tempting to save time by converting Microsoft Word files to HTML, but this should be avoided because it can corrupt HTML. Broken HTML is a red flag for spam and will be sloppy and unreadable by most email clients.
- One big image: creating an HTML email containing an image with little or no text. Spam filters can’t read images and will assume you’re a spammer trying to trick them.
- Spam words: Act Now, Percent Off, Free Offer, etc. Check out this great Hubspot article The Ultimate List of Email SPAM Trigger Words.
One of the most common causes of spam complaints from recipients is failure to recognize the sender of the message. See Add Jackrabbit to Safe Senders List for more information.
Understand the Email Process
Let’s look at the route an email takes:
Step 1: Create and send an email
You compose and send an email in Jackrabbit, directing the email to our server.
Step 2: Jackrabbit servers process the email
The email is queued and sorted with financial emails (e.g., statements and receipts) being flagged as a higher priority. The email status will show in your database as Pending.
The emails are then sent to one of Jackrabbit’s servers. The server processes and releases the email. As soon as it is delivered, the email will show as Complete in your database. The email is considered successful and is no longer controlled by Jackrabbit.
Step 3: The email travels via the internet
Now the emails are released to the internet, passing through several routers. A server examines the to address for validity and sorts it in the right direction. The from address is checked for good standing and to ensure it is not blacklisted.
Step 4: The email searches for its destination
As an email reaches the domain address, the receiving server must process it. Many emails are rejected because they look like spam. The domain server may also determine that the specific recipient doesn’t live there. Different domain servers have different rules and different filter strictness.
Step 5: The email reaches its destination
If the email is successfully processed above, it is forwarded to the recipient’s email program. It must pass through any rules or filters the recipient’s email program (Outlook, Gmail, etc.) uses and any filters the recipient applied in their personal settings. Even though the email made it to the recipient’s email program doesn’t mean the email is sitting in their Inbox. It could be in another folder, including the junk or spam folder.
Improve Your Deliverability Rate
Your deliverability rate is the percentage of emails sent that are delivered to the recipient. The recipient’s ISP and personal settings are the largest determination of your deliverability rate. However, you can take action to increase the likelihood of emails arriving at their destination.
- Remove non-existent and undeliverable email addresses from your database. Reference the Email Bounce report.
- Stay current with email communication best practices to avoid triggering spam filters.
- Honor email opt-outs when sending mass marketing emails. Only include opt-outs for important notices like weather closures.
- Use a recognizable from email address and name, accompanied by a clear and relevant subject line. The subject line could prevent email providers from sending your email.
There are many reasons why an email can be prevented from making it to the recipient. Use Jackrabbit to help you find out why customers aren't receiving your emails.
Reasons an Email May Not be Received
Unfortunately, there are multiple reasons why an email isn't received. Many issues cannot be researched by Jackrabbit, but these are some of the most common issues:
- The email was sorted into the recipient's spam folder. The recipient doesn’t know they received it.
- The email was automatically deleted by the recipient's personal Spam rules.
- The recipient's Inbox is full and won’t accept any more emails until some are deleted.
- The recipient no longer uses that email address.
- The recipient's Internet Service Provider (ISP) refused to deliver the email because the ISP thinks it is spam.
- The email address is not typed correctly.
- The email address is the contact’s business email address. Some businesses block 3rd party redirected emails. Jackrabbit emails fall under this category.
Troubleshoot Email in Jackrabbit
Jackrabbit allows you to easily email families individually or in a large group. When you have problems with emails check the following to help troubleshoot the issue:
- The family record shows if the contact has opted out of mass emails.
- The family record holds a copy of emails sent to the family over the last 365 days. Check the status of an email sent to the family using the View Sent Emails button.
- The Email Bounce report provides a list of bounced email addresses to inform you of those returned to our server with an error.
- The Parent Portal allows contacts to view all emails you have sent to them over the last 365 days. Even if the email didn’t successfully make it to the contact’s Inbox, they can still view a copy here.
- Use the Sent Emails Report to see a list of emails sent to your students, contacts, and staff during a specified timeframe.
Sending a mass email uses Jackrabbit's Internet Service Provider (ISP), which can be seen as spam by the recipient's ISP and block it from being delivered.
The correct domain name and IP address must be used. Refer to Add Jackrabbit to Safe Sender List for more information and a complete list of our IP addresses.
Use Email Best Practices
Sending emails is the best way to communicate with a number of families at one time, especially when you have important information to share. How can you ensure that families are receiving emails?
- Create the habit of running the Email Bounce report after sending an email. This helps you identify bounced emails immediately instead of waiting for families to report the issue.
- Remove invalid email addresses (found on the Email Bounce report) from contact records in your database to avoid future bounces.
- Send a test email to a contact’s email address after removing them from the Email Bounce report to make sure emails are delivered.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. What is email validation?
A. Email validation ensures that an email address is correctly formatted (for example, an email address that is missing the @ symbol is incorrectly formatted). When an incorrectly formatted email address is part of a mass email, it can stop the emails from being received. Jackrabbit has email validation in place in a number of areas and will notify you if you attempt to enter an incorrectly formatted email address.
Q. Does Jackrabbit integrate with any CRM systems?
A. Jackrabbit does not integrate with any Customer Relationship Management (CRM) systems.
When emails are sent to families through Jackrabbit, a copy of the email is saved to the Family record > Misc tab > View Sent Emails for a period of 365 days.
You are able to easily export the contact information from your Jackrabbit database using the Email Listing Report under the Families (menu) > Family Reports > Email Listing. From there you can import your data into an email marketing service such as Constant Contact or MailChimp.
Q. Will a family receive multiple emails if the contacts use the same email address?
A. When you send an email to a family or a group of families, a duplicate check is done to ensure that the email is not sent to the same email address multiple times.
An email template contains basic information and formatting so that it can be re-used and edited whenever needed. Jackrabbit offers a comprehensive list of typically-used templates, each with full-color graphics and standard wording. Any of these templates can be edited and customized from the Gear icon > Settings > Email Templates.
Many of the templates have placeholder images for your business logo. You can easily delete the placeholder and replace it with your company logo.
We have designed many GENERAL templates as well as INDUSTRY-SPECIFIC templates that have industry-specific content and images:
- 100's: General templates for any industry
- 200's: DANCE templates
- 300's: GYMNASTICS templates
- 400's: SWIM related templates
- 500's: CHEER related templates
Customize or Edit an Email Template
- Go to the Gear icon > Settings > Email Templates. Alternately, go to the Families menu > All Families > Email/Text Families.
- Click the name of the template on the List Templates page you'd like to customize. (You can see what any template looks like by clicking the eye icon.)
- Make any changes (such as adding your logo, changing dates, etc.).
- Click Save Changes.
Add a Link to Your Parent Portal in an Email Template
- Create a link to your Parent Portal:
- Use this URL: https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/jr3.0/ParentPortal/Login?orgID=XXXXXX
- Replace XXXXXX with YOUR Jackrabbit Org ID# (Gear [icon] > Account > My Account > Your Org ID)
- Highlight the text that you want to convert to a link in the email template.
- Click the Insert/Edit Link button in the email editor toolbar.
- Add the Parent Portal link, you created in step 1 to the URL field and click OK. This will change the text to a link.
Add Your Organization's Logo in an Email Template
- Go to the Gear icon > Settings > Email Templates. Alternately, go to the Families menu > All Families > Email/Text Families.
- Locate and click the email template you would like to update.
- Place your cursor exactly where you want your logo to show in your email.
- Select one of these options to add the logo file to the email template:
Use the Insert Image button under Jackrabbit files - Click Insert Image.
- Upload a logo file in the top section of the Insert Image window. The logo will display under Select files, click the file and you will see a check mark.
- Click Insert 1 Image. The logo will be inserted into the email.
- Highlight the image to resize it when needed.
Use the Insert/edit image button in the email editor Your logo image must be located somewhere on the internet so you can copy the URL link location to use this option.
- Click Insert/edit image.
- Enter a URL into the Source field, and add description and dimensions as needed.
- Click OK. The logo image can be sized once you have placed it into the Message area.
- Click Save Changes when you are done editing the email template.
It is also possible to edit an email template immediately before sending it by selecting it from the list of drop-down choices in the Email editor and making changes to the body of the template prior to sending. Note: This type of temporary edit is not saved to the template for future use and is only sent to the recipients selected.
Example
Your school is closing on a Tuesday due to inclement weather, and you need to notify families of students enrolled in Tuesday classes. In All Families filter for students enrolled in Tuesday classes only Enrollment > Days - Select all that apply, click Send Message (icon)and define your audience. Select the 113 Weather Closing template. Update the day and date of the closing within the message.
By editing the template here, the email recipients receive the edited information but the information is not saved to the template for future use.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. I accidentally deleted one of the professionally designed templates. Can I add it back?
A. It's possible to delete one of the professionally designed templates (using the Trash Can icon), but don't panic. If you realize that you did this in error, contact Support and they will provide instructions for you to re-create it.
Jackrabbit has provided numerous email templates for your use, however, you also have the option to create your own templates.
- Go to the Gear (icon) > Settings > Email Templates.
- Click the Add Template button on the List Templates page, the Template Editor page opens.
- Name the template. New template names should be 50 characters or less.
- Choose an Email Type (HTML or Text).
- Add a Subject (optional) and text.
- Click Add Template.
The template will become available on the List Templates page and will be available from the template drop-down choices when preparing an email.
Copy an existing email template:
- Go to the Gear (icon) > Settings > Email Templates.
- On the List Templates page, click the Copy icon to the left of the template Name.
- When the Template Editor opens, change the Template Name.
- Make changes to the subject line and message if needed.
- Click Copy Template.
- The copied template will now be available on the List Templates page.
The Notifications page provides a centralized location for email addresses in Jackrabbit.
- View or edit the various email addresses in your Jackrabbit system.
- Define an email address as the default for replies to emails you send from Jackrabbit.
- Designate an email address to receive system notifications such as online registrations or Parent Portal payments.
- Navigate to related settings quickly using the links provided.
Organization, Reply To, Location, and User ID Emails
When you compose emails in Jackrabbit from pages like All Families and All Classes or from within a Family record, etc., you can choose any of the email addresses listed in this section as the recipient for email replies.
Organization Email | Your Organization email is also listed on the My Account page (Gear [icon] > Account). Any changes made to this field will also update the email address on the My Account page. |
Default Reply to Email | View the email address defined as the default recipient for email replies. To change this address go to the Gear icon > Settings > General > Organization Defaults (left menu). |
Location Email | A list of email addresses for all Business Locations in your Jackrabbit database. |
User ID Email | A list of email addresses for all User IDs in your Jackrabbit database. |
Notifications from Customers using Online Registration or the Portal
A notification email is automatically sent to your staff at the email addresses assigned in this section when new families register online or existing families use their Parent Portals to enroll students, make payments, update contact and student information, etc.
These addresses are also used as the Reply to email address when customers reply to online registration confirmation and Parent Portal emails they receive from you.
When there are multiple Business Locations in your database, you can choose either to use the Location email address (Gear [icon] > Settings > General > Business Locations) or use the email address entered in the Online Registration Notification Email field and the Parent Portal Notification Email fields.
When Use Location Email Address = Yes, it will override the email addresses listed in the Online Registration Notification Email and Parent Portal Notification Email fields.
Notifications for ePayments, Texting, Events, and Staff Portal Emails
If you are utilizing ePayments in Jackrabbit, assign an ePayment Receipt Reply To Email. This email address will receive notifications for credit card and bank draft payments. It will also be the Reply To email address where you will receive any replies to your ePayment receipt emails. If no email address is specified, replies will be sent to the Organization Email.
If you are utilizing Texting in Jackrabbit, designate a Texting Notification Email. This email address will receive any replies to texts that you have sent from your database. (When a recipient of a text sends a text reply it is converted to email.)
Review the Event Type Notification Emails which are assigned on the Event Type > Summary tab. Use the Event Type link to make any necessary changes.
The Staff Portal reply to email displays a listing of active Staff and displays their individual notification setting. This indicates whether replies to emails sent from the Staff Portal will be sent to the Organization email or the staff person's email. Use the link to a Staff record to edit the Email replies sent to setting on the Portal Settings tab.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. Does Jackrabbit display all the email addresses in the "To" field if I send an email to a group?
A. When you send an email to a group using Jackrabbit, the "To" field only displays the recipient's email address. All other emails are masked.
Q. When I send an email from within Jackrabbit what is displayed in the "From" field?
A. All emails generated from within Jackrabbit display your organization name (Gear icon > Account > My Account > Organization Details) in the "From" field, followed by 'noreply@jackrabbittech.com'.
Emails sent from Jackrabbit must be sent with an email address from the Jackrabbit domain. To ensure that your customers receive, and are able to reply to, your emails Jackrabbit sends the message from 'noreply@jackrabbittech.com'. Our Developers have created code so that your customers are able to reply to these emails and you will receive them in the inbox that you designate when you create the email in Jackrabbit.
Q. How do I edit or add email addresses shown in the "Email Replies Sent To" and "Send Additional Emails To" selections?
A. The email addresses shown are pulled directly from User ID and Location emails, along with your Organization Email address and any Default Reply To email address you've defined. Go to the Notifications page (Gear [icon] > Settings > General > Notifications) where you'll find the various email addresses and links that provide quick access to the corresponding sections in Jackrabbit where you can make necessary changes.
There are a few different ways to email an individual family or staff member in Jackrabbit:
- Email button on a Family or Staff record.
- Email links in multiple locations within Jackrabbit.
When you are entering the text for your email message, use Shift+Enter to create single spacing between lines and the Enter key for double spacing.
Use the Email Button in Family or Staff Record
To send an individual email from Jackrabbit's email program use the Email button located in either the Family or Staff records.
- Select the Family or Staff member you would like to email.
- Click the Email button.
- In a Family record - Select Recipients from the menu listed: Send additional email to..., select Send replies to... (emails shown come from the Gear icon > Settings > General > User IDs > select a User ID > Email).
- In a Staff record - Email replies sent to and Send Additional Emails to are located below the email message section (Gear icon > Settings > General > User IDs > select a User ID > Email).
- In a Family record - Select Recipients from the menu listed: Send additional email to..., select Send replies to... (emails shown come from the Gear icon > Settings > General > User IDs > select a User ID > Email).
- Choose a pre-existing email Template, a saved Favorite, or create a new email message by choosing one of the following from the Type drop-down list:
- Email - Plain Text Email
- Email - HTML
- Optionally, you can select to send a Push Notification (if you use the Jackrabbit Plus mobile app) or a Text Message/Email (if you have text messaging enabled)
- Add an Email Subject Line.
- Type the email Message text.
- We strongly recommend you compose your email in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (ie. Microsoft Word) there may be hidden code that will affect the way your email appears to your recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview & Send (Family record) or Preview List (Staff record).
- Review the Matched Recipients information. Clear the checkbox for any emails you do not want to send.
- Click Send Now to send the email immediately or click Send Later to schedule a date/time for the email to be sent. See Schedule an Email for more details.
- If you selected Send Now a green box will display to indicate the email is on its way.
- If you opted to Send Later you will see a blue box confirming that your email has been scheduled.
A confirmation email is automatically sent from the Jackrabbit mail server to the email address you defined as the reply email (Email Replies Sent To). This email is not the 'real' message sent to the customer. It is simply an excerpt (1st 1,000 characters) of the email notifying you that the email was sent and listing the recipients' email addresses.
View Sent Emails on the Misc tab can be accessed from the individual Family or Staff record. Email history is retained for 365 days.
It is not possible for Jackrabbit to indicate if your email was not received or opened by the recipient. However, the Email Bounce Report will alert you to emails with certain delivery issues.
Use Email Links
In multiple areas of Jackrabbit, a family, contact, student, or staff email address may be linked (underlined & clickable). When you click the email address, Jackrabbit will launch whatever email program is installed on your computer locally (if there is one). Examples: Outlook, Microsoft Mail, Thunderbird, Gmail. The email program will open a new email with the recipient (To field) pre-filled.
Note: If you have Outlook or another email program installed but not set up, clicking the link may trigger an email client setup wizard and prompt you to specify an email address, etc. Jackrabbit can not assist you with the set up of email programs.
If you access your email via a web-based client (Yahoo, Gmail, Hotmail, etc.) clicking the link may not work, however, the email address may be copied from Jackrabbit and pasted into the web-based email To field.
When you use a link in Jackrabbit to create an email it is sent by your email program (as opposed to being sent by Jackrabbit's email program). These emails are not tracked in Jackrabbit, there will be no record of that email in View Sent Emails on the Family record > Misc tab and it will not be reported in your Jackrabbit email activity. Families will not see those emails in their Parent (Customer) Portals.
Jackrabbit offers you multiple ways to email your families. Select the option that works best for your needs.
- Email from the All Families grid page.
- Email from the Families (menu) > Email/Text Families.
- Email a single family from a Family record.
There is no limit to the number of emails you can send.
When you are entering the text for your email message, use Shift+Enter to create single spacing between lines and the Enter key for double spacing.
Email Families from Families (menu) > All Families
- Go to Families (menu) > All Families.
- All your families will display in the grid.
- Use the Filter icon
, if applicable, to narrow down the family list.
- Leave the checkboxes in the 1st column of the grid clear to select all families or check the boxes for the families to be included in the email.
- Click the Send a message icon
and select Email.
- Define your audience in the pop-up window.
- Click NEXT: ADD'L SETTINGS.
- Click the toggle to include people who have opted out of mass emails.
- Select additional recipients to receive the email when applicable*.
- Choose who to send replies to*.
*Drop-down email addresses are located under the User ID (Gear icon > Settings > General > User IDs > Manage Users).
- Click NEXT: COMPOSER to create the email.
- Compose the email. Select an Email Template if applicable.
- We recommend you compose your email in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (ie. Microsoft Word) there may be hidden code that will affect the way your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Choose a Type (HTML or Plain Text) and enter a Subject Line.
- Enter the message body or edit the template body if needed.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview List.
- Uncheck any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and then select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent at a later time. Refer to Schedule an Email to Send Later for more information.
Email Families from Families (menu) > Email/Text Families
- Go to the Families menu > Email/Text Families to open the Email/Text Families page.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (ie. Microsoft Word) there may be hidden code that will affect the way your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Use the Search Criteria to determine who you want to email.
- Select who to Send Message To in the Recipients section. You can send to Contacts, Students and Staff, Contacts and Students, Contacts and Staff, Contacts Only, Students Only, or Staff Only.
- If you would like to Include Opt-Out Emails change the drop-down to Yes.
- Select a reply email address from Email Replies Sent To which includes the email addresses of all User IDs and Locations in your database. Note: The main email address in Organization Defaults is also sent a copy of the email.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and then select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent at a later time. Refer to Schedule an Email to Send Later for more information.
Email a Single Family from a Family Record
- Locate a family in the Families menu > All Families grid (or use the global search at the top of the page to open the family record).
- Click the Family name to open the Family record.
- Click the Email button to open the Email/Text Families page.
- Select the following in the Select Recipients section:
- Choose recipients (defaults to family contacts checked)
- Send additional emails...
- Send Replies to...
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (Plain Text Email or HTML).
- Optionally, you can select to send a Push Notification (if you use the Jackrabbit Plus mobile app) or a Text Message/Email (if you have text messaging enabled)
- Enter an email Subject Line and compose the Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (ie. Microsoft Word) there may be hidden code that will affect the way your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview & Send.
- Clear the checkbox for any family members you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and then select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent at a later time. Refer to Schedule an Email to Send Later for more information.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q. How can I find out which families have no email addresses on file?
A. Here is how to create a complete list of accounts that have no email addresses on file:
- Go to the Families menu > All Families.
- Click the Open filters icon
> Financial Details > Find Problem Accounts and set Has Email? to No.
- Click Apply.
A list of the families that have no email addresses on file will populate in the grid.
Q. How can I send a mass email outside of Jackrabbit?
A. To send a mass email from your organization's internet service provider, use the Email Listing report to create an email list and export it to Excel. This report can be found under the Families (menu) > Family Reports > Email Listing.
Open your organization's email program, copy/paste the email address column in the email To field. Type the message and send.
Q. What's the best way to email students in an upcoming recital?
A. Use the Email/Text Families option under the Families menu. Select the classes that are participating in the recital in the Class Search Criteria. In the Preview List view uncheck any students who are not participating before you send the email. If you prefer, you can export the data to Excel and use a different email program.
Jackrabbit offers 1GB of file storage free of charge! The types of files that can be stored and added to your emails are:
- Image Files - Restricted to web compatible types ending in: .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, and .png.
- Files Attachments - Allowable extensions: .txt, .pdf, .doc, .docx, .xls, .xlsx, .ppt, .pptx, .zip, .rar, .avi, .mov, .mp3, .mp4, .jpg, .jpeg, .gif, .png, .tiff, and .bmp.
It's easy to upload files. In the email Message section click either of the Jackrabbit files Attach File or Insert Image buttons and then drag the file you want to upload from your computer into the blue box in the Attach File window. Alternatively, you can click the text "Click here to choose a file" to see a traditional file browser where you can select the file to upload.
The User ID must have the permission Tools: Upload a File in order to see the Upload Files section.
Once a file has been uploaded, it will appear in the bottom section. Use the Select Files filter to quickly locate an uploaded file or sort by Date, Name, or Size.
The progress bar indicates how much of your allotted space (1 GB) has been used. Periodically remove older files to free up space. To delete a Jackrabbit File hover over the file icon and click the 'X' icon. Note: The User ID must have the permission Tools: Delete a File in order to see the 'X' icon.
Images can be resized once inserted into the email by dragging the corner to adjust the size. It is a good idea, however, to resize them PRIOR to uploading them so that you do not use up your cloud storage unnecessarily.
Jackrabbit offers you multiple ways to quickly email your classes.
- Email directly from a Class record.
- Email a single class from the Classes (menu) > All Classes.
- Email multiple classes (mass action) from the Classes (menu) > All Classes
When you are entering the text for your email message, use Shift+Enter to create single spacing between lines and the Enter key for double spacing.
Email from a Class Record
- Locate a class under the Classes (menu) > All Classes or from the global search at the top of every page.
- Click the Email/Text Class button to open the Email/Text Class page. The class name and current enrollment are displayed.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an Email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (i.e., Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect how your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Using the Search Criteria, select whether or not you want to include waitlisted students, future enrollments, and future drops.
- In the Recipients section:
- Select who to Send message to. You can send to Contacts, Students and Staff, Contacts and Students, Contacts and Staff, Contacts Only, Students Only, or Staff Only.
- If you want to Include mass email opt-out, change the drop-down to Yes.
- Select a reply email address from Email replies sent to, which includes the email addresses of all User IDs and Locations in your database. Note: The main email address in Organization Defaults is also sent a copy of the email.
- Optionally, use the Send additional emails to drop-down to include selected User IDs or Location email addresses.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away, or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent later. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Email a Single Class from Classes (menu) > All Classes
- Go to the Classes (menu) > All Classes.
- Click the row menu
> select Email/Text Class to open the Email/Text Class page. The class name and current enrollment are displayed.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an Email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (i.e., Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect how your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Using the Search Criteria, select whether or not you want to include waitlisted students, future enrollments, and future drops.
- In the Recipients section:
- Select who to Send message to. You can send to Contacts, Students and Staff, Contacts and Students, Contacts and Staff, Contacts Only, Students Only, or Staff Only.
- If you want to Include mass email opt-out, change the drop-down to Yes.
- Select a reply email address from Email replies sent to, which includes the email addresses of all User IDs and Locations in your database. Note: The main email address in Organization Defaults is also sent a copy of the email.
- Optionally, use the Send additional emails to drop-down to include selected User IDs or Location email addresses.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away, or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent later. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Email Multiple Classes from Classes (menu) > All Classes
- Go to the Classes (menu) > All Classes.
- Select the checkbox in the 1st column for the classes you want to include in the email. To select all classes in the grid, leave the checkboxes in the 1st column blank.
- Click the Send a Message (icon)
and select Email from the drop-down menu.
- Define your audience in the pop-up window and click Next: Add'l Settings.
- Complete the Additional Settings and click Next: Composer to open the Message Classes page.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter a Subject line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (i.e., Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect how your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away, or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent later. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Emails sent to contacts and students will be retained in the family email history for 365 days (Misc tab > View Sent Emails). Currently, there is no log for emails sent to staff/instructors.
Emails can be scheduled up to 90 days in the future using the Send Later button on the email Preview screen.
When you preview an email that was created in Jackrabbit, you have the option to send the email immediately or schedule the email to be sent at a later date/time.
An email scheduled to be sent on a future date will only include recipients that matched your selection criteria at the time you created the email. It is not updated, prior to being sent, to include any students who enrolled after you created the email, nor will it exclude any students who may have dropped since that date.
Schedule Email to be Sent Later
- Go to the Families menu > All Families.
- All your families will display in the grid.
- Use the filter, when applicable, to narrow down the family list.
- Leave the 1st column in the grid unchecked to select all families or check the boxes for the families to be included in the email.
- Click the Send Message icon
and define the audience in the pop-up window.
- Click Select.
- Compose your email and select the additional Recipients from the list shown.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any email address you don't want to receive the email.
- Select Send Later.
- Select the Date and Time you want the email to be sent.
Note: The email will be sent based on the Time Zone designated under the Gear icon > Settings > General > Organizational Defaults (left menu) > Time & Date Settings. - Click Send Later.
You will receive a confirmation that your email has been scheduled.
The Scheduled Emails report includes icons that allow you to edit the email content, preview the list of recipients, reschedule the email and delete the email.
A Scheduled Emails alert on the Executive Dashboard keeps you notified of pending scheduled emails and provides a link to the Scheduled Emails report.
You can also get to the Scheduled Emails report from the Reports (menu) > Email/Text/Marketing (left menu) > Emails- Scheduled.
The User ID permission "Emails - Scheduled" (in the Reports category of permissions) controls a User's access to scheduled emails. Edit a User's permissions from the Gear (icon) > Settings > General > User IDs (left menu).
The Scheduled Emails report lists all emails scheduled using the Send Later button. The current status of the email (Scheduled or Complete) is displayed along with the number of recipients, the type of email (where in Jackrabbit it was created), the email subject, date/time information, and the User ID of the person who created the email.
Use the icons to work with the scheduled email.
![]() | Use the Pencil icon to open the email editor where you can edit the content of the email. |
![]() | The Eye icon opens the Preview Scheduled Email page where you are able to remove recipients (or add back previously removed recipients). Once the email has been sent (status = Completed) the eye icon opens a view of the sent email. |
![]() | Click the Send icon to open the Send Email window where you can reschedule the date and time or choose to Send Now. |
![]() | Use the Trash Can icon to stop the email from being sent at the scheduled date/time and delete the email's contents. |
While you can't add any new recipients to a scheduled email, you can remove recipients that are scheduled to receive the email or add back recipients that you removed in a previous edit to the recipients of the scheduled email.
Jackrabbit offers you multiple ways to send emails and student schedules to your students and families. Note: Email Families & Email/Print Student Schedules from the Families category must be selected as the user permission in order to use this functionality. To learn how to update User permissions, see Manage User IDs.
Email Students
Depending on why you are sending the email and which students you want to communicate with, select from one of the following options:
- Email students from Families (menu) > All Families, or Students (menu) > All Students
- Email students in all or selected classes from the Classes menu > All Classes.
- Email students in a single class from the Classes menu > All Classes.
Email Students from All Families or All Students
- Select which menu you prefer to use to send the email.
- Go to the Families menu > All Families (filter the grid as needed).
- Go to the Students menu > All Students (filter the grid as needed).
- Select the checkbox in the 1st column for the students you want to include in the email. To select all students in the grid, leave the checkboxes in the 1st column blank.
- Click the Send a Message icon
and select Email from the drop-down menu.
- Define your audience in the pop-up window (deselect all the recipients with the exception of Students).
- Click Next: Add'l Settings.
- Complete the Additional Settings and click Next: Composer to open the Message Classes page.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an Email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (i.e., Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect how your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any students you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and select only specific students.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent later. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Email Students in All or Selected Classes from the Classes (menu) > All Classes
- Go to the Classes menu > All Classes.
- Select the checkbox in the 1st column for the classes you want to include. To select all classes in the grid, leave the checkboxes in the 1st column blank.
- Only students with email addresses on their student record will be sent an email.
- Click the Send a Message icon
and select Email from the drop-down menu.
- Leave only the Students selected in the Define Audience pop-up window and click Next: Add'l Settings.
- Complete the Additional Settings and click Next: Composer to open the Message Classes page.
- Select a Template if desired and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an Email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (ie. Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect the way your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox for any students you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and select only specific students.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent later. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Email Students in a Single Class from the Classes (menu) > All Classes
- Go to the Classes menu > All Classes.
- Click the row menu
for the class and select Email/Text Class to open the Email/Text Class page. The class name and current enrollment are displayed.
- Select a Template, if desired, and the email Type (plain text or HTML).
- Enter an Email Subject Line and Message.
- We recommend you compose your email message in the Jackrabbit email editor. If you copy/paste from another application (i.e., Microsoft Word), there may be hidden code that will affect how your email appears to your intended recipient.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See the Help Article Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Using the Search Criteria, add additional students to the email.
- Select who to Send Message To. You can send to Contacts, Students and Staff, Contacts and Students, Contacts and Staff, Contacts Only, Students Only, or Staff Only.
- Change the drop-down to Yes if you would like to Include Opt Out Emails.
- Select a reply email address from Email Replies Sent To, which includes the email addresses of all User IDs and Locations in your database. Note: The main email address in Organization Defaults is also sent a copy of the email.
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the Check All header checkbox and select only the students from the class. If you leave all the checkboxes selected, emails will be sent to all contacts for the class, including students, contacts, and instructors.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent at a later time. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
In addition to emailing students, you can also print their schedules as needed from the Students menu > Students Schedules > Print. Refer to Email/Print Student Schedules for additional information.
Jackrabbit has made emailing different groups of people even easier by allowing you to generate an email directly from several reports! In the report results for a table style report (shown below), the Email All checkboxes allow you to select which families to email, and an Email button opens up an editor where you can create your email.
When you are entering the text for your email message, use Shift+Enter to create single spacing between lines and the Enter key for double spacing.
Send an Email from a Report
- Run your selected report.
- Use the checkboxes (last column) to select which families to send the email to or select Email All to send to all email addresses.
- Click Email to open the email editor.
- Select an Email Template if applicable.
- Choose a Type (Email - HTML or Email - Plain Text Email).
- Enter an Email Subject Line.
- Enter the message body or edit the template body if needed.
- Click Attach File, Insert Image, or Choose from Dropbox to attach files and add images if needed. See Email Attachments and Images for more details.
- Choose whether or not you want to include email addresses that have been opted out.
- Add a reply email address in Email Replies Sent To. This email will automatically be sent a copy of the email. Note: User ID and Location email addresses are listed (Gear icon > Settings > General).
- Click Preview List.
- Clear the checkbox, in the preview, for any families you want to omit. You can clear the Check All header checkbox to remove every email address and then select only specific families.
- Click Send Now to send the email right away or select Send Later to schedule the email to be sent at a later time. See our Help article Schedule an Email for more information.
Note: A copy of the email is retained in the family record (Misc tab > View Sent Emails) for 365 days.
Refer to Work with Reports - Table Style and Work with Reports - Grid Style for more details about emailing from reports.
Some reports have been converted to a grid format. Refer to the Work with Reports - Grid Style in the Take Action section for more information about sending an email from a report grid.
Emails sent from within Jackrabbit are maintained in the system for 365 days. This includes emails sent to families and staff members.
- Sent to Families - Emails sent to your Families (contacts and students), either individually through their Family record, in mass from the Families (menu) > All Families > Send Message (icon)
, or from Families (menu) > Email/Text Families are found in each Family record on the Misc tab. Click View Sent Emails to see a list of all emails sent in the last 365 days.
- Sent to Staff Members - Emails sent to Staff members, either individually through their Staff record, or in mass from the Staff (menu) > Email/Text Staff are found in each Staff record on the Misc tab. Click View Sent Emails to see a list of all emails sent in the last 365 days.
Click View to open the email for review.
The Sent Emails report provides you with a list of emails sent to your students, contacts, and staff, based on the filters (Search Criteria) you select. In addition, incoming emails sent to your organization from the Parent Portal Contact Us page are included in this report.
Go to Reports > Find Reports > Email/Text/Marketing (left menu) > Email (tab) > Sent Emails.
- Emails sent from the Lead file are included in this report.
- Report results are viewable by a list of all emails sent or by each recipient.
- Sent emails remain accessible and can be viewed in the system for 365 days.
- Review emails sent to your organization from families using the Parent Portal.
This report does not include automated system-generated emails (e.g., credit card receipts, notification emails) or future scheduled emails.
Search Criteria
You can filter the emails using any or all of the Search Criteria and Jackrabbit will compile the report to meet ALL of the criteria chosen.
The Display Settings:
- Display a row for each email (default) - will display a list by the subject line of every sent email for the date range.
- Display a row for each recipient - will display a row for each sent email, and the recipients.
Report Results
The report results can be further customized to show or hide columns of information, sort and filter columns, or modify column width.
- View email - click on the 1st column Row Menu (icon)
to open and view a sent email.
- Recipients - click the Recipients link to open the Sent Emails - Detail for a list of who the email was sent to.
- Refresh the data - click the Refresh Grid (icon)
to refresh the data in the grid.
- Export to Excel - click the More (icon)
to export the data in the grid to Excel.
If you select Display a row for each recipient as the Display Setting, there will be one row for every recipient for all the emails sent.
Refer to Work with Grids (Tables) in Jackrabbit for more information.
This report, found under the Reports (menu) > Find Reports > Email/Text/Marketing > Email (tab) > Email Bounce Listing, is a tool to assist you in identifying email addresses that are repeatedly undeliverable. Use the list to identify which email addresses need to be corrected in order for future emails to be delivered.
If you do not see this report option under the Reports menu, check your user permissions. (Gear icon > Settings > Users & Permissions > select a User > User Permissions left menu > Reports Category: Email Bounce Report).
The report lists the Email Address, Current Status (see Status Definitions below), Type, First & Last Name, Family Name, telephone numbers, # of Failed Attempts, as well as Most Recent and First Bounce time stamps.
Use the Remove checkboxes to clear the email address from the report once your corrections have been made. You will be asked to confirm that the owner of the email address wishes to receive email communications from you.
We recommend you run this report frequently and remove any blocked email addresses. If you check the box in the Remove column, the email address will be removed from the report after you make corrections.
Status Definitions
Bounced | Undeliverable; possible reasons could be an invalid domain or user, or that the user's mailbox is full or not accepting emails |
DNS Problem | Unable to find the domain for the email address |
Rejected | Rejected by the email service because the address was previously undeliverable |
Undetermined | The response text could not be identified |
Invalid Recipient | The recipient is an invalid email address or the error could not be determined |
Soft Bounce | The message soft bounced |
DNS Failure | The message bounced due to a DNS failure |
Mailbox Full | The message bounced due to the remote mailbox being over quota |
Too Large | The message bounced because it was too large for the recipient |
Timeout | The message timed out |
Admin Failure | The message was failed by SparkPost's configured policies |
Generic Bounce: No RCPT | No recipient could be determined for the message |
Generic Bounce | The message failed for unspecified reasons |
Mail Block | The message was blocked by the receiver |
Spam Block | The message was blocked by the receiver as coming from a known spam source |
Spam Content | The message was blocked by the receiver as spam |
Prohibited Attachment | The message was blocked by the receiver because it contained a prohibited attachment |
Relaying Denied | The message was blocked by the receiver because relaying is not allowed |
Auto-Reply | The message is an auto-reply/vacation email |
Transient Failure | Message transmission has been temporarily delayed |
Subscribe | The message is a subscribe request |
Unsubscribe | The message is an unsubscribe request |
Challenge-Response | The message is a challenge-response probe |
Want to practice what you've just learned? Great!
- Go to https://app.jackrabbitclass.com/jr3.0/Login and log in with the credentials below for your Jackrabbit edition.
- Go through some or all of the practice scenarios below as they apply to you.
![]() |
Edition | User ID | Password |
Cheer | LMSCheer | Training1 |
Class | LMSClass | Training1 |
Dance | LMSDance | Training1 |
Music | LMSMusic | Training1 |
Swim | LMSSwim | Training1 |
The Practice Database is refreshed each day at approximately 5:00 am Eastern Standard Time. Anything you enter will be erased at that time.
Create a customized template.
- The easiest way to copy and customize an email template is to go to the Gear Icon on the menu bar and select Settings > Email Templates.
- Choose a template and click the Copy icon (second from left).
- Make any changes and if you wish, rename the template.
- Select the Copy Template button to save your new template.
Send an email.
Families > All Families
- Go to Families on the menu bar and select All Families.
- Select the Active segment in the Status data visual or use the Filter Icon and add a filter for Family Status = Active (click Apply button).
- Click the Send icon and choose Email.
- Define the audience and select additional settings as needed. Click Next: Composer button to continue.
- Select an email template such as #109 Payment Due in the Template field or create your own email from scratch by entering text in the Subject line field and in the Message field. If you are using the template, customize it with your facility name or logo and the day(s) you will closed/expect to reopen.
- Click the Preview List button at the bottom.
- Select Send Now after reviewing the Recipients List and the message in the Results section.
Families > Email/Text Families
- Go to Families > Email/Text Families.
- Select an email template such as #109 Payment Due in the Template field or create your own email from scratch by entering text in the Subject line field and in the Message field. If you are using the template, customize it with your facility name or logo and the day(s) you will closed/expect to reopen.
- In the Search Criteria section, add/change criteria settings to select the audience.
- Refine the Recipients in the Recipients section, set the email address for replies, and select email addresses to receive a copy of the email. Recipients can be further refined by unchecking check boxes on the Preview List page.
- Click the Preview List button at the bottom.
- Select Send Now after reviewing the Recipients List and the message in the Results section.
When you have worked through all of the articles outlined in the lesson, select the Take the Quiz button to be taken to the Lesson #13 Quiz where you can test your understanding of the concepts in this lesson. You will be asked to enter an email address for quiz results to be sent.
Quiz #13 - Emailing
Number of Questions | Total Possible Points | Points Needed for an "A" | Points Needed for a "B" | Points Needed for a "C" |
---|---|---|---|---|
13 | 13 | 11 | 10 | 9 |