Administration

Mass Email Guidelines

The Office of Marketing and Communications (OMC) aims to use internal campus communication resources effectively and efficiently. Email is an efficient, cost-effective and environmentally friendly tool to communicate with large groups of people in the Wofford community. Non-strategic use of email, however, can desensitize, reduce employee productivity and hinder the college’s ability to deliver critical messages.

The college has developed the following requirements, guidelines and best practices to ensure that email remains an effective internal communication tool for the campus community.

What’s mass email?

A mass email is any email that is sent to the entire campus or a large subset (e.g., all students, all faculty, all staff). The email may be sent via Outlook (no read receipt) or via Slate, which offers sent, open and click-through analytics.

When to use internal mass email?

Mass email is appropriate when the information benefits the majority of the message’s recipients, is time-sensitive and meets at least one of the following standards:

  • Alerts the campus community to situations impacting health and safety.
  • Provides information that is essential to the college’s operations.
  • Shares updates on changes to the college’s governance, policies and practices.
  • Communicates important information from the college’s president, provost or senior leadership team.

Required approval and authorization

Requests to send mass emails to the following groups must be approved by the appropriate office (see list below). In addition, the college’s Office of Marketing and Communications will make decisions regarding timing and content based on the college’s communications schedule and in consideration of the college’s mission and core values. All emails will be edited for grammar, spelling and style.

Departmental permissions:

STUDENTS

  • The Office of Campus Life and Student Development, including Campus Safety
  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • Office of the Registrar
  • Office of Marketing and Communications
  • Information Technology Services
  • The Business Office

FACULTY

The Office of the Provost is the only office on campus with the ability to send mass emails to faculty only.

FACULTY and STAFF/COLLEGE EMPLOYEES

  • Office of the President
  • Office of the Provost
  • Campus Safety
  • Human Resources
  • Office of Marketing and Communications
  • Information Technology Services
  • Business Office

Additional resources available for internal communication

  • Members of the campus community are encouraged to submit information to promote programs, events and classes in the Daily Announcements. These run Monday through Friday during the academic year when classes are in session and Monday and Thursday during summer school sessions. The Daily Announcements do not run during college holidays. Submit an item to the Daily Announcements.
  • Campus events should be submitted to the Campus Calendar. The Daily Announcements and Campus Calendar are linked, and one form adds events to both the Daily Announcements and Campus Calendar. Submit an item to the Campus Calendar (with the option to add to the Daily Announcements).
  • Announcements involving new hires, promotions and planned projects or traffic changes that could impact campus operations should be submitted to the Daily Announcements.
  • Staff and faculty have access to Yammer, an internal social media network. Yammer is a resource for people seeking a way to communicate with other employees regarding good news, life updates or common interests. Join the Yammer community.
  • OMC identifies events submitted for the Daily Announcements to promote via Instagram stories. In addition, OMC staff read the Daily Announcements to discover photo, video and social media opportunities.
  • Other means of internal communications include campus posters. OMC can support poster production as well. Visit Wofford.edu/omc to complete a project request.

To send emails externally, please refer to the college’s CAN-SPAM Policy.