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Send an Email

Select your audience, compose a message, insert merge fields, and add attachments

How to Compose a Message

Step 1: Select Your Audience

Navigate to any profile tab (Volunteers, Opps, Orgs, etc.), select the records you want to reach, and click the Message (or Email) button.

  • Pro Tip: You must select at least one record to enable the messaging component.

Once the messaging window opens, you may need to select Email as the type of message from the tabs at the top.

Then, define exactly who receives the communication using the "To" field. This is where you can get precise, ensuring the right message reaches the right ears without extra noise.

Understanding Your "To" Options

Depending on where you started (which profile tab you’re in), your options will vary to keep things relevant:

  • All Records in Grid: This shortcut grabs everyone currently visible in your filtered list, saving you from clicking dozens of individual checkboxes.

  • Selected Records: This sends to recipients tied to the specific record(s) you checked in your grid before clicking the Message button.

    • Selected Record Dropdown: If you are messaging from a specific tab, you’ll see a dropdown allowing you to choose which email address to use. For volunteers, you can email the volunteer, or the opp contact for all opps the vol is placed or affiliated with. For Opportunities, it's the other way around. You can email the opp contact, or any vols placed/affiliated with the opp.

  • Override: Sometimes you just need to send a one-off. Use this to manually type a static email address or use a merge field to direct the message to a specific contact.

     

"Consolidate Duplicate Emails Into One" Checkbox

  • Only available when messaging from the opp profile.

  • For use when sending identical emails to multiple Selected Records. If the same email address is associated with multiple records, the email will only send once. For example, if you wish to send a happy holidays email to all of your opp contacts, coordinators who serve as contact for multiple opps will only receive one email.

  • Because this feature requires the emails to be identical in order to consolidate them, features that create variations in emails, such as merge fields or filtering an attached report by the recipient, are disabled.

Step 2: Draft & Personalize

Use the Merge Box (top right) to insert fields like First Name, Opportunity Title, or Shift Date.

 
 
 
 
Attachments: You can add files or even attach a report or saved grid.
 
When enabled, the Filter report to recipient only option automatically filters the attached report so each attachment only contains data associated with the selected record. For example, the same schedule report can be sent to multiple volunteers at once, but each individual email's attachment will include only the recipient's schedule.
 
 

At Samaritan, we take the privacy of your volunteers as seriously as you do.  We understand that in a fast-paced environment, it is all too easy to accidentally include sensitive UDFs or contact details in an email meant for a general audience.

Because of this, the option to Attach a Grid (sending a spreadsheet-style snapshot of your current view) is disabled by default.

If your organization requires this feature, please contact support.

Step 3: Choose the Email Type

Before hitting send, categorize your message. The system will automatically cross-reference this with the volunteer's opt-out preferences to keep you in compliance and keep them happy.

Need a hand? If the logic of a merge field is giving you trouble or you're not sure which channel to use for a specific campaign, please reach out. We are here to carry the heavy load so you can focus on your mission.