Communications

NeedBridge sends email notifications throughout the need lifecycle -- welcome emails, need notifications, claim confirmations, digest emails, and more. The communications page gives you visibility into what emails have been sent, how volunteers are engaging with them, and tools to manage email preferences and troubleshoot delivery issues.

The Communications Page

Navigate to Communications in the left-hand menu to access the email log. This page shows a history of all emails sent by your organization through NeedBridge.

Each entry in the log includes:

  • Recipient -- The volunteer or team member the email was sent to.
  • Email type -- The kind of email (welcome, need notification, daily digest, claim confirmation, etc.).
  • Subject line -- The subject of the email.
  • Sent date -- When the email was sent.
  • Delivery status -- Whether the email was delivered, bounced, or failed.

What Is Tracked

NeedBridge tracks several engagement metrics for each email:

  • Delivery -- Whether the email was successfully delivered to the recipient's mail server.
  • Opens -- Whether the recipient opened the email. Open tracking relies on a small tracking pixel, so it is not always accurate (some email clients block tracking pixels).
  • Clicks -- Whether the recipient clicked any link in the email, such as "I can help" or "Browse needs."
  • Responses -- Whether the email led to an action, such as a volunteer claiming a need.

These metrics help you understand how engaged your volunteers are with the emails they receive.

Filtering Email History

Use the filters on the communications page to narrow the email log:

  • Date range -- Show emails sent within a specific time period.
  • Email type -- Filter by welcome emails, need notifications, digest emails, claim confirmations, or other types.
  • Recipient -- Search for emails sent to a specific person.
  • Delivery status -- Filter by delivered, bounced, or failed to identify delivery issues.

Combining filters helps you investigate specific issues, such as finding all bounced emails in the past month or checking whether a particular volunteer received a specific notification.

Understanding Engagement Metrics

Here is how to interpret the engagement numbers:

  • High delivery, low opens -- Emails are reaching inboxes but not getting opened. This may indicate that subject lines are not compelling, emails are landing in spam folders, or volunteers are disengaged.
  • High opens, low clicks -- Volunteers are reading emails but not taking action. The email content may not be compelling, or the available needs may not match what volunteers can help with.
  • High bounces -- Email addresses may be invalid or inboxes may be full. Review bounced addresses and consider removing them from your volunteer list.
  • Consistent engagement -- Steady open and click rates indicate a healthy, engaged volunteer base.

Managing Volunteer Email Preferences

Volunteers control their email preferences in two ways:

  • During signup -- Volunteers choose their notification frequency (immediate, daily digest, weekly digest) and service areas when they first subscribe.
  • Through email links -- Every NeedBridge email includes links for the volunteer to update their preferences or unsubscribe.

As an admin, you can also view and update a volunteer's email preferences from their profile in the volunteer directory.

The Unsubscribe Process

Every email sent by NeedBridge includes an unsubscribe link. When a volunteer clicks it:

  1. They are taken to a confirmation page.
  2. After confirming, they are removed from all email notifications.
  3. Their profile is retained in the system with an unsubscribed status.
  4. They can resubscribe in the future by visiting the volunteer signup page.

Respecting unsubscribe requests is both a legal requirement and good practice for maintaining trust with your volunteer community.

Troubleshooting Email Issues

If volunteers report not receiving emails, check the following:

  • Verify the email address. Open the volunteer's profile and confirm the email address is correct and does not have typos.
  • Check delivery status. Search for the volunteer in the communications log and check whether their emails show as delivered, bounced, or failed.
  • Look for bounces. Repeated bounces may mean the email address is invalid or the volunteer's inbox is full.
  • Ask volunteers to check spam. Some email providers may filter NeedBridge emails into spam or promotions folders. Ask volunteers to add your sending address to their contacts.
  • Review the sending domain. If your organization uses a custom sending domain, make sure DNS records (SPF, DKIM) are configured correctly.

Tips

  • Monitor engagement trends over time. A gradual decline in open rates may signal that you are sending too many emails or that the content is not relevant to your volunteers.
  • Use the communications log for accountability. If there is ever a question about whether an email was sent, the log provides a clear record.
  • Act on bounces. Regularly review bounced emails and clean up invalid addresses. This improves your deliverability and keeps your volunteer list accurate.
  • Respect email frequency preferences. Volunteers who chose a weekly digest do not want daily emails. Honoring their preferences keeps them subscribed longer.