What are the challenges and solutions for nonprofit email deliverability and how to contact Spamhaus?
Summary
What email marketers say11Marketer opinions
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that many Spamhaus employees are in European timezones and suggests waiting for a ticket response, as they are typically quick.
Email marketer from Community Boost suggests ensuring emails are mobile-friendly, using clear and concise subject lines, and providing valuable content to keep subscribers engaged and reduce the likelihood of being marked as spam. They highlight the importance of A/B testing to optimize email performance.
Email marketer from GiveWP shares tips such as using a dedicated IP address, warming up the IP address before sending large volumes of emails, monitoring sender reputation, and engaging with subscribers regularly to maintain a healthy list and improve nonprofit email deliverability.
Email marketer from Email Geeks mentions seeing senders struggling due to a lack of resources to implement sweeping changes required for email deliverability, such as solid COI implementation, data/engagement driven segmentation, and smart list maintenance/sunsetting.
Email marketer from Constant Contact recommends strategies such as segmenting email lists to target specific audiences, cleaning email lists regularly to remove inactive or invalid addresses, and authenticating emails using SPF, DKIM, and DMARC to improve sender reputation and deliverability for nonprofits.
Email marketer from Email Geeks shares that nonprofit email can be a really challenging industry deliverability wise in their experience.
Email marketer from EmailOversight responds that common deliverability challenges for nonprofits stem from inconsistent sending volumes tied to fundraising campaigns, which can negatively impact sender reputation. They also point to poor data management, including outdated or unengaged email lists.
Email marketer from Mailjet mentions using double opt-in to verify email addresses and ensure subscribers actively want to receive emails. This practice helps nonprofits maintain a clean list and reduces the risk of sending to invalid or spam trap addresses.
Email marketer from Sendinblue states that nonprofits should actively monitor their bounce rates and identify the causes of bounced emails. They recommend implementing strategies to reduce hard bounces (invalid addresses) and soft bounces (temporary delivery issues) to improve overall deliverability.
Email marketer from HubSpot emphasizes the importance of permission-based email marketing for nonprofits. They advocate for obtaining explicit consent from subscribers before sending emails and providing clear opt-out options to comply with anti-spam laws and maintain a positive sender reputation.
Email marketer from Litmus explains that deliverability is a major challenge for nonprofits due to factors like inconsistent sending practices, poor list hygiene, and a lack of dedicated email marketing resources. They often rely on volunteers or staff with limited expertise.
What the experts say4Expert opinions
Expert from Word to the Wise emphasizes that nonprofits, like all senders, must implement proper email authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC) to ensure their messages are trusted by mailbox providers. She also recommends regularly monitoring authentication reports to identify and address any issues.
Expert from Email Geeks advises against attempting to contact someone at Spamhaus outside of the official channels due to the high volume of requests they receive.
Expert from Spam Resource (quoting Steve Linford of Spamhaus) answers that Spamhaus's mission is to track and combat spam and related cybercrime, which involves identifying and listing sources of spam, and collaborating with network operators and law enforcement to mitigate spam-related threats.
Expert from Spam Resource explains that to avoid spam filters, ensure your sending IP address isn't on any blacklists, maintain a consistent sending volume, and avoid using URL shorteners, as these can damage your sender reputation. It also notes to use authentication (SPF, DKIM, DMARC).
What the documentation says4Technical articles
Documentation from Spamhaus describes the different data feed and DNSBL zones that are available to query including the details on which zones are free vs paid, and what data they provide.
Documentation from Spamhaus details their listing and delisting process, advising users to review the specific listing details provided in the non-delivery report (NDR) or bounce message, address the identified issues (e.g., malware, spamming practices), and then request delisting through their website after confirming the problem is resolved.
Documentation from RFC explains that SPF records must be properly configured to authorize sending servers for your domain, which is crucial for nonprofit deliverability. It details the syntax and best practices for creating and maintaining SPF records to prevent email spoofing and improve sender authentication.
Documentation from Spamhaus explains that the primary method for contacting them is through their ticketing system on their website, emphasizing that direct emails to individuals are generally discouraged, and that responses are prioritized based on the issue and urgency.