Overview
Enable an opt-in mechanism on your WildApricot account so that contacts can expressly provide their consent to receive emails from your organization. This is a key component in complying with anti-spam legislation, particularly the Canadian Anti-Spam Law (CASL).
With the opt-in mechanism enabled, you can send consent request emails to your contacts, then track their opt-in status from each contact’s Email settings and log tab.
What does opting in mean?
Opting in means the contact has given their consent to receive emails from your organization. They can still pick and choose the kind of messages they want to receive.
Opting out means the contact has specifically denied their consent to receive emails from your organization. They will still receive confirmation emails in response to specific actions on their part, such as membership renewal notices or event registration confirmations, but they will not receive event announcements and other email blasts.
Enabling the opt-in mechanism
To enable the opt-in mechanism, follow these steps:
1. In the admin view, navigate to Account > Organization.
2. In Organization details, check the Enable opt-in option. 3. Click Save.
Viewing a contact's opt-in status
When you enable the opt-in mechanism, the opt-in status of each contact is added to the Email settings and log tab in their contact details.
You can update the opt-in status of contacts in bulk through importing. Within your import spreadsheet, set the Opt-in column value to Yes, No, or leave blank for Undefined.
Contacts can change their own opt-in choice
Contacts can update their opt-in status themselves from their member profile. The opt-in setting appears on the Email subscriptions tab.
To change the setting, the contact clicks the Edit profile button and makes their choice.
If a contact agrees to receive emails from your organization, they can then choose the specific types of messages they want to receive. They can separately choose whether they wish to receive event announcements and manual email blasts.
Searching for contacts by consent status
You can search for contacts by consent status.
1. Navigate to Contacts > Advanced search.
2. Select + Add criteria and check the box for Email opt-in.
3. Make the additional filter choices and click Search.
Sending a consent request email
You can send an email blast to contacts with an Undefined opt-in status, and ask them to update their email preferences.
Your email should include a link to the {Member_Profile_Url} macro that allows contacts to update their member profile.
There are two email templates to help you communicate to your contacts about opting in: one that specifically addresses CASL, and one for generic opt-in requests.
Both email templates include the {Member_Profile_Url} macro.