Year-End Appeal Send Plan: Verify First So Receipts and Thank-Yous Still Arrive
Before a year-end appeal, verify the list several weeks out, send to valid rows first, then widen in small steps while watching bounces. A bounce spike on a large send can also affect delivery of receipts and thank-yous, because they often leave from the same domain. The email verification for nonprofits page covers the check, and the bounce rate calculator shows your numbers.
Weeks 4 to 3: export and verify
Export the donor and supporter list, remove duplicates and run it on the verify page. Suppress Mailbox not found, No mail server and Disposable address. Correct typo domains with the email typo corrector.
Week 3 to 2: warm up with small sends
Send a newsletter or an impact update to the valid rows first. This is a gentle way to see real bounces before the big send. The list cleaning frequency calculator suggests how often to repeat the check.
Week 2 to 1: segment the appeal
Split by giving history. Recent donors, lapsed donors and never-donors read different appeals. The email list splitter divides a CSV into batches.
Send week: stage it
Send the appeal to the most engaged valid rows on day one, then widen each day. Hold Accepts all addresses and Role address rows for the last batch.
After the send: protect the receipts
Suppress new bounces at once and re-check anything odd. The bounce doctor reads bounce messages and explains them. Our guide to Amazon SES bounce rate reviews shows what providers watch if you send through one.
What this cannot do
- Verification cannot make an appeal succeed; it only helps it arrive.
- Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft consumer rows come back risky because those providers do not allow an honest check.
- A valid result is a snapshot; re-check anything older than your plan.
Start the clean-up
Upload your list on the verify page: the first 100 checks are free with a Google sign-in, no card. See bulk email verification and pricing.
Common questions
Why verify before a year-end appeal?
A bounce spike on a big appeal can hurt delivery of the receipts and thank-you emails donors expect straight after.
How early should I clean the list?
Several weeks before the first send, so you can fix what is fixable and warm up with smaller sends.
Should receipts come from the same domain as appeals?
They often do, which is why a list problem in the appeal can affect them. Check with your email provider how your sending is set up.
What do I do with risky rows?
Hold them back from the first wave and send in small batches after.
Do I need a long plan for one season?
A monthly plan that cancels from your account suits seasonal work. The first 100 checks are free, with no card.
Check your list before you send
Real mailbox checks over SMTP, and nothing is sent to the address. Sign in with Google and your first 100 email checks are free, no card. Plans for bigger lists are on the pricing page.