How we check and prepare your member list

Before we send a single email on your behalf, we check and prepare your member list. This page explains what that involves, in plain terms, so you know exactly what we do and why.

Why we do it

Mailbox providers like Gmail and Outlook judge a sender by how clean their list is. If emails go to dead addresses and bounce, those providers start sending everything to junk. So a quick, careful check of your list protects your club's reputation and keeps your emails landing where members will actually see them.

What we check

We run your full member list through a professional email-verification service. For every address it tells us whether the mailbox is real and active, and flags anything risky. This is only about the addresses themselves, it has nothing to do with the content of your emails.

What we keep, and what we remove

The short version: we keep almost everyone. On a typical club list, 98 to 99% of members stay on.

We only ever remove an address for one of two reasons:

• It is genuinely dead. The mailbox no longer exists, so any email would simply bounce.
• The member has asked not to be contacted. We always honour opt-outs, both as good manners and as a legal requirement.

That is the whole list. We never delete a real member on a hunch. If an address looks unusual but might be genuine (an older work address, say, or a personal domain), we hold it and check with you rather than removing it.

The summary you receive

When the check is done, we send you a one-page summary: how many members are staying on, and the exact list, by name, of any addresses we removed and why. If you spot someone you know is still active, just tell us and we will add them straight back in.

A note on your data

We use your own records for anything to do with your members' behaviour, who is engaging with your emails and who has opted out. We do not rely on third-party guesses. Your data stays yours, and any opt-outs are carried across so they are always respected.

What happens next

Once your list is prepared, we do not email everyone at once. We start with your most engaged members, then widen out in careful batches while watching that everything is landing well. That is what builds and protects your sending reputation. You can read more about that in Why Your Member Emails Move Across Gradually.