I would to know what programs other schools are using to send bulk emails and how satisified they are with the program. Also, some idea of cost. We presently use RE, but would like to have more capabilities than just plain text. We have EE and will also have FAWEB this summer. Thank you. Database Manager McLean School of MD [Email Removed]>

Carey, We have two methods that we use for bulk email. One is through our Dir of Communication. She used our Exchange server and has set up email contacts for each parent of grade level. She sends out a weekly update to everyone on the list. The update is just a link to a page on our website with all the latest news of the school. She also allows a couple of emails per quarter to be sent to everyone concering big athletic events, fine arts happenings, etc. We have to watch how many we send or folks don't read them. The second method is an online service called Alert Now. Alert Now can broadcast emails and phone calls. We use this for unexpected school closings or emergency contact to parents or for important meetings. It works very well and we have had a good response from parents when we have had to use it. The cost of Alert Now is about $2,000 per year. Norm Dunkin Landmark Christian School [Email Removed]

We also make our parents exchange contacts. It's a bit high maintenance to keep it up to date, but we get a lot of use out of it and rely on it heavily for routine and emergency communications. We also have them loaded into a service like Alert Now that we could use if for some reason exchange was out of service. But those lists don't get updated as ofen. Dom Perez Norwood School