Specific Policies

General Policies

  • Centers can send one e-mail per week, except in the case of an emergency. Special considerations will be made for Centers with numerous, specific audiences, such as UHAA, Athletics and CLASS. Power users can also send more than one message per week.
  • Marketing & Communication reserves the right to reschedule messages if e-mail volume to a particular audience is high.
  • Files of e-mail addresses will not be released internally or externally. All broadcast e-mail will be sent by Marketing & Communication personnel and designated power users.
  • Any member of a natural constituency (alumni, donors, parents and friends) for whom University Advancement has a valid e-mail address will receive e-mail communications unless he/she requests otherwise.
  • University Advancement reserves the right to determine the appropriate audience/constituency for any message being sent.
  • University Advancement reserves the right to approve or decline a message request.
  • University Advancement reserves the right to prioritize outgoing messages.
  • Broadcast e-mail may not be used for:
    • Solicitations without prior approval by University Advancement
    • Gathering contact information on alumni, donors, parents or friends without the approval of University Advancement
    • Political solicitations
    • Merchandise sales (exception: links to Athletics and UH Arts ticket sales)
    • Service sales

Content Policies

  • Use of the UH/UHS president and chancellor’s image or name must have written approval from the AVC/AVP of Marketing & Communication before an e-mail message can be launched. Use of a signature image is not permissible. Send request to bmholmes@uh.edu.
  • To maintain compliance with the CAN-SPAM Act, UH General Counsel has approved a blurb, which must be placed in the footer of every piece of Convio stationery:

 

Messages are delivered through the UH e-Communications Center, an e-mail subscription service that enables you to manage your e-mail profile and preferences.
Tell a friend or family member to sign up and receive e-mail from [your college here].
This message was sent to [constituent email address here]. Visit your subscription management page to modify your e-mail communication preferences or update your personal profile.
If you received this message from a friend, you can sign up for other subscriptions.
Unsubscribe by clicking here or by US Mail to: University of Houston System, Donor & Alumni Records, 4800 Calhoun Rd, Houston, TX, 77204-5035.

 

  • State the purpose of the e-mail in the first few lines.
  • State the name of the person or organization providing the information. No UH e-mail should ever ask for a constituent’s username or password.
  • E-mails cannot contain attachments. It is advisable to include a hyperlink to the document or information on your website.
  • Do not include hyperlinks to Web pages that request user information.

Branding Policies

  • All existing University of Houston System policies governing communication, graphic standards, computing and privacy shall be applicable to broadcast e-mails.
  • Stationery must include an approved UH wordmark.
  • If a hyperlink in an email message sends a constituent to a UH web page, the web page must have an approved UH wordmark in the header.
  • The Office of Marketing & Communication reserves the right to cancel messages if branding policies are not followed.

List Policies

  • All e-mail audience groups are populated and maintained with e-mail addresses from the Advance database maintained by University Advancement.
  • Data is updated weekly between Convio and Advance. New graduate data is uploaded six to eight weeks after graduation.
  • Colleges, departments and UH System members may only send broadcast e-mails to alumni, donors, friends and full time faculty or staff affiliated with their college or department.

Scheduling Policies

  • Email project request forms should be submitted at least three full business days in advance of when you would like the message to launch.
  • A separate request should be submitted for each e-mail and for each time it is launched.
  • E-mail project requests that include a data request must be submitted at least thirteen days before the requested e-mail launch date to ensure a one week turnaround time for ARA (Advancement Reporting and Analysis).
  • There is no guarantee the date you request will be the date your e-mail is launched. A member of the UH Convio team will contact you to confirm launch dates or to get necessary details about the e-mail message.
  • Keep in mind UH cannot send e-mails to the same audience more than once a day. This means some e-mails may have to be rescheduled to avoid an overlap of audiences.
  • Sometimes an e-mail will need to be rescheduled at the last minute if a priority message, such as one from the president’s office, needs to be sent on a particular day.
  • Wednesdays are reserved for Athletics e-mails.
  • Saturdays and Sundays are reserved for UHAA weekly messages. THe second Thursday of the month is reserved for UHAA membership renewal e-mails.