Page 281 - Washington Nonprofit Handbook 2018 Edition

certain actions that anyone engaged in sending commercial content in e-mails must
do in order to comply with the rules of the CAN-SPAM Act:

(i) Use a Valid Header

Make sure the “from” line in the e-mail accurately and clearly reflects the
sender. Use appropriate e-mail addresses such as “products@nonprofit.org,”
“programs@nonprofit.org,” or “memberservices@nonprofit.org” to identify your
organization. To donors and members, this also provides a level of comfort
because they know and trust the organizations they support.

(ii) Use a Valid Subject Line

There currently are no labeling requirements for the subject line (“ADV” for
advertisement, for example). What is required is that the subject line not mislead

recipients as to the content of the message. For example, if your e-mail message is
designed to solicit membership, the subject line should not be “I got your message,”
“Hello from a friend” or other similar statements. Rather, use a subject line that is
more truthful, such as “Invitation to join ABC Organization” or “Special offer for new
members.”

(iii) Provide Clear and Conspicuous Notice of the Opportunity to
Opt Out

Notice of the opportunity to opt out of future commercial e-mails must be in
every e-mail message containing a commercial solicitation offer, and must be
provided to all individuals receiving the message, whether or not they have opted in
to receive commercial or solicitation e-mail offers.

(iv) Provide a Functioning Opt-Out Mechanism in Every
Commercial E-mail Message

A functioning opt-out mechanism can be a return e-mail address or other
internet-based mechanism that can receive opt-out requests for at least 30 days
after the transmission of the original message. The keys here are that the
mechanism must be internet-based and it must function. Also, the sender may not
send subsequent offers more than ten business days after a recipient has
requested to not receive further advertisements or offers. Further, if the recipient
has opted out, the sender may not rent, exchange, or otherwise transfer or release
the e-mail address of the recipient.

WASHINGTON NONPROFIT HANDBOOK -270- 2018