How broadcast email works
A broadcast is a one-time email you compose and send to a group of members. This page explains what happens from the moment you click Send now to the moment each member (or not) receives the email.
The short version
Section titled “The short version”When you send a broadcast, MapleGather resolves the audience, removes opted-out members, passes the message to its sending infrastructure, and records a per-recipient delivery outcome. You see the results on the send-detail page.
How it works
Section titled “How it works”Audience resolution
Section titled “Audience resolution”When you send a broadcast, MapleGather resolves the segment criteria at that exact moment. Any member who joined after you built the segment but before you sent — and who matches the criteria — is included. This means segments stay accurate even if member records change between when you saved the segment and when you send.
Consent enforcement
Section titled “Consent enforcement”Before dispatching to any member, MapleGather checks whether they’ve opted out of the relevant email category. Members who have opted out are excluded from the send. This check happens automatically at dispatch time — you can’t override it per send, and it can’t be turned off.
When members are excluded because they’ve opted out, the composer shows a count — for example, “N recipients excluded — opted out.” These members appear with a Suppressed status in the per-recipient log.
Dispatch and delivery
Section titled “Dispatch and delivery”Once the audience is resolved and opted-out members are removed, MapleGather hands the messages to its email sending infrastructure. The send-detail page shows a progress bar and a “N of M dispatched” counter while sending is in progress.
Delivery status — whether a message reached the recipient’s mail server — is reported back and recorded per recipient. Open and click tracking aren’t available in this version.
Terminal states
Section titled “Terminal states”A broadcast reaches one of four terminal states:
- Sent — all messages dispatched.
- Partial — sending stopped before all messages dispatched (for example, due to a cancellation while sending).
- Cancelled — an admin cancelled before or during sending.
- Failed — a system error prevented sending.
Once a broadcast reaches a terminal state, it can’t be re-sent from that same broadcast record. Within 48 hours of cancellation, you can use the Unified Undo panel to re-queue the original broadcast. Note that re-sending targets the full original audience again — there’s no option to send only to members who didn’t receive it the first time.
Why it works this way
Section titled “Why it works this way”The fresh audience resolution and consent enforcement at dispatch time are intentional. Resolving at send time means your list is always current — you don’t need to refresh a snapshot. Enforcing consent at dispatch time means opted-out members are protected regardless of when they opted out, even if they opt out between when you composed the email and when it dispatches.
Edge cases and boundaries
Section titled “Edge cases and boundaries”- 0 recipients: If all eligible members have opted out (or the segment is empty), the broadcast can’t be sent. A “0 recipients” notice appears in the composer.
- Large audiences: Very large sends are dispatched in batches. The progress bar reflects the overall dispatch progress.
- Draft state: A broadcast in Draft status has no scheduled audience resolution — it only resolves when you actually send.