PTO Today

Who is Constant Contact?

Constant Contact is a web-based software provider that creates online products for small and medium-sized businesses to communicate with their customers. Constant Contact is the email service that Parent Express Email operates on.

Is there a cost for using Parent Express Email?

Parent Express Email is a free service to your parent group.

Why are there banner ads in the Parent Express Email templates?

Parent Express Email is a free email service from PTO Today and Constant Contact to help your group improve communication with parents and get more families involved. These ads allow us to make this service free to your group and school. The good news is that – unlike much broader email services – all of the ads in these emails are carefully approved by PTO Today to be a fit for involved school families. Our partner brands are also committed to helping parents help their children succeed at home and at school.

Are Parent Express Emails customizable?

Yes. With two customizable parent group email templates to choose from and a simple point and click interface, you can create great looking email newsletters and announcements in just minutes. No technical expertise is necessary – just follow along with the email wizard and your email will be ready to send out in no time. Both the announcement template and newsletter template allow you to use your own graphics, photos, colors, fonts and text. And, once you've uploaded your list(s), the email will automatically populate with the names provided in your list – giving your emails a personal touch.

Is it easy to build an email?

Yes. The process for creating an email is extremely intuitive, with a point-and-click interface and email wizard prompts guiding the way.

What if I need help when I'm building an email?

Because Parent Express Email is provided by Constant Contact, an established, web-based software provider, you will immediately have access to their customer support team (accessible by live chat, phone and email) and their active user community that allows for an easy exchange of questions, answers, best practices and more. You'll also have access to thousands of FAQs, discussion boards, tutorials and webinars so that the opportunity to learn even more about email campaigns is always available to your group. If you have any questions after signing up for Parent Express Email, you can call their help line at 1-866-876-8464, or submit your question online by going to www.constantcontact.com/contact/.

Are you able to include photos in the emails?

Yes, you are able to include images in your emails. You can use an image that is stored on your computer after you upload it to the Parent Express Email Image Library, or an image that is stored on another website. Once you start building your email, you realize how easy it is to insert images into the templates! Check the tips & hints sheet for more information on how you can format the look of your emails.

How many images are you allowed to store in your Parent Express Email image library?

You are able to host up to five of your own images at one time in your account's image library. However, you can always delete an old one in order to replace it with a new one.

Are you able to send attachments in the emails?

Parent Express Email doesn't allow files to be attached to your emails. By disabling attachments, it prevents you from unknowingly sending viruses that can exist invisibly in a file. If you have a file that you want to include with your email, you can upload it to the web and link to the file in your email.

Once we’ve signed up for Parent Express Email, will our group also have access to the online survey templates and tools that are available through Constant Contact?

Constant Contact’s online survey offering is a separate product from our Parent Express Email service. Your group has the choice of purchasing the product directly through Constant Contact and it will be added to your email program – but it is not included as part of the free email service you receive through Parent Express Email.

How many email contacts can be in your Parent Express Email database?

You can have up to 5,000 contacts in your account that can be emailed. This means that the total number of contacts you choose to send an email to cannot exceed 5,000 names.

Is it easy to upload your contacts into the Parent Express Email system?

Yes. You can add contacts to your account by importing lists into your Parent Express Email list database that you already have saved as files on your computer (.txt, .csv and .xls files), or by manually typing (or cutting and pasting) email addresses.

Is there any limit to how many email lists you can upload?

With Parent Express Email you can create one master email list of all your school's parents, as well as smaller lists that allow you to send specific email messages to a specific group of parents. There's no limit to the amount of email lists you can use and store in the Parent Express Email system.

Is there a limit to the number of emails that you are able to send out?

No, there is no limit to the number of emails you can send out.

Can you have multiple users using one Parent Express Email account?

Presently, Parent Express Email does not have specific features for allowing multiple users in a single account. This means that if you give multiple users access to your one account, there is only one user name and password that everyone must share. Each user in the account will have access to your full contact list and all your email campaigns. Also, if two people are logged in at the same time and working on email communications, there is the potential that issues may arise when editing and sending emails – so it's best to designate one person in your group as the Parent Express Email user.

Is Parent Express Email MAC compatible?

Yes, Parent Express Email is compatible with MAC computers. However, one tip we'd like to point out when using a MAC with the Parent Express Email system – the standard MAC mouse has one button, while the PC mouse has two or more. In order to modify the email templates with your own text and images, you will need to right click – so if you're using a MAC, you can “right-click” by holding down the Control key and clicking the mouse.

What operating systems and web browsers are compatible with Parent Express Email?

Parent Express Email is not compatible with the Safari browser, or the AOL browser software on MAC computers. Below is a complete list of operating systems and browsers that are compatible with the Parent Express Email system:

Operating System

Browser

Windows 2000	IE 8 is not currently supported. IE 6+ Firefox 1.5+ Google Chrome is not currently supported.
Windows 2003	IE 8 is not currently supported. IE 6+ Firefox 1.5+ Google Chrome is not currently supported.
Windows XP (Service Pack 2)	IE 8 is not currently supported. IE 6+ Firefox 1.5+ AOL 9.0 Client Google Chrome is not currently supported.
MAC 10.4	IE 8 is not currently supported. Firefox 1.5+ Google Chrome is not currently supported.
Vista	IE 8 is not currently supported. IE 7+ Firefox 1.5+ AOL 9.0 Client Google Chrome is not currently supported.

Are your email addresses and data secure in the Parent Express Email system?

Because your Parent Express Emails will be delivered by Constant Contact – a leading email provider who is aware of the latest email regulations and Spam issues – you can be confident that your Parent Express emails are secure and are getting delivered. Constant Contact takes every precaution to protect the confidentiality and security of your personal information by using industry-recognized security safeguards such as firewalls, coupled with carefully developed security procedures to protect your information from loss, misuse or unauthorized alteration.

Are all of your emails archived in the Parent Express Email system so that you have a record of what was sent and when?

Yes, all emails that you send using Parent Express Email are automatically archived and organized by date, allowing you to easily access sent emails in no time.

How is Parent Express Email different from Volunteer Builder?

Parent Express Email was developed to use in conjunction with Volunteer Builder, our volunteer management software program – click here to learn more about Volunteer Builder.

Volunteer Builder is a great program that helps you manage, track and communicate with your volunteers. It also allows you to easily store and access the information you need on your volunteers. Parent Express Email takes it one step further and allows you to send professional looking, polished, personalized emails to your entire school (or any subset of parents). You can still send emails from Volunteer Builder, but Parent Express Email is a better solution when sending emails out to everyone at your school or when you want to add photos or use other formatting options.

Can Parent Express Email be integrated with Volunteer Builder?

Ultimately, we will have an interface between the Parent Express Email system and the Volunteer Builder program. In the interim, you will need to export your list from Volunteer Builder and import it into the Parent Express Email system. Once a list is imported into Parent Express Email, you don't have to do it again.