Overview

As email is an increasingly vital means of communication, the volume of messages email service providers (ESPs), such as Blackbaud, send to mailbox providers, such as Gmail or Yahoo!, is higher than ever. To help reduce the number of unwanted emails — sometimes referred to as SPAM — their users receive, mailbox providers use a combination of processes to evaluate messages.

Specifically, they consider the:

• ESP's sending practices and reputation to determine whether to accept the delivery of a message.
• Deliverability of the message. Deliverability refers to how a mailbox provider determines where to place a message, such as in the recipient's inbox or SPAM folder.

To determine deliverability, mailbox providers consider the:

• Recipient's previous engagement with the sender's messages, such as whether they opened them or clicked links
• Email's design and composition
• Reputation of the sender's domain