Spam Prevention Toolkit

Spam, or junk email, is more than simply a nuisance. Those unwanted ads for mortgages, pharmaceuticals, and unclaimed millions filling your inbox can inflict a variety of problems upon your organization, from lost time and correspondence to identity theft, viruses, and other forms of malware.

Complicating matters is the fact that some of the tools designed to fight these problems — like spam filters — may also prevent your organization's legitimate email from reaching constituents and funders, disrupting communication and negatively impacting your campaigns. Here are some tips to help you effectively deal with spam in your organization.

Understand the Problem

Ten Spam-Filtering Methods Explained

With spam accounting for an increasing amount of all email messages, having a reliable spam-filtering system can be a lifesaver. Here, we explain how 10 popular anti-spam methods work and briefly outline some of their pros and cons.

10 Spam Fighting Tips for IT Managers

System administrators, take note: The way you configure your organization's servers can affect whether your outgoing messages get marked as spam.

Identifying and Stopping Spam

Learn about way you can identify spam, so you can stop them before they even get to your inbox.

Protect Yourself from Spam

Things You Can Do to Prevent Spam

We'll show you simple steps you can take to reduce the amount of spam in your inbox.

Using Built-in Junk Mail Filters in Outlook

Outlook, the most popular email client for Windows operating systems, has Junk Mail filters built-in. Learn how best to use this function so that the right mail gets filtered, and the wrong ones don't.

Anti-Spam Solutions for Nonprofits

An overview for ways to protect you and your organization from the nuisance and potential security threats.

Other Issues to Consider

Wait, That Newsletter's Not Spam!

Although following the rules outlined in the U.S. CAN-SPAM Act: Requirements for Commercial Emailers is a good start, there's more involved in ensuring that your email newsletters reach your constituents. We'll show you how to keep your organization's messages from being marked as spam.

How Sender Authentication Affects Your Outbound Emails

Authentication is rapidly becoming a critical factor for determining whether your email messages are delivered — or snared in a spam filter. We'll show you how to comply with email-sender authentication so that your important messages aren't filtered out.

Don't Get Lured by Phishing Scams

Phishers pose as legitimate organizations to fish for credit-card data and other sensitive information online. Learn how to identify phishing scams, how to avoid becoming a victim, and how to make sure your nonprofit's messages look legit.