The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
The Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada
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Guide to emailing members

A typical PIPSC member belongs to 5 different constituent bodies – their region, branch, group, sub-group, and consultation team. We want to help members feel connected to and engage with these communities, without being overwhelmed with emails.

When sending emails to members, we strive to achieve the following goals: 

  • Help messages get the attention they deserve by using best practices proven to increase member engagement
  • Create an email calendar so that members aren’t receiving too many emails from PIPSC on any given day or week
  • Ensure members receive relevant and accessible content
  • Create conditions where fewer members unsubscribe from our email list
  • Foster inclusivity for all ages, abilities, ethnicities, genders, religions and sexual orientations

Are you an executive of a PIPSC constituent body? This guide outlines how to send an email to members.

Step 1:

Contact your designated Administrative Assistant (AA), Administrative Coordinator (AC) or Office Administrator (OA). They will assist you with the process. You can send them a draft email or fill in an email template, which they can provide to you.

Provide the draft content in one language. Feel free to edit or add more content to an email template to make it your own. By using a template, we can get the email sent faster. This is because templates have already been approved and translated.

Step 2:

Provide your AA, AC or OA with the following information:

  1. Who is the email sender? What is their title?
    • This name will appear in the member’s inbox as the “sender” of the email
  2. Who needs to approve the final version of this content?
    • Please list any staff and members who may need to see the final version before it is sent to members
  3. Who should receive this email?
    • Describe the list of members, for example, group, region, worksite, department, classification, etc.
    • Specify the member status: regular, retired or both
  4. If a member replies to the email with a question, to whom should it be sent? Please include their name and email address.

Step 3:

The AA, AC or OA will send the request to the Communications team for review and editing. The Communications team will then:

  1. Review and edit the email
  2. Get the necessary approvals for the email 
  3. Send the email for translation
  4. Program the email in our email system and send it to members

Why is it important to edit the email?

The Communications team consists of digital communications experts who are trained in email best practices and plain language writing and follow the PIPSC Digital Style Guide.

When editing, they ask the following questions: 

  • Is the content clear and concise?
  • If a member joined PIPSC yesterday, would they understand this email? 
  • Did we start with the most important information so that someone scanning the email can still understand? 
  • Is the message short enough to keep people’s attention and drive them to sign up, take action, or click to learn more?
  • Does this email also need a posting on the PIPSC website? Emails communicate key messages to drive members to take action. Web posts include more specific detailed information (including requirements for nominations and forms).
  • Is the email formatted to meet accessibility requirements? Is it formatted correctly for different email clients or devices, such as mobile phones and tablets?
  • Are there any typos or grammatical errors? 

For all emails except bargaining emails, please submit requests approximately 2 weeks prior to the ideal send date. It typically takes a minimum of 1 week to turn around an email. These timelines are generally shortened for urgent bargaining emails if required. 

Notice of meetings or elections

Many PIPSC by-laws state that “notice” of an election or meeting, such as an AGM, must be given a certain number of days in advance. Remember, “notice” means posting on the website so that members can see it, according to the PIPSC Legal team. An email is not necessary to meet notice requirements.

If you would like members to also receive an email, make sure to submit your request 2 weeks prior to the notice date.

If you have any questions, please contact your designated AA/AC/OA or contact communications@pipsc.ca.