--- title: "Friday Buzz: When Email Goes Wrong" id: "38034" type: "post" slug: "friday-buzz-when-email-goes-wrong" published_at: "2017-05-05T20:09:06+00:00" modified_at: "2017-05-05T20:09:06+00:00" url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/05/friday-buzz-when-email-goes-wrong/" markdown_url: "https://associationsnow.com/2017/05/05/friday-buzz-when-email-goes-wrong.md" excerpt: "Find out how to bounce back from embarrassing email fails. Also: Stop a condescending coworker from making you lose your cool." taxonomy_category: - "Marketing / Communications" taxonomy_post_tag: - "AssociationsNow" - "health communication" - "Membership" - "office etiquette" - "professional tips" - "Technology" taxonomy_content_format: - "Article" taxonomy_role: - "Director" - "Manager" taxonomy_persona: - "Association Professionals" --- [Home](https://associationsnow.com/) » [Articles](https://associationsnow.com/format/article/) » Friday Buzz: When Email Goes Wrong You try to dot every “i” and cross every “t,” but something can still go wrong when you send an email to all of your members. It doesn’t matter if the error is a typo or due to a technology issue beyond your control, an inaccurate email will leave members with a bad impression and may even cause some to unsubscribe from your newsletter. *Association Success* shares a few [common email problems and some clever fixes (opens in a new tab)](http://www.associationsuccess.org/article/member-email-fails-and-how-to-recover-from-them) . “I once sent out an identical email a week later instead of the newer one I had just written, as I had input the wrong email into the workflow,” writes Arianna Rehak. “Within five minutes, I had four unsubscribes, so knew I had to act quickly.” She recovered by immediately sending an email with a subject line that read, “I accidentally emailed you twice!” She then followed up with a personal apology, which people appreciated. Another association once sent an email with an incorrect discount code. When it discovered the error, it corrected the issue by creating a new code on its end to match the one the members received. ### Keeping Your Cool > 4 Better Ways to Handle a Condescending Co-Worker [#assnchat (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/assnchat?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#leadership (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/leadership?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [#hr (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/hashtag/hr?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [https://t.co/ANGaIlYq7W (opens in a new tab)](https://t.co/ANGaIlYq7W) > via [@dailymuse (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/dailymuse?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > [@LeaMcLeod (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/LeaMcLeod?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) > > — HRH Duchess of Success, CAE (@blalockt) [May 5, 2017 (opens in a new tab)](https://twitter.com/blalockt/status/860490547873624066?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw) **The office can be an emotionally fraught place at times,** but don’t let a condescending coworker get you so upset that you lose your temper. Try not to take their rudeness personally, [says online career resource The Muse (opens in a new tab)](https://www.themuse.com/advice/4-better-ways-to-handle-a-condescending-coworker-than-stooping-to-his-level) . “Remember, this person might be trying to provoke you,” writes Lea McLeod. “And if you let her, say, by lashing out to defend yourself and telling her what a jerk she is, you’ll just be playing right into her hands.” Instead, McLeod says to call out the person calmly by saying something like, “Gee, that comment sounded a bit condescending to me. Mind dropping the attitude?” ### Other Links of Note **Program sustainability.** *Kivi’s Nonprofit Communications Blog* goes in depth on [sustainability planning for nonprofits (opens in a new tab)](http://www.nonprofitmarketingguide.com/blog/2017/05/03/dont-be-a-gopher-nonprofit-marketing-and-program-sustainability/) . **Facebook is still king.** Despite the popularity of new social media networks like Snapchat, millennials are still more likely to [share content on Facebook (opens in a new tab)](http://www.businessinsider.com/facebook-is-millennials-top-spot-for-sharing-2017-5) than any other platform, reports *Business Insider.* **Don’t make your team use software they don’t like.** *Entrepreneur* recommends [doing a trial of (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/293575) [a new product with your team (opens in a new tab)](https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/293575) before you commit. (iStock/Thinkstock) [Raegan Johnson](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Raegan Johnson is a contributor to Associations Now. [More articles by this author](https://associationsnow.com/author/raegan-johnson/) Tags: [#health communication](https://associationsnow.com/tag/health-communication/) [#Membership](https://associationsnow.com/tag/membership/) [#office etiquette](https://associationsnow.com/tag/office-etiquette/) [#professional tips](https://associationsnow.com/tag/professional-tips/) [#Technology](https://associationsnow.com/tag/technology/) **Stay Informed** [Subscribe to our free newsletter](https://associationsnow.com/newsletter/) , *Associations Now Daily News*, to find out what’s happening in the association world every business day. ## You Might Like - [PodcastAssociations Now Presents: Beyond the Tech Stack: How AI Is Changing the Association PlaybookOctober 29, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/10/29/associations-now-presents-beyond-the-tech-stack-how-ai-is-changing-the-association-playbook/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: More Than Marketing: The Power of Strategic CommunicationsJuly 30, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/07/30/associations-now-presents-more-than-marketing-the-power-of-strategic-communications/) - [PodcastAssociations NOW Presents: Why Slower Marketing Can Drive Stronger Member Engagement (Episode 27)June 25, 2026](https://associationsnow.com/2026/06/25/associations-now-presents-why-slower-marketing-can-drive-stronger-member-engagement-episode-27/) - [ArticleCancer Groups Partner to Address MisinformationJune 18, 2024](https://associationsnow.com/2024/06/18/cancer-groups-partner-to-address-misinformation/) ## Comments **Comments are for ASAE members.** [Learn more about comments on this site.](https://associationsnow.com/comments/) [Log in](https://associationsnow.com/login?redirect_to=https%3A%2F%2Fassociationsnow.com%2F2017%2F05%2F05%2Ffriday-buzz-when-email-goes-wrong%2F%23comments) to your member account or [join ASAE](https://my.asaecenter.org/select-a-membership-type/) !