Why We Cleaned Our Weekly Newsletter List

A smaller list. A stronger connection. A better chance of reaching the people who want to hear from us.

Over time, 287 people signed up to receive The Veterans Club weekly newsletter. That is something worth celebrating. We started with just 92 subscribers, so reaching 287 showed that veterans, first responders and members of our community wanted a consistent way to stay connected.

Today, I removed 97 email addresses from that list.

Those subscribers had never been recorded as opening one of our newsletters. They did nothing wrong, and their removal was not intended as a punishment. It was simply time to make sure our subscriber count reflected the people who are actively interested in what The Veterans Club is doing.

A Smaller, Active List Is Better Than a Padded List

Here is how I look at an email list: If someone never opens the newsletter, they are probably not learning about our programs, attending an event because they saw it listed or sharing the information with another veteran or first responder.

A list of 500 subscribers might sound impressive, but that number means very little if most recipients never read the messages. I would rather have a smaller, active list than a larger list filled with addresses that make the number look good but do nothing to advance our mission.

After this cleanup, approximately 190 subscribers remain. That is still more than twice the 92 addresses we had when we began.

That is real growth.

The Free Plan Has a Limit

The Veterans Club currently uses the free version of the email software installed on our website. That has served us well while we have been building our audience, but the free plan has a ceiling.

Once our list reaches 500 subscribers, we will need to start paying for the software—and it is not inexpensive.

Every inactive address moves us closer to paying for a larger list without helping us reach more people. I would rather direct our limited resources toward programs, events and outreach than pay to send newsletters to addresses that have never shown any activity.

Cleaning the list now gives us room to continue growing with subscribers who genuinely want to hear from us.

Email Engagement Matters

When an organization regularly sends hundreds of emails, email providers pay attention to how recipients respond. They consider whether messages are opened, ignored, marked as spam or returned because an address is no longer valid.

Right now, approximately 45% of our weekly newsletters are recorded as opened. That is a respectable open rate, although privacy settings and other technology make all email-open statistics somewhat approximate.

A lower open rate does not automatically mean our account will be shut down. However, a consistently inactive list—particularly one that also produces bounced messages or spam complaints—can damage our reputation as an email sender.

That can cause future newsletters to land in spam folders instead of inboxes. If the problems become serious or continue for too long, an email provider may restrict or suspend an account.

I sometimes call the systems making these decisions the “email deities.” We do not get to explain ourselves to them. Our reputation is based largely on how recipients respond to what we send.

Keeping our list current helps protect that reputation and improves the likelihood that our newsletters will reach the people who want them.

Sponsors Deserve an Honest Picture

There are real annual costs associated with operating The Veterans Club, and our sponsors are critical to our financial survival. Their support helps us create opportunities for veterans and first responders to experience Connection, Purpose and Belonging.

Sponsors are not helped by an inflated subscriber number.

Telling a potential sponsor that we have 287 subscribers might sound impressive—until we explain that 97 of them have never opened a newsletter. I would rather tell sponsors that we have approximately 190 engaged subscribers who have demonstrated an interest in our organization.

That is a more honest and valuable picture of the community their support helps us reach.

As the percentage of active readers grows, the newsletter also becomes more valuable to our sponsors. It shows that their support is being recognized by people who care about our mission and pay attention to what The Veterans Club is doing.

How This List Grows

We did not buy these email addresses, and we did not collect them from some unrelated database. People joined the list because they attended an event, visited our website, heard about us from someone they trusted or wanted to stay connected.

That is still how we want the list to grow.

If you receive our weekly newsletter, thank you. You are the reason we continue sending it.

You can help us reach more people by forwarding the newsletter to another veteran or first responder. Encourage that person to attend an event, visit our website and subscribe.

That is not merely a marketing tactic. It is how a community grows: one person sharing something useful with another person.

You Are Always Welcome Back

Removing an inactive address does not mean someone is no longer welcome at The Veterans Club.

If you were removed but still want to receive the newsletter, you may subscribe again at any time. We understand that people become busy, email addresses change and messages sometimes get lost in crowded inboxes.

This cleanup is not about shrinking our mission or excluding anyone. It is about keeping one of our communication tools healthy, affordable and effective.

Our mission remains the same: to reduce isolation among veterans and first responders by creating opportunities for Connection, Purpose and Belonging.

The newsletter helps us carry out that mission—but only when it reaches people who want to receive it.

We cleaned the list so we can continue sending the newsletter without paying for inactive addresses. We cleaned it to protect our ability to reach your inbox. We cleaned it so our sponsors see an honest picture of the community they support.

Most importantly, we cleaned it so we can make room for more veterans and first responders who want to connect, participate and help us grow.

A smaller list. A stronger connection. Still serving.