Updated 2026-02-01

Best Email Marketing Tools for Alumni Associations

Engage alumni, promote events, and strengthen your community with the right email marketing platform.

Alumni associations connect graduates across generations and geographies. Email is the backbone of that connection. Share reunions, announce events, celebrate achievements, and drive donations. The associations that communicate well build engaged communities that give back. Here are 13 email marketing platforms that work for alumni associations.

Why Alumni Associations Need Email Marketing

Promote Reunions and Events

Homecoming, class reunions, regional gatherings. Email drives the attendance that makes events successful.

Share Alumni News

Achievements, career moves, and milestones. Email keeps the community connected and celebrating together.

Drive Donations

Annual funds, capital campaigns, and giving days. Email is the primary channel for alumni fundraising.

Maintain Connections

Alumni scattered worldwide need a thread to stay connected. Email bridges the geographic distance.

13 Best Email Marketing Tools for Alumni Associations

Our Top Pick for Alumni Associations
#1
Sequenzy

AI-powered email marketing for organizations.

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Best for
Alumni associations wanting effective communication
Pricing
$29/month for 50,000 emails

Pros

  • AI writes alumni sequences
  • Simple interface
  • Pay per emails sent
  • Direct founder support

Cons

  • Launched in 2025, less track record
  • No built-in SMS
  • Fewer templates
#2
Mailchimp

Popular platform with nonprofit discounts.

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Best for
Alumni associations wanting a familiar platform
Pricing
Free up to 500 contacts, 15% nonprofit discount

Pros

  • Nonprofit discount
  • Many templates
  • Strong deliverability
  • Good analytics

Cons

  • Gets expensive with large lists
  • Not alumni-focused
  • Support declined
  • Interface overwhelming
#3
MailerLite

Affordable with nonprofit pricing.

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Best for
Budget-conscious alumni associations
Pricing
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, 30% nonprofit discount

Pros

  • Generous nonprofit discount
  • Clean interface
  • Good landing pages
  • Affordable

Cons

  • Strict approval
  • Limited features
  • Basic reporting
  • Approval time
#4
Constant Contact

Reliable with nonprofit rates.

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Best for
Alumni associations wanting phone support
Pricing
From $12/month, 20-30% nonprofit discount

Pros

  • Nonprofit discount
  • Phone support
  • Event features
  • Reliable

Cons

  • Limited automation
  • Templates dated
  • Higher prices
  • Not alumni-specific
#5
ActiveCampaign

Powerful automation for sophisticated communications.

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Best for
Large alumni associations
Pricing
From $29/month, nonprofit discounts available

Pros

  • Excellent automation
  • CRM included
  • Nonprofit discount
  • Detailed tracking

Cons

  • Steep learning curve
  • Complex interface
  • Overkill for small orgs
  • Price jumps
#6
Brevo

Good value with SMS included.

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Best for
Budget-conscious alumni associations
Pricing
Free up to 300 emails/day, then from $25/month

Pros

  • SMS included
  • Generous free tier
  • Good automation
  • Multi-channel

Cons

  • Daily limits
  • Support slow
  • Limited integrations
  • Branding on free
#7
ConvertKit

Built for creators with engaged audiences.

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Best for
Content-focused alumni communications
Pricing
Free up to 1,000 subscribers, then from $29/month

Pros

  • Great newsletters
  • Creator-focused
  • Tag automation
  • Clean interface

Cons

  • Minimal design
  • Not association-focused
  • No event features
  • Expensive at scale
#8
AWeber

Simple and reliable for newsletters.

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Best for
Alumni associations wanting reliability
Pricing
Free up to 500 subscribers, then from $15/month

Pros

  • Reliable
  • Simple
  • Good support
  • Track record

Cons

  • Dated
  • Limited automation
  • Basic templates
  • Little innovation
#9
GetResponse

All-in-one with webinar capability.

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Best for
Alumni associations doing virtual events
Pricing
From $19/month, nonprofit pricing available

Pros

  • Webinar hosting
  • Landing pages
  • Automation
  • Competitive pricing

Cons

  • Busy interface
  • Editor basic
  • Support varies
  • Features scattered
#10
Campaign Monitor

Beautiful templates for professional communication.

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Best for
Alumni associations prioritizing presentation
Pricing
From $9/month for 500 contacts

Pros

  • Beautiful templates
  • Great for visuals
  • Reliable delivery
  • Professional look

Cons

  • Contact pricing
  • Limited automation
  • Gets expensive
  • No nonprofit discount
#11
Drip

E-commerce focused for merchandise.

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Best for
Alumni associations with merchandise
Pricing
From $39/month for 2,500 contacts

Pros

  • Revenue tracking
  • Strong automation
  • E-commerce features
  • Analytics

Cons

  • Built for e-commerce
  • Expensive
  • Not for alumni
  • Overkill
#12
HubSpot

Enterprise solution for large organizations.

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Best for
Large university advancement offices
Pricing
Free basic, 40% nonprofit discount on paid

Pros

  • Full CRM
  • Great for teams
  • Nonprofit discount
  • Reporting

Cons

  • Overkill
  • Complex
  • Still expensive
  • Lock-in
#13
Moosend

Budget-friendly with good features.

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Best for
Very budget-conscious alumni associations
Pricing
From $9/month for 500 subscribers

Pros

  • Very affordable
  • Good automation
  • Responsive support
  • Landing pages

Cons

  • Less known
  • Limited integrations
  • Smaller templates
  • No nonprofit discount

Feature Comparison

FeatureSequenzyMailchimpMailerLiteConstant Contact
Reunion promotion
Alumni news
AI content
Drag-and-drop editor
Automation
Basic
Landing pages
Free tier

Email Sequences Every Alumni Association Needs

These are the essential automated email sequences that will help you grow your business and keep clients coming back.

New Graduate Welcome

Trigger: When someone becomes an alumnus

Welcome new graduates to the alumni community.

Post graduation
Welcome to the {{school}} alumni family!

Congratulations. What the association offers. How to stay connected.

Week 2
Alumni benefits you should know about

Career resources. Events. Networking opportunities.

Month 1
Stay connected with your classmates

Class networks. Regional chapters. Online community.

Reunion Promotion

Trigger: Before reunion events

Drive attendance at class reunions.

6 months before
Save the date: Class of {{year}} reunion

Date announcement. Early planning. Housing info.

3 months before
Register now for your {{year}} reunion

Registration open. Event details. Early bird pricing.

1 month before
Your reunion is almost here!

Final registration push. Who is coming. Schedule preview.

Week before
See you at reunion, {{first_name}}!

Final details. What to bring. Excitement building.

Annual Fund Appeal

Trigger: During giving campaigns

Drive alumni donations.

Campaign launch
Your gift to {{school}}

Why give. Impact of donations. Current needs.

Mid-campaign
Join {{number}} classmates who have given

Progress update. Social proof. Keep momentum.

Final push
Last chance: Annual fund closes {{date}}

Deadline urgency. Final appeal. Thank you preview.

Class Notes Update

Trigger: Quarterly schedule

Share alumni news and achievements.

Quarterly
What your classmates are up to

Career news. Family updates. Achievements. Milestones.

How to Choose the Right Email Tool

List size matters. Alumni databases can be large. Understand pricing at scale.

Nonprofit pricing helps. Most platforms offer discounts. Take advantage.

Segmentation is essential. Alumni have different interests by class, location, and engagement.

What Works for Alumni Email

Nostalgia connects. Alumni love hearing about classmates and remembering shared experiences.

Class identity matters. Communications segmented by class year perform better.

Events drive engagement. Reunions and gatherings create the engagement that leads to giving.

Getting Started

  1. Clean and segment your alumni database
  2. Set up welcome sequence for new graduates
  3. Create reunion promotion templates
  4. Plan your annual giving campaign calendar

Start simple and expand later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Monthly newsletter. Additional sends for reunions, giving campaigns, and major announcements. Class-specific communications as appropriate.

Class notes and achievements, reunion information, giving appeals, career opportunities, and institutional news.

Regular list cleaning. Easy update mechanisms. Engagement-based segmentation. Work with your institution's records office.

Absolutely. Segment by class year, location, giving history, and engagement level. Personalized messages perform better.

Start promotion early. Multiple touchpoints. Class agent outreach. Make registration easy. Share who is coming.

Open rates, event registrations, donation conversions, and engagement trends by class year.

Share impact of gifts. Use class competition. Honor tradition. Make it personal. Clear call to action.

Personal and nostalgic. 'Class of {{year}} reunion details' or 'Your classmates are asking about you' work well.

Mobile-friendly design. Career content. Social events. Less formal tone. Meet them where they are.

Update contact campaigns. Easy re-subscription. Show what they are missing. Make it valuable to return.

Ready to grow your alumni association practice?

Start your free trial today. Set up your first email sequence in minutes with AI-powered content generation.

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Sequenzy - Complete Pricing Guide

Pricing Model

Sequenzy uses subscriber-based pricing. You only pay for subscribers active in sequences (automations). Inactive subscribers are free to store.

All Pricing Tiers

  • 0-100 subscribers: Free (Free annually) - 2k emails/month
  • 101-1,000 subscribers: $19/month ($205/year annually) - 15k emails/month
  • 1,001-5,000 subscribers: $29/month ($313/year annually) - 60k emails/month
  • 5,001-10,000 subscribers: $49/month ($529/year annually) - 120k emails/month
  • 10,001-25,000 subscribers: $99/month ($1069/year annually) - 300k emails/month
  • 25,001-50,000 subscribers: $199/month ($2149/year annually) - 600k emails/month
  • 50,001-100,000 subscribers: $349/month ($3769/year annually) - 1.2M emails/month
  • 100,000+ subscribers: Custom pricing (Custom annually) - Unlimited emails/month

Yearly billing: All plans offer a 10% discount when billed annually.

Free Plan Features (0-100 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Paid Plan Features (1,000 - 100,000 subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations (Stripe, Paddle, Lemon Squeezy)
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Enterprise Plan Features (100,000+ subscribers)

  • Visual automation builder
  • Transactional email API
  • Reply tracking & team inbox
  • Goal tracking & revenue attribution
  • Dynamic segments
  • Payment integrations
  • Full REST API access
  • Custom sending domain

Important Pricing Notes

  • You only pay for subscribers who are active in automations/sequences
  • Storing inactive subscribers is free
  • No hidden fees - all features included in the price
  • No credit card required for free tier

Contact

  • Pricing Page: https://sequenzy.com/pricing
  • Sales: hello@sequenzy.com