HOWTO Create the Monthly Newsletter

AHA has two newsletters: The Monthly Maker Newsletter is sent to members and non-members and includes monthly updates about the goings-on in the space (e.g., events, news, etc.). The Members Mailing List is sent only to members (paid and volunteer) and is used to disseminate information about policy changes, special information, board elections, etc. Both mailing lists are currently managed via Mailchimp.

Monthly Maker Newsletter

The Monthly Maker Newsletter is generated from events and news listed on AHA's Meetup page or in AHA's Matrix Server. Make sure to post events and news to the Meetup or Matrix by the dates listed in the Schedule to have them added to the Newsletter.

Newsletter Gnome: SarahB currently generates the newsletter. Tag @sarah on Matrix to get her attention.

Signing Up

People can join the Monthly Maker Newsletter mailing list by either:

1. Signing up on our website, or
2. Having their email manually entered to our audience by the Newsletter Gnome from the Newsletter Sign Up form near the entrance.

Note for Volunteers: When giving tours of the space, please encourage visitors to add their names and emails to the Newsletter Sign Up form near the entrance. If the form is full,

Newsletter Schedule

• 15th of the month: Call for Events for the next month goes out on Matrix (i.e., The call for March events happens on February 15th). Events should be added to AHA's Meetup. News/announcement details should be posted to Matrix in the Operations or General channels.
• 25th of the month: Newsletter is generated and posted on Matrix in the Operations and General channels for review. People are given until the 29th of the month to request corrections or additions.
• 29th of the month: Newsletter is scheduled to be sent. No more changes or additions will be made, except emergency announcements or egregious errors (e.g., incorrect event dates/times).
• 1st of the month: Newsletter is sent to the mailing list.

Adding Events to Meetup

Only members who have been granted the Event Organizer role on AHA's Meetup (aka, the "Leadership Team") can add, edit, or cancel events. If you do not have the Event Organizer role on Meetup, contact one of the current Leadership Team to have your event added.

Create a New Event

1. Click the red "Create Event" button.
2. Fill out the event details (see also the Meetup Event Creation Guide).
3. Select whether the event will be in-person or online.
   • Online Events: Request access to AHA's Zoom account on our Matrix Server or by contacting the Board.
   • In-person Events: Remember to add information about our current Covid-19 masking, vaccination, and distancing policies to your event details.
4. Click "Publish" (but do not click "Announce" - to announce your event, post it to the general channel and any other appropriate rooms on matrix)

Copy an Existing Event

1. Navigate to the event you want to copy
2. Click the "Organizer Tools" drop down at the top-right
3. Click "Copy Event"
4. Change/verify event information as needed
5. Click "Publish" (but do not click "Announce" - to announce your event, post it to the general channel and any other appropriate rooms on matrix)

Member Mailing List

Member Mailing List emails are sent only as needed to communicate important information about policy changes, board elections, and other membership-relevant information.

Getting Added

New members must first sign up for our mailing list. After they have done so, they must be manually added to the Member Mailing List by a member of the Board or whichever volunteer is working with the Board to manage the newsletters.

Members who wish to confirm that they have been added to the Member Mailing List should contact the Board