Stop Wasting Money on Bad Emails: How Credit Unions Can Keep Email Lists Clean

Aug 29, 2025

Email marketing is still one of the best ways for credit unions to connect with members. But it only works if your list is healthy. Do you upload new names every month without checking the old ones? If so, you may be paying for emails that never even go through. It also lowers deliverability and creates extra work for your staff.

The tips below are written with Constant Contact users in mind, but they apply to most email marketing tools. Whether you’re using Constant Contact, Mailchimp, or another platform, these steps will help your credit union save money and keep your marketing effective.

At CuCurator, we’ve worked with credit unions across the country to solve this problem. A few small changes to your email process can make a big difference in how well your messages reach members.

1. Watch Your Bounce Rate

If more than 3–5% of your emails are bouncing, you’ve got a problem. Those addresses may be old, typed wrong, or no longer in use. And here’s the kicker: they still count toward your bill, even though no one ever sees them.

👉 Quick fix: Export your bounced emails, remove them from Constant Contact, and hand the list to your teller line. The next time a member calls or visits, your staff can confirm the correct address. This turns “bad emails” into a member service win.

2. Stick With One Master List

Do you create a new list every time you add names? That only makes things messy. Instead, keep one master list and add new emails to it.

Avoid duplicates
Stay in a lower billing tier
Pull clear, simple reports
Prevent members from getting the same email twice

If you’ve got old lists sitting around, delete them and keep things organized.

3. Clean Up Your Footer

The footer is the bottom of your email, and it matters more than you might think. Did you know you can ask Constant Contact to remove their logo? If your plan allows it, that’s a smart move. Your footer should highlight your credit union — not their brand.

What should you include?

Must-haves: An unsubscribe link and your mailing address (both required by law).
Smart extras for credit unions:

A link to your privacy policy
Your NMLS number (if you offer mortgages)
Your NCUA or Equal Housing logo

A clean, branded footer builds trust and helps your credit union look more professional.

4. The Payoff for Your Credit Union

When you clean your list, you get:

Lower costs (stop paying for dead addresses)
Better deliverability (more of your members actually see your emails)
A smoother member experience (fewer errors, no duplicates)
A stronger brand (your emails look polished and trustworthy)

Bottom Line

Cleaning up your email list isn’t just housekeeping. It saves your credit union money, improves deliverability, and gives your staff an easy way to reconnect with members.