While you can always log directly into your Mailchimp account to design and send messages, you can also create and send messages directly from the Member Splash dashboard by going to Communications -> Mailchimp.

While the built in email design tool does support using tables, images and more to create visually appealing messages, it is not as robust at the Mailchimp template builder and design library so depending on your needs you may wish to create your message directly in Mailchimp.

Note: Mailchimp uses a custom template syntax. Emails or templates you create in Mailchimp can not be edited in Member Splash at the present time. If you design an email in Mailchimp you will need to send it from Mailchimp, not Member Splash.

First select an existing draft campaign, or create a new one. In Mailchimp's vernacular a campaign is an individual email. If you're sending a reminder about a club event your campaign name might be something like "End of Summer Party Reminder." An existing campaign is one that you previously started but have not sent yet. If you originally created the campaign in Mailchimp you'll need to complete it there.

Next, you can optionally choose a segment of your email list to send to. Segments get created in Mailchimp using their segment builder. This guide explains segments in detail. If you do not select a segment the email will go to all club members with an email address on file including waitlist (so this likely NOT what you want!).

The Reply To address is set in Mailchimp and is only shown here for verification. This article covers how to change it.

The Email Subject is what will show in the recipients' inbox. Short, descriptive subject lines are more effective, especially for readers on mobile devices. Mailchimp's recommendation is no more than 9 words and 60 total characters.

The Email Body uses a WYSIWYG editor and includes support for adding tables, pictures from your site's media gallery and more. For more complex layouts, like multiple columns, you can use the table tool to control where content and images are placed.

At any point you can save a draft of the email campaign. That will push a copy to Mailchimp. Note: If you do not save a draft copy and you navigate away from the editing screen you will lose your work. Drafts are not saved automatically.

After saving the campaign as a draft you will see a preview of your message and options to send a test copy to any address you enter. You can also check the box below and send the email to all of the designated recipients.

The official Mailchimp guide to previewing messages and testing merge tags can be found here: https://mailchimp.com/help/preview-and-test-your-email-campaign/