How to send a formal email invite

What guidelines are there for sending email invitations for a formal event? That’s what one reader asked recently on the Admin Pro Forum:

“I have to send out 50 email invitations to a formal business dinner for donors, and I’m not sure how to address the recipients or phrase these invitations. There’ll be no attachment. What should such an email look and sound like? In particular, what about the greeting, conclusion and subject line?” — Angelina, Membership Coordinator

The consensus from readers was that etiquette for formal events dictates a paper invitation. However, if stuck with email, our experts have some tips.

Tools. You don’t want to type 50 invites, nor do you want to begin with “Dear Valued Donor.” Mailchimp, GetResponse or Jellymetrics will let you upload a spreadsheet of names and send personalized emails, says Nedim Talovic, co-founder of Jellymetrics, an email and newsletter delivery service. Most services, he says, are free for lists of up to 2,000 emails.

Subject line. Spell out clearly that this is a dinner invitation, says Victoria Bordelon, a corporate event planner and custom stationery designer. You don’t want guests to think the message is spam or a routine communiqué. Something like “You are cordially invited to a dinner party” should work.

Tone. If the dinner is formal, the invitation wording should be too, Bordelon says. She recommends the highest degree of formality: “Dear Mr. and Mrs. , requests the pleasure of your company at …” followed by details on the event’s purpose. Give the venue’s full name, the date and time, preferred method of RSVP and any special details such as parking or attire. Bordelon recommends avoiding abbreviations to sound more formal.

Simplicity. Black text in a basic, reader-friendly font and with a company logo is plenty, Bordelon says. Talovic agrees, noting that fancy visuals could cause the message to be flagged by spam filters and will not be ideal for reading on a mobile device.