When working with WeGive Messages, you may notice differences in how previews render inside the dashboard and how email tracking metrics (like opens) display. This article explains why these discrepancies happen and how to interpret them.
Message Previews in the Dashboard
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Formatted vs. Non-Formatted Previews
Some messages in the dashboard generate a rich-text preview, while others may only show plain text. This is because only certain message types currently support rich-text rendering in previews.-
If you see formatted previews on some messages but not others, this does not mean donors are receiving plain-text emails. Donors still receive the email with the correct formatting; it only affects how the preview displays in the dashboard.
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Understanding Email Tracking
WeGive tracks email opens using a standard tracking pixel (a tiny invisible image embedded in the email). An “open” is only logged when the recipient’s email client loads that image.
This means open rates can vary based on how recipients’ email clients handle images:
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Outlook Desktop often blocks remote images by default, preventing open tracking.
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Preview panes may show text but not load images.
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Apple Mail Privacy Protection may preload or hide open events, making open data less reliable.
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Corporate servers or firewalls may strip out tracking pixels entirely.
Why Opens May Not Match Reality
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Delivered but not received in the inbox: A message marked as “delivered” means the recipient’s email server accepted it. However, it may still be routed to spam, junk, or a quarantine folder.
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Email opened but not showing as “opened”: If the client blocks the tracking pixel, WeGive cannot confirm the open even though the recipient read it.
Tips for Troubleshooting
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Check which email client the donor is using (Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, etc.).
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Confirm whether the donor received the message in their inbox, or if it was filtered to spam/junk.
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Keep in mind that open tracking is an industry-wide limitation and is best used for trend analysis, not exact counts.
Key Takeaway
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Preview differences affect only the dashboard display, not what donors actually receive.
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Open tracking relies on image loading, so numbers may undercount actual opens depending on the recipient’s email client and privacy settings.
Our team continues to improve both preview rendering and tracking reliability. If you’d like us to investigate specific cases, please share the donor’s email client and the message ID with support.