- For families
Contacting an organization, and emails from its website
You can write to an organization from its own website without a Famlo account, and its replies come to you by email. This page also covers the inbox bell for signed-in families, the organization's email list, the emails it sends in its own name, and the cookie and language choices you may see on its website.
Send the organization a message
The contact form needs no account and no sign-in. You can find it on the organization's contact page, and some organizations also put it on other pages.
- Open the contact form on the organization's website.
- Type your name in First name.
- Type the address you want the reply sent to in Email.
- Write your message in What can we help you with? (up to 5,000 characters).
- Select Send (1).
The form changes to "Thanks, [your name]. Your message is on its way.", with the address the organization will reply to.
Two shortcuts start the message for you:
- Ask a question on a class page opens the form with the class name already typed.
- The message button on a teacher's page opens the form with "About [first name]:" already typed.
If you write again later from the same email address, your new message joins the same conversation, so the organization sees everything in one place.
Read and answer the reply
When the organization answers, you get an email called "[Organization] replied to your message". The reply is in the email itself.
- Open the email and select Reply to [Organization].
- The organization's website opens on Your messages, with the whole conversation between you and the organization.
- Type in Write back, then select Send.
You don't need an account for any of this. Keep the email, because its button is how you get back to the conversation.
If the organization closes the conversation, the page says "This conversation is closed. To write again, use the contact form."
If you already have a Famlo account. A message sent through the contact form stays an email conversation. The replies come by email, not to Famlo Messages. To keep everything in Famlo Messages, sign in and use the bell instead (see the next section).
If you create a Famlo account later with the same email address, the conversation moves into your Famlo Messages once you confirm that address. After that, the Reply to [Organization] link in the old emails stops working, so use Messages to carry on.
Messages on the website when you're signed in
Once you're signed in on the organization's website, a bell appears in its header beside Parent portal. It shows how many messages you haven't read.
- Select the bell (1) to open your Inbox on the website.
- To write to the organization, select the pencil button (2) beside Inbox.
- Type your message and send it.
This inbox holds the same conversations you have with this organization on famlo.co, including its announcements and payment requests. It shows only this organization, never your other organizations. Reading a message here marks it read on famlo.co too.
To choose which emails Famlo sends you, go to famlo.co: Account settings › Notifications. That page isn't on the organization's website. For everything else about Messages, see Messages.
Join the organization's email list
Many organization websites have an email signup, often near the bottom of the page. The heading is the organization's own, and the note under the field reads "Emails from [Organization]. Unsubscribe any time."
- Type your address in Email and select Subscribe (on some websites the button says Sign up).
- The form says "Check your email. We sent a link to confirm. Nothing is added until you click it."
- Open the email "Confirm you want emails from [Organization]" and select Yes, email me.
- On the page that opens, select Yes, email me again.
- The page says "You're on the list."
This list belongs to the organization, not to Famlo. It doesn't change your Famlo notifications, and every email the organization sends to the list has a link to unsubscribe. If you didn't sign up, ignore the confirmation email and nothing is added.
Emails sent in the organization's name
When an organization's website is live on its own address, some emails can come from the organization's name and wear its logo and colors. Famlo appears only at the foot, as "Powered by Famlo". Not every organization's website sends all of these in its own name, so some may still come from Famlo.
| When you get it | Button | |
|---|---|---|
| Booking confirmation | You booked on the organization's website | View your booking |
| Reminder | The day before a class you booked | See class details |
| "A spot opened for [class]" | A full class you saved has a free spot | Register now |
| "[Organization] replied to your question" (or "replied about [class]") | The organization answered you in Messages | Open your messages |
| "[Organization] replied to your message" | The organization answered your contact form | Reply to [Organization] |
| "Confirm you want emails from [Organization]" | You signed up for its email list | Yes, email me |
| "How was [class]?" | The organization asks for a testimonial | Share your experience |
| "You've been awarded a … scholarship" | The organization gave you one of its scholarships | See the class or See classes |
If you book the same class on famlo.co, the confirmation comes from Famlo as usual.
Pressing Reply. Replying to "[Organization] replied to your question" (or "replied about [class]") puts your answer straight into that conversation, the same as writing it in your inbox, and the organization sees it in its inbox. Send it from the email address you use for Famlo, or it won't reach the conversation. Quoted text and signatures are removed, up to 4 photos come through, and each email's reply address works for 90 days. See Reply by email. For the other emails, when the organization has a contact email on Famlo, replying writes to that address, so your answer goes to the organization, not to Famlo.
Opening your messages. Open your messages takes you to the conversation on the organization's website.
Stopping emails. Reminders have an Email preferences link, and spot-opened emails have Stop these alerts. Replies to your questions, booking confirmations and scholarship awards always come, because they are about something you did.
Weather in reminders and on class cards
In-person classes on an organization's website can show a Forecast line, on class cards and in the Parent portal. The organization chooses whether its class cards show it.
When the organization's website shows weather, the day-before reminder can carry it too. The subject line adds the temperature and the sky, and the email has a forecast box with the high, the low and the chance of rain. Forecasts come from the National Weather Service and are for in-person classes only. When no forecast is available, the reminder arrives without one.
The cookie choices banner
Some organizations measure how families find their website with Google Analytics or Meta Pixel. On those websites, a Cookie choices box asks you first: "[Organization] would like to use … to see how families find this site. They set cookies. Nothing loads unless you press Accept."
- Decline: nothing loads.
- Accept: the organization's analytics load on its public pages.
The box appears only on public pages such as the home page, classes, teachers, contact, services and the shop. It never appears in the Parent portal, checkout, Messages or members-only pages, and nothing is loaded there.
Your choice is remembered in that browser only. To change it, select the small Cookie choices button in the bottom corner of the page. If your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, the website treats that as no and doesn't show the box at all.
Spanish pages
Some organizations offer their website in Spanish too. When they do, an EN | ES switch appears in the header on pages that have a Spanish version. The organization writes those pages itself, and only its home page and its own pages are translated. Classes, teachers, the contact form, checkout and the Parent portal stay in English.
Troubleshooting
I sent a message but no reply has come. Check your spam or junk folder for "[Organization] replied to your message", and check that you typed your email address correctly. Organizations answer on their own schedule. If you're signed in on the website, you can also message them from the bell.
The form says "This form expired. Reload the page and try again." Reload the page, then type your message again and select Send.
The reply link says "This reply link no longer works." The link in an older email has run out, or you've since created a Famlo account with that address. If you have an account, select your messages on that page: the conversation is there. Otherwise, select contact page and send the organization a new message.
The confirmation link says "This link has been used up." You've already confirmed, or the link was replaced. To sign up again, use the email signup on any page of the website.
I don't see the bell. The bell appears only when you're signed in on that organization's website. Select Parent portal to sign in with your Famlo account.
I don't see the cookie box. The organization may not use analytics, or your browser sends Global Privacy Control or Do Not Track, which counts as no.