Email Alerts

Let's say you come visit the site often and don't want to enter the same criteria into the search bar every time. Saved searches allow logged-in users to come back anytime and view updated results with just one click.

Want to get a saved search delivered directly to your inbox? For every saved search, you can sign up to receive an Email Alert. You'll get a nightly digest email from us with up to 100 of the latest listings that match your search criteria.

To create an email alert:

Log in and conduct a search using our Advanced Search. On the next page, narrow your results if you'd like by clicking on the category filters on the left side of the page. When you're satisfied with the search criteria, click "Get Email Alert." Name the search, if you'd like, and click Save. You will only receive an Email Alert when new listings matching your saved criteria are posted.

To edit your existing email alerts:

To use an existing saved search as a template for a new Email Alert, log in and put your mouse over the green "Search" button. Click on the name of your saved search to run it.

On the results page, you'll be able to edit your keywords and the search that you originally ran. Change the search criteria as you'd like. Once you're satisfied with the new search results, save the search by clicking on the green Get Email Alert button to receive daily emails. Please note, this will create a new Email Alert.

To remove the original email alert, hover over your name in the top right corner, and click on "My Searches." Click "Delete" next to the old saved search.

To remove an email alert:

Log in and hover over your name in the top right hand corner. Select "My Searches" from the drop down menu. Click on "Turn off this email alert" next to the alert you'd like to stop receiving. Once it's turned off, you'll see the option to turn it back on if you'd like to do so later. You can also simply delete the alert, which will also remove the saved search.

To update where you receive your email alert, you'll have to change the email address that you use to log into your Idealist.org account. To do so, log in at Idealist.org and hover over your name in the top right hand corner. Click on "My profile" in the drop down menu and then the blue "Edit" button on the right.

Before you can remove your old email address, you'll have to add and verify the new one. Scroll down to the contact section and click on the green (+) sign which will allow you to add a new email address. Save your changes. Check your new email address for a verification email with a link inside. Once you've clicked on this link, navigate back to edit your profile and you'll be able to delete your old email address.

You must add and verify your new email address before you can receive your old one so that you don't inadvertently lose access to your account.

Email alerts are sent to you daily, but only when new listings matching your criteria have been posted. At this time, we do not allow users to change the frequency of their email alerts.

If you feel you're getting too many emails from us, just log in and click on "Preferences" on the left side of the page. There you can select the ones you'd rather not receive, and we'll stop bothering you.

If you also are signed up to receive Email Alerts, you'll have to turn these off separately. Log into your account and hover over your name in the top right corner. Click on "My Searches" in the dropdown menu, and then "Turn Off" next to any alert you'd like to stop receiving.

Remember that you can always check for the most important updates in the "Notifications" section of your Idealist mailbox.