---
title: Understanding subscription statuses of CRM contacts
description: Learn how Race Roster determines CRM contact subscription status, including opt-in questions, default subscriptions, unsubscribes, and repeat registrations
---
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1. [Race Roster Knowledge Base](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base?hsLang=en-us)
2. [Race Roster CRM](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/race-roster-crm?hsLang=en-us)
3. [Contact Management and Validation Lists](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/race-roster-crm?hsLang=en-us#contact-management-and-validation-lists)
October 6, 2026
# Understanding subscription statuses of CRM contacts
When a participant registers for an event using Race Roster, they automatically become a contact within the CRM. By completing their registration and agreeing to each event's terms and conditions, the participant consents to receive CRM email campaigns from the organization unless they explicitly opt out.
An organization's contacts and their subscription statuses can be viewed by navigating to the **Contacts** page within the organization and searching for the desired contact.
---
### Understanding Subscription Statuses
**Subscribed**
- The contact is eligible to receive CRM email campaigns sent from the organization.
- A contact may display as **Subscribed** with an effective date, indicating when the status became active.
**Unsubscribed**
- The contact is not eligible to receive CRM email campaigns from the organization.
- Even if the contact appears in a selected recipient list or report, they will be excluded from campaign sends.
These subscription statuses can be updated based on actions taken by either the contact or the organization.
**Undeliverable**
- The email has failed to send to the contact
- This status occurs when an email address has either hard bounced (a permanent failure, such as the email no longer exists) or 3x soft bounce (a temporary failure, such as a full mailbox)
- To maintain positive sender reputations, these emails cannot be updated. Please [contact our team](https://raceroster.com/contact) to manage this subscription.
---
### How Subscription Status Is Determined
The following workflow illustrates how subscription status is assigned and updated across multiple event registrations.
#### **1) Event Registration with an Opt-In Question**
When an event includes a marketing opt-in question:
- If the participant answers **Yes**, the contact's status becomes **Subscribed**.
- If the participant answers **No**, the contact's status becomes **Unsubscribed**.
#### **2) First Registration Without an Opt-In Question**
For a contact's first registration with the organization:
- If the event does not include an opt-in question, the contact is automatically set to **Subscribed by default**.
This ensures newly acquired contacts can receive communications from the organization unless they later choose to unsubscribe.
#### **3) Unsubscribing from Email Campaigns**
Regardless of how a contact became subscribed, if they receive a CRM email campaign and select the **Unsubscribe** link:
- The contact's status is immediately changed to **Unsubscribed**.
#### **4) Subsequent Event Registrations**
When an existing contact registers for another event within the same organization:
**If the event includes an opt-in question:**
- Answering **Yes** changes the contact's status to **Subscribed**.
- Answering **No** changes the contact's status to **Unsubscribed**.
**If the event does not include an opt-in question:**
- The contact's existing subscription status remains unchanged.
- Race Roster does not automatically re-subscribe or unsubscribe the contact.
---
### Subscription Status Logic Summary
| Registration Scenario | Resulting Status |
| --- | --- |
| First registration, opt-in question answered **Yes** | Subscribed |
| First registration, opt-in question answered **No** | Unsubscribed |
| First registration, no opt-in question | Subscribed by default |
| Contact selects **Unsubscribe** from an email campaign | Unsubscribed |
| Subsequent registration, opt-in question answered **Yes** | Subscribed |
| Subsequent registration, opt-in question answered **No** | Unsubscribed |
| Subsequent registration, no opt-in question | No change to existing status |
The diagram below provides a visual representation of this subscription workflow and demonstrates how contact statuses change over time based on registration choices and email interactions.
- [Event Organizers and Race Directors](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/event-organizers-and-race-directors?hsLang=en-us#main-content)
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- [Transfer Registration](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/participants-and-fundraisers?hsLang=en-us#transfer-registration)
- [Access Codes](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/participants-and-fundraisers?hsLang=en-us#access-codes)
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- [Promo Codes](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/participants-and-fundraisers?hsLang=en-us#promo-codes)
- [Race Roster CRM](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/race-roster-crm?hsLang=en-us#main-content)
- [Organizations](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/race-roster-crm?hsLang=en-us#organizations)
- [Contact Management and Validation Lists](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/race-roster-crm?hsLang=en-us#contact-management-and-validation-lists)
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- [Participant Data and Reports](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/timers?hsLang=en-us#participant-data-and-reports)
- [The ASICS Runkeeper™ app](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/the-asics-runkeeper-app?hsLang=en-us#main-content)
- [The ASICS Runkeeper™ app](https://help.raceroster.com/en-us/knowledge-base/the-asics-runkeeper-app?hsLang=en-us#the-asics-runkeeper-app)
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