Send Mails from a desktop software

But they can pay you? That's kind of odd but whatever.

Yes of course it is possible. However it's not the software that will limit you, it's the domain hosting provider that will likely have sending limits on your account, so you need to check with them to see what these are.

First you need to create a New Query in MSSQL Management Studio (express version will work just fine too). Simply determine the table name that holds the email addresses along with the appropriate field name and write the following sql statement:

"SELECT tab.<fieldname of email addresses> FROM <tablename> AS tab"

In the results window you can simply select them all, right-click and copy. Open Excel or Notepad then right-click and paste. Save the file.

I recommend using "email-unlimited" as a desktop bulk email/newsletter sending application. You just simply import the list of emails you exported from SQL Server above, write your email, then select the list of contacts to send to. The instructions on setting up the connections are very simple and straight forward for most POP/SMTP accounts too. Easy stuff.

Sending mails from your Desktop is a bad idea because RDNS will fail for your local IPs. in other words, all ISPs have this check in place since 2002 which prevents mailers using local desktop to send mails and they require you to use a hosted IP with valid RDNS. More on this here

What is "reverse DNS" and do I need it? - Simple DNS Plus

Besides, it is so simple to use a hosted email marketing software and plug it into some kind of SMTP relay service that you dont need a desktop mailer now a days any more.

Relay servers? Reverse DNS? What???

I don't know why people are posting all of this nonsense. This is not a complex issue or difficult thing to do or setup.

Ummm.... Microsoft Outlook is a desktop program that is EASILY connected to ANY domain or other web-based email account. Its quite simple really.

OP, the problem you and your "client" (I still think its strange that they can pay you but cannot pay for a $70 software program) is not with having the ability to send out email from a locally installed email application. That's easy.

You will run into the limits placed by the domain hosting company though. Most have a set number of emails that can be sent from any domain that they host on their servers -- for example, WinHost is 5000 email limit per day. This will vary between hosts.

Here's Google Mail limits: https://support.google.com/a/answer/166852?hl=en

I agree with jamesfreddyc about using Mailchimp or some other
email service.

Mailchimp would be $127.5/mo. ($150 - 15% non-profit discount)
for unlimited email for up to 25,000 subscribers. At 15,000 subs
that's only $.0085 per sub. If the company is not yielding many
times that in donations they should not be doing email campaigns.

Mailchimp will give you higher delivery rates, lower maintenance
costs, more efficient and cost effective list growth and good
tracking. You are doing them a disservice if you do not recommend
they take that route.

its not possible without spending money...

Right, without spending money you cant do that. I am using Moonsearch for that. they are professional.

It is possible but it ends up in spam folder, you get blocked by SMTP servers and so on if you don't pay money for a bulk mail smtp server which is not really cheaper than any autoresponder unfortunately.

I made a VB.net Windows Desktop program that sends out emails via Gmail, it could just as easily be hotmail or yahoo mail. I can even add attachments (images, etc...). There's tutorials If you search Google or Youtube & know how to use VB.net.

Get a free web hosting site and set up PHP List. This is a free open source system that costs nothing. If they have a website just create a sub-domain and assign it to the autoresponder. Transfer their list to the website and Voila!

Gmail, hotmail, etc all are free systems and if you read any of the user agreements you will find clauses that clearly state the use for bulk email is not acceptable. Most of these systems also have built in limits to them that limit email sending per day to only a few hundred emails.

You could use their servers and any number of software packages, however your account will most likely get locked long before you ever managed to send out any where close to 5000 emails let alone the 15,000 emails that are intended on being sent. I am sure they do all kinds of checking as to make sure multiple accounts don't get used with ip's or any number of other verifications. It just seems too risky to even bother trying.

If its not for profit, I can help for free.

Aweber over mailchimp any day for simplicity and ease of use!