Notifications by Email and SMS

ChurchDesk automatically keeps you informed about important activities – for example, when you are assigned to a rota, receive a new group message, or are reminded of an upcoming event. This way, you always stay up to date – via email, push notification on your smartphone, or SMS.
In this article, we’ll show you:

• what types of notifications are available,
• how you can choose how you want to receive them,
• and what to keep in mind to ensure they work as expected.

When will I receive notifications?

ChurchDesk sends notifications, for example, in the following situations:

• When you are assigned to a rota or event (New booking)
• When you are reminded of an upcoming rota (rota reminder)
• When there’s a new message or reply in a group (New group message or reply)
• A monthly overview of your transfers (Transfer confirmation)
• …and more.

You can find all types of notifications in your personal settings. There you can also see which channel is active for each one (email, push, SMS):

How to manage your notification settings

Step-by-step guide:

1. Click on your name in the top right corner of the blue bar.
2. Select “My Settings.”
3. In the overview, click on “Notification Settings.”
4. Open “Notification Settings.”
5. Enable or disable the types of notifications you want.
6. Save your changes.

For each notification, you can choose whether to:

• receive an email,
• get a push notification on your smartphone,
• or receive an SMS (see below).

Push notifications in the app

If you want to receive push notifications:

• Download the ChurchDesk app.
• Allow the app to send push notifications (via your device settings).
• Enable push notifications for the types you want inside ChurchDesk.

SMS notifications

SMS messages are helpful if you don’t regularly use the app or email. However:

• SMS messages are not free – they are deducted from your organisation’s SMS balance.
• Once the balance is used up, no more SMS messages will be sent.
• An organisation administrator can check the current balance:
• • Top right menu > ChurchDesk Settings > Contacts
  • Or directly via: “Buy SMS packages”

Why is my SMS balance dropping even though I haven't sent any messages?

Your balance can decrease even if no SMS appears in your sent list. As part of the identity verification process, users who have stored a mobile number in their ChurchDesk profile receive a verification SMS. These messages are deducted from the organisation's balance and are not recorded in the sent SMS list.

To stop these deductions, you have two options:

• An organisation administrator can disable this SMS notification for everyone, which prevents any further costs.
• Individual users can remove their phone number from their personal settings (under their name), though this will also stop them from receiving any other SMS notifications.

More information about pricing and purchasing:
SMS packages – Pricing and purchasing

What to keep in mind

To make sure you receive all your notifications:

• Add a valid email address and phone number in your personal settings:

Article: My Settings - Personal Informations

• Allow push notifications on your smartphone if you use the app.
• Check your notification settings regularly.
• Important: If your phone number is incorrect or your device blocks push notifications, you won’t receive any.

Keywords: notifications, email, push notification, SMS, settings, reminders, group notification, ChurchDesk app, rota, message, mobile notification, personal settings, SMS cost, enable push

Updated on: 16/10/2026