Send e-mails and SMS

Open the Contacts module and click “Messages” in the black menu bar on the left-hand side. Here, you have the following options:

• Create new messages for contacts/lists: Click the blue “Create” button. You can learn more about sending messages further down.
• Overview: You can see all messages that you’ve sent, scheduled, or saved as drafts. Each message includes details such as title, sender, date, and time, as well as key statistics.
• Message statistics: For every message, you can view detailed statistics by clicking the chart icon. You’ll see how many messages were successfully sent, bounced, opened, and clicked, and how many contacts unsubscribed from your newsletter.
• Search and edit messages: Use the search field in the top right corner to find messages you’ve already created. Click a message to view its content.

Send an email

Create an email by clicking the blue “Create” button and selecting Email.

• Sender: You can choose yourself or the church as the sender. Replies will be sent to your user email address or the church email address, depending on your choice.
• To: You can send your message to individual contacts, filters, or lists in your contact database.
• Image: You can attach images or other files by clicking “Choose a file”. This option becomes available once you’ve filled in the message details.
• Subject: Enter a clear and relevant subject line for your email.
• Parish: Select which parish(es) should receive the message. Contacts from other parishes who might be part of a selected list will not receive the message.
• Body text: Write your message below the title. You can format text in bold (B) or italic (I), insert a separator line, add links, or insert the recipient’s first name, last name, or full name automatically using the small person icon next to the emoji symbol.
• Send: Click the blue “Send” button in the top right corner – you’ll have three options:Send a test messageSchedule for laterSend now

Send a text message (SMS)

Send a text message by clicking the blue “Create” button and selecting Text message.

This is ideal for short updates or last-minute changes – especially useful if your contacts rarely check their emails, like seniors or youth group members.

• From: You can change the sender under “From”. The phone numbers can be edited under “Personal settings” or “ChurchDesk settings.”
• To: Send to segments or individual contacts.
• Text field: SMS messages cannot be formatted, but unlike standard SMS, you are not limited to 160 characters. ChurchDesk automatically combines longer texts into one message. Please note that longer messages are counted as multiple SMS. At the bottom of the text field, you can see the number of remaining characters and how many SMS your message equals.
• Send: Click “Send” to choose between:

1. 1. Send test message
   2. Schedule for later
   3. Send now

What does an SMS cost?

As a new ChurchDesk customer, you automatically receive 100 SMS for free.

Once you’ve used them, you can purchase discounted SMS packages, which help you track your usage and save money – the larger the package, the greater the discount.

We’ll notify you when you’re about to run out of SMS.

If you’d like to buy a new SMS package, please contact us at support@churchdesk.com.

Monitor your SMS usage

To check how many SMS you have left, go to Contacts, click your name in the blue bar at the top, and select “Properties” from the dropdown.

You can also access the overview directly via this link: SMS Messages

Keywords: SMS, email, message, send, sending, contacts, lists, ChurchDesk messages, create message, test message, schedule message, statistics, delivery report, sender, recipients, newsletter, communication, contact module, notifications

Updated on: 29/10/2025