Administration
Create personal / pastoral notes in ChurchDesk
With personal notes, you can quickly record thoughts or observations about a contact – for example, after a visit, a phone call, or a meeting. All users can create personal notes in the Contacts module. These notes are always private: they cannot be shared or forwarded and can only be viewed and edited by the person who created them. Where to find the featurePopularHow to handle unsubscribes and blocked emails
If you’ve sent a message through ChurchDesk, you can view statistics to check whether the emails were delivered, if someone unsubscribed, or if a message could not be sent due to a block. Below you’ll find thePopularHow to resubscribe to the newsletter
In this article we'll outline how to resubscribe a contact that has unsubscribed and wants to receive email again from the church. Remember always to get consent from a contact before resubscribing them. In the message statistics you can see if some one has unsubscribed from all emails or just a specific list. How to resubscribe a contact There are three ways of unsubscribingSome readersImport your contact data
The ability to store all of your church’s contacts securely in one place has many advantages. Firstly, it allows the entire team to access important information from their computer, tablet and phone. Secondly, ChurchDesk People allows you to collect consent from your contacts, enabling you to keep reaching out to people in and around your church. If you want to import your contacts you have two options: Use a csv or excel file to easily import your contacts by yourself. Forward your csvSome readersCreate and manage contacts
With the Contacts module, you can centrally manage all the people connected to your church or parish – such as members, volunteers, baptism parents, donors, or other interested individuals. These are not necessarily ChurchDesk users – a contact does not need to have a login or a role in ChurchDesk (more on this below). Each contact profile allows you to store and keep track of relevant information in one place – such as name, address, phone number, birthday, group memberships, notes, tagSome readersCreate custom fields
With custom fields, you can adapt your contact data in ChurchDesk to your own needs. For example, you can store additional information such as “Membership number,” “Baptism date,” or even “Shoe size.” These fields don’t just appear in your contacts – they can also be used in forms and are relevant for the Anniversaries app. This allows you to record data in a structured way and use it effectively. Who can create custom fields? To create custom fields, you need: Access to ContSome readersCreate and Manage Consent
In ChurchDesk, we've made it easy to manage consent. Essentially, you can quickly create the consent forms you want for your parish. Everything from confirmation consent to consent to promote activities in your church. Create consent form Go to “People” and select “Consent” at the bottom left-hand side. You can now choose to create a consent by clicking “Create statement”:Few readersTags
With keywords, you can flexibly and individually tag your contacts in ChurchDesk – for example with terms like “Youth Choir,” “Newsletter,” “Volunteer Team,” or “Parents' Meeting 2024.” This makes it easy to filter groups of people and organize them for specific purposes – such as sending messages or evaluating form responses. Keywords allow you to manage contacts independently of fixed structures like groups or categories. They are only visible to logged-in users and can be edited or deletFew readersMerge of Contacts
Duplicate contacts can arise for various reasons. This tool helps you manage and merge them. Only organization administrators can use this tool. Content When do duplicate contacts not occur? Why do duplicate contacts occur? Where do duplicates come from? What criteria are used to suggest possible duplicates? (3-what-criteria-are-used-to-suggest-possible-dupFew readersLinking family members in contact profiles
With the family function in ChurchDesk, you can easily keep track of family relationships between contacts. You'll find this section at the bottom of each contact's profile. Here, you can link existing contacts and assign a family relationship. Connections like “Partner”, “Parent” or “Child” are clearly displayed – and you can click on the name to jump directly to the other contact. If two contacts share the same phone number, this will also be indicated automatically. How to add family memFew readers
Lists & filters
Create, edit and delete lists
In ChurchDesk it is possible to group contacts into various lists. Lists makes it easier for you to communicate in a targeted and tailored way to a group of contacts instead of communicating with everybody in the same way. Some contacts might be interested in children's activities, because they have children, others are interested in senior activities and others again have an interest in concerts. A list is a group of contacts matching the same filters being tags (interests) or other criteriaPopularFilters / Participant lists / Newsletters lists
Here you can read about the three different options you have to sort and keep track of your contacts: Filters / Participant lists / Newsletter lists FILTERS are contacts that match a set of filter criteria. Each time a contact is created that matches the filter, this contact will be associated with the filter and the lists associated with the filter. If you have created a lFew readersCreate, edit and delete a filter
What is a filter and what is it used for? In ChurchDesk it is possible to sort contacts using filters. Filters are a group of contacts that all meet the exact criteria you have set up. Filters are useful when you need to find a specific group of subscribers or someone who all fit the same tag. Create filter In Contacts you can create filters in two ways: From a tag From Contacts Create from a tag You can easily create a filter from one of your tags. Click “Tags” inFew readersNewsletter list: Create a new newsletter list or transfer your existing filters
Do you need to create a newsletter list or just want to transfer existing contact filters to a newsletter list? To create a newsletter list, do the following: Go to “People” and then “Lists” in the black menu on the left. Next, click “Add” and select “Create newsletter list”: You will now first be asked to enter a title for the new newsletter list: (https://storage.crisp.cFew readersUtilize and administer participant lists
The church can have a lot of different participants and lists are used to create and manage the participants. You can also communicate with them and possibly let them switch to another list if needed. If your church has waiting lists for an event, it is also a good idea to create a participant list for this purpose, as it makes it easy to transfer them from waiting list to participant list. On this page you can read about: Create participant lists from form Create participant lisFew readers
Communication
Send e-mails and SMS
Go to People and select Messages in the black bar on the left-hand side. There's multiple options within the Messages function. Create: Choose the button "Create". Read more about sending messages further below. Overview: Get an overview of all the messages, which you have sent, scheduled or have in draft. For each message you find summary information, such as title, who have sent the message, at what date and time, as well as key statistics on the messages. Statistics onSome readersCreate and Send a Standard Newsletter
Open the People module and click on " Messages" in the black bar on the left side. You create a new newsletter by clicking on the blue "Create" button at the top right and then selecting "Newsletter": You are now already in the "Design" section of the newsletter. This is the newsletter mask we have provided and which you can now fill with content: (https://storage.crisp.cSome readersStandard Newsletter: share your newsletter on your website and social media
If you have sent your newsletter and want to share it on your website or social media, this works via a link that you can copy and paste on your website or on social media. To find this link, go to the "People" module and then click on "Messages" in the left black side panel. Then click on the title of your newsletter in the "Sent" overview. Now click on "More" in the top right corner and then select "Share your message": (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/be3725c5cc2ea800/sFew readersStandard Newsletter: Change Logo & Colour
Standard Newsletter: Change Logo You can change the logo of your newsletter in the contacts settings. To get there, first click on your name in the blue bar at the top right and then click on "ChurchDesk Settings": Now click on "People" in the black side panel on the left. Scroll down to "Newsletter logo." Upload a logo or remove the currently used logo and replace it withFew readersHow to insert a file in a newsletter
How to insert a file in a newsletter Remember to upload the file to your ChurchDesk file archive first. See instructions here. Go to the newsletter where you want to insert the file and click in the text box area to edit. Select the piece of text you want to link to, e.g. "Protocol from the last parish council meeting" and then click the link icon: (https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/be3725c5cc2ea800/screenshot-2024-08-01-at-150331yFew readers
Other
SMS Packages - Pricing information and Order Form
SMS Packages in ChurchDesk: Pricing, Ordering, and Balance Information With ChurchDesk, you can easily send SMS messages to your contacts or users – for example, for last-minute updates, reminders, or event announcements. To do this, you need to have an active SMS balance. In this article, you will learn: How to check your current SMS balance Available SMS packages and how much they cost How to order a new packagSome readersAnniversary App
Anniversary App – Keep Track of Important Life Events The Anniversary App in the People module helps you keep track of important life events in your congregation – such as birthdays, baptisms, or wedding anniversaries. It ensures you are notified in advance so you can send personal greetings, congratulations, or invitations directly through ChurchDesk. You can choose which users should receive notifications and which life events should be considered. The only requirement is that the correFew readers