General
Introduction to People
With the “People” module, you manage all the people your church or parish interacts with – such as members, volunteers, baptism families, or donors – in one central place. Contacts are not the same as ChurchDesk users – a person can be a contact without needing a login. All relevant information can be stored, searched, and kept up to date in one place. **Create coSome readersLinking Contacts and Users
ChurchDesk now treats users and contacts as one connected profile. Every user automatically appears in the People module as a contact, and contacts can be used across more of the platform, for example, added to groups and used in rotas. This removes the long-standing confusion between "a user" and "a contact": a person is simply a person, used in different ways depending on what they do in your church. What this changes for you Users now appear in People, so you can message aFew readers
Administration
How to handle unsubscribes and blocked emails
| This guide helps you understand why a contact might be blocked from receiving emails. If you're looking to resubscribe a contact who has unsubscribed from newsletters, please read this guide. 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 thePopularCreate 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. || Important: Personal notes are only visible to you. No other ChurchDesk user – not even administrators – can view or edit them. 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 featureSome readersImport your contact data
In ChurchDesk, you can easily import your contact data – for example, from an existing database or an Excel list. This allows you to quickly transfer your existing data and start using it right away in ChurchDesk to organize newsletters or events. Before you begin Before starting the import, please review the following points. They’ll help you avoid errors and ensuSome readersHow 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 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. 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, tags, and more. Create a contact In addition to the option to import multiple contacts at once, you can also create and edit contactsSome 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
Consents are an important part of communicating with external contacts – that is, people who interact with your church through your website or forms, for example, to subscribe to newsletters or sign up for events. In ChurchDesk, you can manage these consents centrally to ensure you only contact people who have explicitly agreed. || Note: Creating and managing consents is usually an admin task. Only users with the proper permissions can create new consents or enter them manually. **What areSome 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
Filters / Participant lists / Newsletters lists
In ChurchDesk, you can use different types of lists to organise and communicate with your contacts effectively. In the Contacts module, you’ll find lists in the black sidebar on the left. Here you can see three types of lists: Filters, Participant lists, and Newsletter lists. Each list serves a different purpose and offers different options. FiPopularCreate, 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 dynamic 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.Few 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 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 readers
Communication
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 mesSome 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.cFew 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": . To get there, click on your name in the blue bar at the top right and select ChurchDesk Settings: ![](https://storage.crisp.chat/users/helpdesk/website/be3725c5cc2ea800/screenshot-2024-07-31-at-16192_k1gwkFew 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-15033_1yFew readersLabel Print Export from Contacts
With Print address labels, you can generate ready-to-print address labels directly from your contacts in the People module. Select the people you want, choose a label format that matches your label paper, and ChurchDesk creates a Word document you can review, adjust and print. It is an easy way to prepare labels for postal mailings such as newsletters, invitations or seasonal letters to your parish. What you can do with it Create address labels for a filtered list of contactsFew 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. | As a new ChurchDesk customer, you automatically receive 100 free SMS. 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