E-mail and Phone Only
Posted by Michael | Posted in Culture | Posted on 04-04-2008
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I am strongly considering moving our church towards an e-mail and phone call only way of communication. In other words, on our connection card, we’d stop asking for addresses completely. It would be a less-overwhelming card and I bet more people would fill it out.
Not only is this better on the environment (less paper, less mail), it’s good stewardship of resources. Mailing letters and postcards to people’s house is expensive.
Communicating via e-mail is much faster, easier on volunteers and staff, and more targeted. I know not everyone in Cartersville is an e-mail junkie like me, but making this move would literally save thousands of dollars a year. In this area, this would be a pretty radical shift…people are used to getting letters and newsletters at home.
What do you think?
it’s a good idea.
for our 20something gatherings we only list name, cell number, and facebook/myspace name as a way to contact people.
go for it.
We tried to go that route a few years ago. It was okay until you needed to:
1. Send someone a greeting card.
2. Get asked over to their house for dinner.
3. Needed to make a Google Map for the Journey Group.
4. Drop by when their was a death.
5. It’s a little easier to hit “delete” as opposed to having to take it out of the mailbox and look at it all the way to the trash can.
It didn’t work for us…it might for you guys.
Email is the way to go….. I really don’t like talking on the phone, so email the people you don’t know and Text the people that you do. That is my $.02.
I like the email / phone option of communication. There are so many different things that you can do with this type of format. I think people would be ok with this transition.
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I think for 1st/2nd/3rd time attenders, it’s a good move…you’ll get address soon enough when they go through whatever your “explore” or “foundations” type setting is…
Also, makes initial contact after visit more immediate and in my opinion more personal than letter…dollar savings helps for sure…
Most people are not going to learn anything new out of a newsletter or mail letter that they haven’t seen on your site…
Michael – This is a fascinating idea. I think that it would be difficult to go all the way here and appreciate the thoughts that Chris has to offer. It would not currently work at our setting as one of the ways that we welcome new visitors is by a personal visit to their home to drop off a coffee mug.
However, I do appreciate the uncluttering aspect of this proposal – both for the cards and for the database. I will keep thinking about this…
Chris – I think that the interactions in items 1-4 may be able to be handled via a phone call that would find out the physical address.
With the prayer requests, some of them don’t have email or phone #s on them. Makes it kind of hard to contact. Maybe if you emphasize the necessity for the phone # and email addy, it will help with contacting them.
I can also see the point Chris had. It’s hard to find a home w/o the address.
[...] How could you simplify the information that you collect from the congregation? Michael has a fascinating proposal – E-mail and Phone Only. [...]
Maybe an option would be to leave the connection card sparse, only asking for necessary info. Then, when someone’s ready to join a group, the signup includes giving you their address so you have a way to contact them like Chris Elrod was saying above.
I think you should hire a bunch of 20 year old guys to visit everyone at their home. They should all dress the same, perhaps in a short sleeved white dress shirt with a tie. Also, you should give them nametags. To keep them fresh, you should replace them every two years.
I think there are times when you need addresses (above comment) so it’s good to have it. But you don’t have to regularly use snail mail. Email, web info, and texting could be primary. You might want to make postcards of news, info and invites and hand out the week before. Then do a geography code and if they are absent have a neighbor hand deliver, or only mail if you couldn’t hand deliver. That would reduce postage.
I received the 80’s postcard (and the easter one too) in the mail and that’s what prompted me to the Egg Drop.
to clarify my thought.
1. we would only ask for name, email and phone on the connection cards we give out on sunday
2. we would get addy info on children registrations, partnership classes, other medium sized events, and small groups.
3. we would communicate mainly through e-mail but would still keep track of address information for correspondence (i send lots of personal thank you notes)
4. if we needed someones address to send them something, we could always e-mail or call them and ask for it, right?
Michael…
I love the “idea” of a more streamlined information card. But, like someone above me in the comments said…I still think we need to know street addresses, if for nothing else but to figure out what areas of the city folks are coming from.
If you try it, post back on how it’s working.
J.Case
Can we also ask that everyone fill in their information in a hand-written format that is readable?
We are a pretty funny bunch trying to figure out if it’s 678 Hardscrabble or 618 Handscratche
I think getting just e-mail/phone for first-time visitors would be a good idea. I think if someone wants to actually join the church, then getting their address would be a good idea. You never know when you might need to send them resources (lifechurch.tv sends its small group leaders resources from time to time). You never know when you might need to pay a visit.
I think you can split up your communication into two levels. Those who are visitors or attenders, but aren’t really involved, and those who are members/partners in your vision. I think the more involved you can be with / get the latter group, the better.
Michael,
I think this is a great idea. As a first time visitor I was more comfortable providing my email and phone number, than my home address.
I like the fact you think outside the box.
get zip codes instead of the whole address for the purpose of knowing where they are from. Maybe you can have some already printed on the card and guests can circle their zip or write it in if no selection is offered.
I knew you guys were a church for the affluent with your high tech computers and such.
Just kidding but how would you keep people who don’t have computers or email in the loop? I thought I had a great idea of posting MP3s for our band to download until I found one guy in the band who only has dial-up and another who doesn’t have internet. 