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New Conference E-Mail Communications System
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The Northern Illinois Conference announces a new communications channel designed to reach as many people as possible throughout the conference. The first week of December, the conference issued its first e-mail newsletter via a new broadcast e-mail system provided by Constant Contact. The conference plans to send e-mails news on a frequent basis.
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“The primary use of our previous e-mail system was to send one page announcements or e-blasts much the same way the conference used to issue fax blast announcements,“ according to
Susan Dal Porto, Director of Communications for the Northern Illinois Conference.
“Now we will be pulling news and announcements together in a regular electronic newsletter that is brief, timely and very usable,” according to Dal Porto.
“We know that most people are very busy and they need announcements presented in concise way,” said Dal Porto, “E-mail is the perfect medium for brief news.”
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People can easily sign up to receive conference news via e-mail through an easy to use subscription sign-up which can be found in the lower left hand corner on the conference website (www.umcnic.org). People can also log on there to change their “account” information. When people get a new e-mail address, they can log-on to the subscription page and change their address. “The conference has been collecting e-mail addresses from people who wish to receive news and announcements from the conference for several years,” according to Dal Porto.
“Jerry Sims, Director of Information Technology has worked diligently to collect e-mail addresses and his efforts have given us a database of contacts that is a good beginning for the new e-mail system.” In addition, the regional/district offices have maintained e-mail lists and those will be incorporated into this system as well.
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“A number of different options for a means of communicating on a wide basis with all of our local churches and many people throughout conference were explored,”
according to Dal Porto. “We selected a system that is especially effective and affordable for non-profit organizations,” according to
Chris Pierson, Director of Connectional Ministries.
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The ways that we communicate with each other are shifting. Dal Porto noted that
"printing and postage costs just keep rising. E-mail and web based communications cost a fraction of printed and mailed materials." Many local churches now deliver their newsletters to members via e-mail and realize a considerable savings. Annual conferences are feeling the same squeeze from rising costs.
“Nearly half a dozen annual conferences have discontinued their print communications altogether in favor of e-mail and web,” according to Dal Porto.
“The Northern Illinois Conference has no plans to abandon print at this time, but “formats are under review." We are not only looking at ways to save costs, but evaluating on the most effective ways to tell the stories about our local churches and the conference.”
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To sign-up for conference e-mail or to change your e-mail address, look for the box in the lower left hand corner of the Northern Illinois Conference website,
www.umcnic.org.
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