How do you handle group communications when you have a last-minute cancellation?
With IconCMO, we have simplified the process of reaching out to your members using group communication. You can send a group email to the parents of preschoolers reminding them to bring egg cartons for a Sunday School project, or remind your Youth Group of an upcoming retreat with a text, all with just a few clicks in the system.
The group module is used to create groups of members or households, send text messages to group members, email members of a group, create events for a group and maintain group event attendance. This tutorial will walk through sending text messages and emails.
As an example, we get several blizzards a year in our area. This year seems to be worse than most. They have led to several cancellations of scheduled events. Here’s two ways to use IconCMO to communicate to your church members when the unforeseen happens.
Texting a group
In order to send a text message to a member, the member record must contain a cell phone number with the provider selected. If no cell phone provider is selected, a message cannot be sent in the correct format for the member’s phone to receive the text message. For more information on setting up membership preferences, please view our Membership Setup Guide.
Select the group you are sending the text message to in the Groups -Manage Groups window. Next, click the Text Message button. Enter the message you want to send as a text in the next screen, pictured below. Make sure to keep it brief. Then click Send Text Message.
Emailing a Group
First go to Groups then Manage Groups and select Household or Individual tab depending on the type of group you. Next, locate the group you wish to send an email to in the drop down list. Once you have the group name selected, click Group Email.
When sending a group email, you have the option of choosing which email address in the system to use. You can select the household email or a member email address. You can also include attachments or print labels for group members without email addresses.
To view a report of the emails that were successfully sent, go to to the Manage Groups screen and click the Reports button. Next, select the report type Email Status Report and select the email date, then click show report.
Additional Email Options with our Partners
Our partnership with Constant Contact allows you to export email lists for access to professional templates, personalization features, and email statistics.
If you would like to email a video to your group, we also have a partnership with BombBomb. BombBomb makes it easy to connect with and build stronger relationships with your members through video email.
Communicate with your group members fast by sending simplified communications via text and email through IconCMO.
If you have any questions please call a Support Technician at 218-236-1899, or send us an email at support@iconcmo.com.
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