Mass Email
Check if a Person Unsubscribed
A small unsubscribe option is always included at the bottom of a mass email. (This is a requirement for any mass email provider.)
The message reads, “If you no longer wish to receive emails from [Ministry Name], click here to unsubscribe.”
Important: If a user clicks the link to unsubscribe, they will unsubscribe from ALL mass emails from your ministry, not just a specific list.
Where to Find Unsubscribed Users
The easiest way to find usubscribed users en masse is to export a list of individuals to Excel.
Note: To check all records in your database, use the Individuals Screen.
To narrow your results, we recommend using Advanced Search and filtering by Groups (or other criteria).
- Click the Tri-Dot Icon, then select Export Individuals to CSV to export to Excel.
- The CSV Export Screen will appear (below).
- On the Simple Tab, select the All Fields radio button.
(Alternatively, use the Advanced Tab to select specific fields and ensure Subscribed Status is checked.)
- Open the exported file in Excel and then look for the Subscribed Status column. This column will display if an individual is 'Subscribed' or 'Unsubscribed.'
How to Resubscribe to Mass Email
An individual can resubscribe themselves, or an Admin can do so on their behalf.
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Individual: Find any email from your ministry and click the opt-out link again. On the email preferences screen that appears, complete the 2-question form that appears (below).
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Admin: Navigate to the individual's profile, click the Account tab, then select No under the Unsubscribe from Mass Email heading.
Important: Admins can resubscribe individuals ONCE as a built-in security measure to prevent abuse by members who want to opt out of communications.
Attachment Limits
Users may not receive emails because attachments from mass emails can cause deliverability issues. Many providers scrutinize or block emails with attachments for security reasons.
If you choose to send an attachment, ensure it's under 10MB in size (this applies to one or multiple files). Sometimes, being close to the 10MB limit can still cause the Mass Email to fail for given providers.
Important: The industry best practice for mass email is to link to files hosted on cloud services such as your website, Google Drive, or Dropbox rather than attaching them directly.
This method enhances deliverability, minimizes spam flags, improves security and control, and enhances the user experience by avoiding large downloads.
To do so, upload your file to a publicly accessible location, then link email text or images to the file URL.
Mark 'noreply' as a Safe Sender
To improve deliverability, advise users to add noreply@[YourChMSBrand].com as a safe contact or safe sender with their email provider. Doing so helps ensure delivery by preventing spam filters that can block messages from providers such as Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo, and others.
This is the most effective method to ensure that your email is not blocked.
Note: Your noreply email address will match the latter part of the URL you use to access ChMS via a web browser.
Example: If your ChMS is accessed at mychurch.fellowshiponego.com, your mass email address to be marked safe will be noreply@fellowshiponego.com.
Below are links to a few popular support articles from email software providers. Members of your organization will need to follow these steps in their accounts.
- Yahoo → https://help.yahoo.com/kb/new-mail-for-desktop/emails-arent-received-yahoo-mail-sln28074.html
- Gmail → https://support.google.com/mail/answer/6579?hl=en
- Outlook → https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/use-inbox-rules-in-outlook-com-4b094371-a5d7-49bd-8b1b-4e4896a7cc5d
- AOL → https://help.aol.com/articles/aol-mail-mail-settings
- iCloud → https://support.apple.com/guide/icloud/set-up-filtering-rules-mm6b1a3f8a/icloud
Note: This is not an exhaustive list. It covers most major providers. A member user may need to research this topic with their unique email provider.
Receiving Issues
Another step to ensure email deliverability is adding an SPF record to your domain name settings (DNS). (This typically requires the help of whoever manages your DNS). An SPF record tells spam filtering services that email from our ChMS is legitimate and can be delivered to the recipient. (Learn more about SPF records) Specific information on setting up SPF records for our ChMS can be found in the following article:
SPF Records for Email Contact Messages
Can we Disable Replies to Mass Email?
The Mass Email system currently has no option to disable email replies.
Mass Texting (SMS) Troubleshooting
If individuals aren't receiving mass text messages, here are a few things you can check.
‼️Important: Text messages are currently being delivered from 34166, our alternate shortcode.
(Mass texts will resume being delivered at 22383 (our primary shortcode) once all existing configuration issues have been resolved).
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Confirm the person has a mobile number entered in the Cell Phone field of their profile (Mass Contact does not use the Home Phone field).
- Verify the cell phone number is accurate. (It's easy for one digit to be incorrect and not notice it.)
- Have the individual text Start to 22383 to re‑opt in, in case they previously opted out.
Important: Opting out of mass text communication is all-or-none. In other words, if an individual opts out of one text message from our SMS shortcode, they opt out of all future text messages from our shortcode.
It's common for people to forget they opted out, or to assume they were opting out of only one type of SMS communication rather than all SMS communication.
Additional items to check if mass texts aren't being delivered:
- Every mobile phone user can block a phone number on their device. Ensure the individual has not blocked 22383 (or 34166, our backup shortcode). (iPhone instructions | Android instructions).
- Check whether short-code texting is enabled for the user's cell phone line or through their provider. To do so, text HELP to 22383. If it's working, a user will typically receive a response text similar to the one below.
If an individual receives no text reply, have them try texting HELP to another active shortcode.
If the individual receives no responses from any active shortcodes, it's likely their plan or line does not support shortcodes. They will need to contact their phone provider for assistance and further information.
Troubleshooting Mass Text via Twilio
Note: Mass text via Twilio is no longer available. A few organizations still operate through this platform and remain 'grandfathered' in.
And yes, we're pleased our current SMS provider offers mass text at a much lower cost than Twilio for individual organizations. 😊
If admins are experiencing issues with the Contact SMS through Twilio not working, be sure to check:
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Under
General Settings
→ Services, is Twilio enabled, and are both the Account SID and the Auth Token input?
- The number assigned to their account will appear when the Account SID and Auth Token have been input. For the number to work, it MUST be highlighted in blue and saved as highlighted. This is because admins can purchase multiple numbers under the same Twilio account.
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