Custom Email Addresses
Having a custom email address that is directly associated with your church organization not only lends credibility but also offers numerous practical benefits. Here are some in-depth insights on why and how you should set up custom email addresses for your church:
Why Custom Email Addresses?
Professionalism: An email like John@StSwithens.org looks more professional than StSwithensChurch@gmail.com. It better reflects the identity and credibility of your church.
Trust: People are more likely to trust an email coming from an official domain, reducing the likelihood of emails being marked as spam.
Branding: Every email sent is a branding opportunity. A custom email reinforces the church's name and makes it more memorable.
Control: Custom email addresses give you full control over your organization's communications, including the ability to recover emails, control access, and maintain confidentiality.
How to Get One
Web Hosting Services: Most web hosting packages come with the option to set up custom domain emails. Your hosting provider will have guidelines or customer service to assist with this.
Google Apps for Nonprofits: Churches qualify for Google's nonprofit program, which provides free access to Google Workspace (formerly GSuite), including 30GB of email storage per user, among other benefits.
Best Practices
Use Role-based Addresses: In addition to staff emails, use role-based addresses like info@StSwithens.org or admin@StSwithens.org for different departments or activities within the church. These can be set-up to automatically forward to specific job roles/individuals.
Avoid Personal Emails for Official Work: Staff should not use personal email accounts for church activities. This ensures better data protection and easier access control.
Email Recovery: Owning the organization's email accounts means you can reset passwords and recover accounts when staff members leave, fall ill, or go on vacation. This ensures continuity and security.
Security Protocols: Enable two-factor authentication and strong passwords for added security.
Domain Policy for Forwarding: Implement a domain policy that prohibits forwarding to personal email accounts. This ensures all sensitive or important church-related information stays within the organization and can be audited when required.
Regular Audits: Periodically review the active email accounts, their access levels, and how they’re being used to ensure they meet the church’s current needs and security standards.
Data Backup: Make sure to have a reliable backup solution to protect your email data from loss or accidental deletion.
Signature Standardization: Consider establishing (or suggesting) a standard email signature across the organization; it can be a powerful communications tool to have every staff member link to the church’s, for example, Upcoming Events or social media).
By carefully setting up and managing custom email addresses for your church, you can greatly improve the organization's communication strategy, data security, and overall reputation.