Celebrating birthdays can significantly enhance your church’s sense of community and show your members they are valued. Text In Church offers a straightforward way to ensure no birthday goes unnoticed. Here's a brief guide to setting up and sending birthday messages to your church members, volunteers, and attendees.
Step 1: Create a Happy Birthday Group
In your Text In Church dashboard, create a dedicated group for individuals whose birthdays you want to recognize. This group can include anyone from volunteers and staff members to first-time guests and regular attendees.
Step 2: Set Up a Birthday Workflow
Create the Workflow:
Navigate to the Connect section and select Workflows.
Click on "Add a Workflow," name it appropriately (e.g., "Happy Birthday Messages"), and establish a workflow trigger based on the birth date.
Opt to trigger the workflow when the birth date arrives and assign it to your Happy Birthday group.
Configure Message Details:
Choose to send your message on the birth date, select a specific time, and set it to repeat yearly. Input a repeat limit to ensure longevity (e.g., 30 years).
Draft a heartfelt birthday message that will resonate with your recipients and save your settings.
Step 3: Collect Birthday Information
Design a Connect Card:
Create a new digital connect card tailored for collecting birthdays, opting for an appealing design and straightforward layout.
Include fields for name, email, cell number, and, most importantly, birth date.
Once designed, link your connect card to the Happy Birthday group to automate the addition of members’ birthdays.
Distribute the Connect Card:
Share the connect card link with your church community, inviting them to submit their birthdays. This can be done through emails, social media, or even QR codes placed around your church.
Manually Add Birthdays:
For existing members or those who prefer not to use the digital card, you can manually enter birthdays in the People tab under Custom Fields and then add them to the Happy Birthday group.
Pro Tips for Birthday Messages
Keep Messages Fresh: Periodically update the birthday message template to keep the greetings fresh and personalized. This ensures that members receive a unique message each year.
Promote the Connect Card: Actively encourage your church community to fill out the Connect Card by highlighting its benefits during services, on your website, and in newsletters.
Follow Up: Consider following up with a personal call or text from a church leader for milestone birthdays to add an extra touch of care and connection.
By implementing these steps, you can make every church member feel noticed and loved on their special day. Setting up birthday messages in Text In Church not only helps foster a stronger church community but also ensures that you’re consistently reaching out to your members in meaningful ways.
