Sending Email
from St. Alban's

Log in

Go to mailchimp.com and sign in. The login lives wherever Lainie keeps it — 1Password, a shared doc, or her notes.

Don't share the password by email. Text or Signal is fine. 1Password is best.

Pick the right template

You have two templates. Both are already built. You don't make a new one — you copy one of these.

• TEMPLATE_FridayNews — the weekly Friday email with multiple sections
• TEMPLATE_SpecialAnnouncement — one big thing (a Holy Week service, a special event, an urgent update)

Here's how to find them:

1. From the MailChimp home screen, click Create (top right, the pencil icon).
2. Click Email, then click Regular.
3. Name your campaign something useful like Friday News — May 16 or Easter Vigil Announcement. This name is for you — your subscribers never see it.
4. Click Begin.
5. When MailChimp asks how you want to design your email, click Use a recent email.
6. Find the template you want and click it.

That's the duplication. You now have a copy you can edit without touching the original.

Edit the content

The template is already styled. You don't need to change colors, fonts, or layout. Just replace the placeholder text.

Click any text block and a side panel opens. Type your content. Click outside the block to save.

For Friday News, replace:

• The date at the top
• The headline (one short line naming what this week is about)
• Mtr. Lainie's note
• Each of the three sections — Upward, Inward, Outward
• The week-ahead calendar block
• The prayer block at the bottom

For Special Announcements, replace:

• The small caps kicker at the top (e.g., "Holy Week" or "Save the Date")
• The big headline
• The body paragraphs (one or two — no more)
• The details block: When / Where / Who / Contact
• The call-to-action button text and link

To swap an image: click the image block → Replace → upload or pick from the gallery.

To add a link to text: highlight the text → click the link icon in the toolbar → paste your URL.

When you're done editing, click Save & Close in the top right.

Set who it goes to and when

MailChimp shows a checklist. You need a green check next to all five items before you can send.

• To: Every email goes to everyone right now — "All subscribed contacts in the audience St. Alban's Episcopal Church." That's fine. Don't change this unless Mtr. Lainie says otherwise.
• From: Already set to "St. Alban's Episcopal Church" and the church email. Don't change.
• Subject: Write something short and specific. Good: Friday News — Pentecost Sunday. Less good: All Church Email (Friday).
• Send time: Send now sends right away. Schedule lets you pick a future date and time.
• Content: Already has a green check from Step 3.

Send it

Before you hit send, do these two things:

1. Send a test to yourself. In the design view, click the dropdown next to Save & Close and pick Send a test email. Type your own email. Look at it on phone AND computer. Read the whole thing. Check every link.
2. Read it one more time. Look for dates that didn't update. Look for placeholder text in brackets like [Day] you forgot to fill in.

When you're sure, click Send Now — or Schedule, if you set a future date.