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Connecting Episcopal communities in Georgia and beyond is an integral part of the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta's mission. The diocese offers support to the clergy and parishioners of their 95 congregations—providing them with spiritual nourishment and important information on matters within the Episcopal Church.

Challenge: Staying Connected…All Over the World

With 54,000 members in Georgia, as well as missionaries in other countries and seminarians away at school, the Diocese of Atlanta's greatest challenge is staying in touch. For years, it sent a simple text email newsletter each week to about 400 clergy. According to Director of Communications Nan Ross, "The diocese wanted to expand the newsletter to become a community-wide offering that would invite people in and reach beyond the clergy."

With more of its members online, the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta Communications Committee wanted to enhance its electronic communication and reduce the frequency of publications that were printed and mailed.

Solution: Constant Contact Makes Sharing Information Easy

The diocese turned to Constant Contact three years ago. According to Nan, when the email newsletter Connecting was launched in 2005, "the response was wonderful. People loved the colors and photos. We had an immediate positive response and everyone got on board quickly."

Today, the newsletter goes out once a week to a steadily growing list of more than 2,700 subscribers and provides news, announcements, calendar events, helpful resources, and job listings; sometimes Nan includes links to websites, whether the diocese's own, or those of other parishes and organizations. "The newsletter is a great way to drive people to our site, where they can get more in-depth information," Nan says.

In addition to Connecting, the diocese uses Constant Contact to promote workshops, share spiritual reflections, and to send letters from the bishop on holidays and special occasions. I wouldn't want to do my job without it! "It's so easy to use; several people on our staff use it for a variety of purposes, including newsletters for smaller groups such as clergy and parish educators," Nan says.

Email marketing also offers critical immediacy for the diocese. "Constant Contact is a key way of informing our clergy about anything of an emergency nature, such as a death in one of our parishes. This immediacy helps our community tremendously in being able to respond to anyone who has suffered a loss."

Nan has been quick to encourage parishes in the Diocese of Atlanta to turn to Constant Contact for their own newsletters and other communications. She's been delighted to see nearly a dozen parishes sign up during the past year.

Results: Email Marketing Offers Blessing of Time and Money Saved

Email marketing with Constant Contact has been instrumental in helping the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta fulfill its mission of linking parishes and people. Along with the frequent, positive feedback she gets on the newsletter, Nan says that Connecting has a regular 55% open rate—and open rates on the spiritual reflections emails are even higher. "Clearly our constituents like what we're sending them," Nan says.

"Because we've saved on postage and printing costs, we've been able to upgrade the quality of our print journal, Pathways, which comes out quarterly. Constant Contact has helped us better manage our communications budget," Nan says.

Most of all, email marketing with Constant Contact has helped the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta stay connected, build community, and inspire people. "We are one big circle, and Constant Contact has been a great tool for us. It's affordable, the newsletter is popular with readers, and it's great for staying connected and keeping people informed. I wouldn't want to do my job without it!" Nan says.