As an Administrator or Communications Director for your ministry, you understand that connecting with your congregation outside of Sunday mornings is essential for increased engagement. You rely on Realm, email marketing, text messages, or social media to communicate information about what’s happening at your church. Because of that, we want you to know about changes from Google and Yahoo! so that you can ensure important email messages reach your congregation.
The changes announced emphasize the importance of email authentication for legitimate email delivery. This blog will share key highlights from our partner, Constant Contact, about the upcoming changes that will take effect in February 2024.
Understanding Email Authentication
Email authentication verifies that an email is coming from who it claims to come from to prevent spoofing. Here are key things to know:
- The current best practice is using DKIM (Domain Keys Identified Mail).
- Constant Contact authenticates emails on behalf of customers by signing them in with their own domain (auth.ccsend.com).
- Because of increased phishing threats, Google and Yahoo! now seek validation from the domain in the “From” address. This is the address your congregants see when they open your email. For example, if the email is from janedoe@churchname.com, then the validation must now come from churchname.com.
- Constant Contact recommends “Self-Authentication” by using your church’s domain and Constant Contact’s.
- Constant Contact has resources available to walk you through the steps.
By sending emails from your domain using DKIM authentication, you create a solid sender reputation and can feel confident that your emails are making it to your congregants’ inboxes.
Don’t fret if you don’t own a domain. Constant Contact is working on advanced functionality for non-domain owners.
In the meantime, check out Constant Contact’s blog, which goes into greater detail about this change, including a resource hub with videos and articles that can help your ministry understand your options for ensuring your emails are delivered in 2024.
Learning and adapting to new practices is important to ensure that your congregation receives the messages that matter. If you don’t use an email marketing solution, you can learn more about how Constant Contact can help your ministry.
About Lily Oliver
Lily joined the ACST team in 2020. She worked six years at a large church in Atlanta, GA, as the Business Systems Analyst. Lily understands the mission and challenges of the church. She spent her time in ministry utilizing Realm to help solve those challenges. She is passionate about helping our Ministry Partners leverage technology to fulfill their mission and grow their ministry impact.
