Stake Publicity Email Help

I've been called to be the stake publicity specialist in charge of promoting all stake events. I tried to create a stake level email distribution list. Spent 23ish hours entering every email address (over 800) I could find in lds tools into a google email account contact list. I had to break it into 2 groups, as Google limits to 500 outgoing addresses. My first email out went out fine with only 40 bounce backs. Deleted the bad addresses and sent the email for this week and already have over 200 back. Apparently Google filters outgoing emails for spam and using Bcc is a big red flag. I'm not tech clever enough to take on the spam filters to get this many emails out. I don't have access to sending messages in LCR, or even to all the email addresses, as my official calling in the system is primary worker (I also teach activity days). Is there any way for someone in my calling to be given access to the messaging system in LCR?

Permissions in LCR is based on calling. There is no other way to assign permissions to a person.

Thank you. That is what I figured. Any suggestions as to how to email an entire stake easily and without being marked a spammer? How important is it to use Bcc when the emails are only going to members whose addresses are already available to each other in lds tools? (Other than the fact that I've conveniently consolidated them into a list more easily used inappropriately.)

AnLDSMom wrote:Any suggestions as to how to email an entire stake easily and without being marked a spammer?

Honestly, I don't know as you can email the entire stake without someone considering you a spammer. There are very few stake activities that involve every member. Most activities only apply to a selection of members.

AnLDSMom wrote:How important is it to use Bcc when the emails are only going to members whose addresses are already available to each other in lds tools?

I'd consider it "good form" to use BCC.

Another reason is if any of the member's computers are infected, and you don't use BCC, then some malware has just gotten a hold of a number of email addresses that they'll use for their scams.

I'd suggest re-thinking the publicity strategy. If it was me I'd be pushing the use of the calendar system with it's link to LDS Tools and sync. That way members control what they get. I think you'll find that trying to keep a stake email list up to date will be too much.

If you want to share more information about an event than the calendar event name and short description provides, you can use the LDS.org Newsletter tool to post about events. Any member can be added as an Admin or Publisher on the ward or stake newsletter. It doesn't send out emails when there are new posts, but it may work better than just telling people to go to the calendar. If your stake has a social media page, you can post links to specific newsletter articles (members log in with their LDS Account to see it). Or you could email the link to a leader in each ward who could forward it out to his or her ward (on social media, through Send a Message, on the program, etc.).

Thank you so much for the replies! I was able to manage to email everyone by sending an email to each ward as a group, using the email to all adults function, with much less email bounce back. A little tedious to send out that many, but probably less tedious than trying to maintain an updated list on my own for the whole stake. I just need to promote having email addresses updated and privacy settings open to the stake. Next step will be to find an easy way to communicate with the youth. Is there a stake publicity option in stake calling assignments that would allow me to see the youth email addresses of youth not in my ward?

AnLDSMom wrote:Is there a stake publicity option in stake calling assignments that would allow me to see the youth email addresses of youth not in my ward?

As far as I'm aware, only members of the stake presidency can see the youth in all wards. Not even the Stake YM/YW or High Councilors can see it. Their job is to train the ward leaders - not to supervise or mange them. You may want to consider a similar setup - where there are ward publicity specialists that you communicate with.

Interesting. Our stake youth leaders do much more than just train ward youth leaders. They plan youth conferences, girls camp, stake firesides, stake dances, etc. I'm sure having access to the youth in the directory would be very helpful. I'm sure its for the protection of minors, though.

Thank you so much for all your help! I'm feeling much less overwhelmed by my calling than I was yesterday.