GOODNEWS newsletter distribution to change
Today, more than ever, we must be wise about how we use the Via de Cristo resources available to us. This includes time, talent and treasures. One area of our ministry that is on the radar of your Minnesota Via de Cristo Council every month is the newsletter.
Each month, the Council reviews newsletter deadlines to be met by the leadership teams of upcoming weekends, listings of our newest 4th Day community members and those entering their 5th Day, articles written for publication, and news from other Cursillo groups. Our Editor spends substantial time putting together each of these pieces.
Our Coordinator, after receiving an updated database for mailings from our Data Entry person, prints names and addresses onto the cover page of 5700+ newsletters, consuming dollars for paper, ink and “person” hours. Once printed, the Coordinator delivers the cover pages to the Printer, consuming more valuable time and gas mileage.
Paper and ink are ordered to finish printing the newsletter. The Printer must pick up the paper and go to the Post Office to pick up mailing tubs and sorting labels, purchases ample strapping materials for the tubs and spends time recruiting volunteers to collate, old and staple the newsletters. If sufficient volunteers are not available to process the newsletter, it is further delayed for mailing. More gas, time and money are spent again.
When the newsletter is ready for mailing, the Printer takes the newsletter to the Post Office and braces for the next cycle. After a newsletter has been mailed, our Treasurer deposits funds into the Bulk Mailing account to replenish the coffers for the next mailing. Thus, we have spent more money for postage and used gasoline and time to get the money from point A to point B. Meanwhile, newsletters sent back for various reasons cost the community 50 cents each for returned postage.
Currently, Minnesota Via de Cristo has 1800+ individuals receiving and/or retrieving the GoodNews newsletter electronically from our website. Consider the time, talent and treasures that could be saved if more of our community retrieved the newsletter this way: paper, ink and postage for one single newsletter cost 25 cents and it takes 42 “person hours” for one complete mailing (printing, collating, folding and sorting). And we cannot disregard what gasoline costs are today.
For years, the Council has discussed different ways to reduce the GoodNews production costs. We plan to be as paperless as possible by May 1, 2006. We again encourage our community to go on-line for the newsletter. For those who are not able to access the newsletter from the website, we will continue to mail a paper copy of our newsletter for a one-time subscription donation of $20 which can be paid by check or on-line by credit card. (See the subscription form below.)
We have a way that will notify you and automatically deliver the newsletter to your computer every time it is published. Read about it here.
For those who do not have access to the internet or do not care to make the one-time subscription donation for the Good News newsletter, we offer these low- or no-cost alternatives:
1. Ask a friend for a copy
2. Get a copy from your church liaison
3. Circulate a paper copy within your renewal group
4. Have a friend paste a copy of the newsletter into an email to you
Help us to be the best stewards of all our resources. Prepare to receive the newsletter from the website or submit your one-time subscription donation of $20 by April 30, 2006. Only those who prepay for a paper newsletter will receive the GoodNews by mail after the April 30, 2006 deadline
Good News Subscription Form
If you would like to register by mail, download a paper subscription form here.
To register on-line and pay by credit card, please complete all blanks below. The credit card transaction will be handled by PayPal. Newsletter subscriptions will begin after May 1, 2006. Thank you for your good stewardship!
Please include your phone and e-mail address in case we have a question or need to clarify something.
