What is a Campaign?
A campaign is a central theme or event around which your church communications are organized. It serves as the overarching framework for all related communications, defining the time period, purpose, and target audience. For example, a campaign might be centered around an upcoming event like Easter, a special outreach initiative, or a recurring program such as a weekly service.
In the Communicate App, each campaign is assigned a title, start and end dates, a category, and a color. All communications related to that campaign are organized within this framework, making it easy to see what messages are going out, when they're scheduled, and how they connect to the overall campaign goal.
Why Do Campaigns Matter for Church Communications?
Campaigns help churches organize messaging around specific events, themes, or initiatives. Instead of sending disconnected communications, campaigns create a cohesive communication strategy that reinforces a central message across multiple channels and over time. This approach ensures that your congregation receives consistent, coordinated messaging that builds anticipation and clarity around important events and programs.
Without campaigns, church communications can feel scattered and uncoordinated. Campaigns provide structure and context, helping your team plan ahead and ensuring that every communication serves a clear purpose within a larger strategy.
How Do Campaigns Work in Communicate?
In the Communicate App, campaigns are the foundational elements that support every communication effort. Each communication must be tied to a campaign, making the campaign the central "what" and "when" of your communication plan. On Plus, when multi-campus is enabled and configured, you can also use global vs campus-owned campaigns and related schedule tools; otherwise every campaign behaves like a single-campus campaign in the UI.
When you create a campaign, you define:
- Title: The name of the campaign (e.g., "Easter 2025", "VBS Summer Program")
- Start and End Dates: The duration of the campaign, typically from the first communication to the event day
- Category: A label to help organize and filter campaigns
- Color: A visual identifier that appears in calendar and timeline views
The Campaign Page serves as your creative brief or promotional plan—a centralized location for all information related to your campaign, including event details, images, copy, and the communication schedule.
When Should You Use Campaigns?
Use campaigns for:
- Seasonal events: Easter, Christmas, VBS, or other annual celebrations
- Sermon series: Multi-week teaching series that need coordinated messaging
- Special initiatives: Outreach programs, fundraising efforts, or community events
- Recurring programs: Youth nights, small groups, or weekly programs that need regular promotion
- Multi-week events: Any event or program that requires coordinated messaging over time
Essentially, if you're planning multiple communications around a single theme, event, or initiative, you should create a campaign to organize them.
Related Terms
- Communication - Individual messages organized within a campaign
- Channel - The medium through which campaign communications are delivered
- Template - Predefined schedules that can be applied to campaigns
- Category - Labels used to organize campaigns
- Calendar - The view where campaign communications are scheduled
- Timeline - A view for managing campaign dates and schedules
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can one communication belong to multiple campaigns?
A: No, each communication belongs to one campaign. However, you can create similar communications for different campaigns, or use templates to quickly replicate communication patterns across campaigns.
Q: How long should a campaign last?
A: Campaigns can be any length—from a single day to several months. Most church campaigns range from 2-8 weeks, depending on the event or initiative. The campaign duration should match the planning and promotion needs of your event.
Q: What happens if I need to extend a campaign's dates?
A: You can edit a campaign's start and end dates at any time. However, communications cannot be scheduled outside the campaign's date range, so extending dates allows you to add more communications to the campaign timeline.
Q: Can I duplicate a campaign?
A: Yes, you can duplicate an existing campaign along with all its data and communications. After duplication, you can adjust the dates and other details as needed. This is especially useful for recurring events like annual programs.
Q: What's the difference between a draft and active campaign?
A: A draft campaign (and all its communications) is hidden from the main calendar view until activated. Active campaigns appear in full color in the calendar and timeline. Setting a campaign to draft mode also sets all associated communications to draft.