Going with a Beta-Test

After talking with a couple of leaders today and thinking it over, I decided to do a beta-test period and invite people to register for an eMinistry class for free. Rather than do it by time (ie, 3 months), I think it will be a good start to offer free registration for the first 100 people who register. We can always extend that number if it seems like a good thing to do.

I also spent a large time today going through some diocesan websites and manually logging email addresses for their parishes. It's an incredibly labor-intensive process but I've concluded that it's essential to getting the word out about our classes. My initial reliance on diocesan communicators to publicize our offerings has its limits -- many have forwarded them on within their dioceses and I am very grateful to them! But I know that even if they try to help publicize us, the news may never reach the people in the congregations. So this week I will send out the beta-test announcement not only via diocesan communicators but to the parish email addresses I'm gathering.

I've been kind of stymied for a couple of days -- not wanting to plunge ahead with more class development/contacting potential leaders when I can't be sure that anyone would register! I hope the beta-test process will at least increase the number of people who want to try a class....

I appreciate the leaders who've offered to teach for free. But even though what we can pay right now is so minimal ($30 a class hour), I feel very strongly they need to be paid even if we have no income right now. I think I will put a "contribution button" on the website so if people are over-flowing with gratitude after they take a free class they can send us a contribution if they want to help support this ministry. But I won't expect it!

bye for now,

Elizabeth