What is Listserv?

LISTSERV sets the standard for e-mail list management software.  It allows users to create and maintain e-mail lists on the Internet. List sizes can range from a few participants in a discussion group to several million in a newsletter. LISTSERV is renowned for its flexibility, scalability and time-tested performance. Utilizing this software, we are able to give every parish a number of free listserv accounts. A member may join or leave the list whenever he or she wants. The personal e-mail addresses of the individual list members are protected and kept confidential. The list messages are automatically turned into searchable web archives every time e-mail is sent out.

How Can We Have a Listserver Setup for our Parish?

Go to the Information Technologies Help Desk Website.

Fill out the form to add a new help desk ticket, choose "Parish" in the Location menu, and "Listserv" in the category menu, fill out all the other necessary information, and click on "Submit." In the description field, be sure to include the following information for each listserver you are requesting.

  1. The name of the list (the name should be no more than 20 letters in length and there should be no spaces in the list name). Note that the address of your list will be [email protected] where "listname" is the name of your list.
  2. The type of list for sending
    • announcement only (only editors may post messages)
    • discussion (all subscribers may post, etc).
  3. The type of list for subscription
    • open with user confirmation
    • by owner (only owner may add new subscribers)
  4. The person(s) who are the owner(s) of the list with their email address
  5. The person(s) authorized to post to the list with their email addresses
  6. A Description of the list in 12 words or less.
  7. A Welcome message to new subscribers who join the list (can be one sentence to a full page in length).

What are the Costs?

Email group lists are an essential tool for communication with your parishioners and supporters of your organization. See the pricing chart below. All fees listed below are for one-time setup costs only.

# of lists GOA Parishes
1 - 5 Free
5 + $35/listserv setup fee




Is There A Limit To The Number Of Listservers That I Can Request?

We are able to offer each parish up to five (5) listservers at no cost. If a parish would like more than 5, we ask for a $35 setup fee per listserver.

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