Summary
All Reliant field missionaries are provided an @reliant email address and user account via the Google for Nonprofits program.
This account gives you access to official Reliant email, some MTD and administrative resources, plus other Google services. It also services a verified identity for our missionaries. Here's more about it.
What does the account access?
Reliant Official Email
The official Reliant email inbox is based on the same system as a private "Gmail" account, but your data is protected by Reliant.
Access at mail.reliant.org
Or go to any Google prompt and login using your @reliant.org address and password.
Google Drive Apps
Access at drive.reliant.org
Or go to any Google prompt and login using your @reliant.org address and password.
Google Drive is a cloud-based office software that works on personal computers or phones & tablets. GCM has a free account to these powerful apps, which are something like the traditional Microsoft Office applications.
Google App | Microsoft Equivalent | Use it For | Comments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Google Drive | Windows File Explorer | Browsing files and sorting them into folders | 20GB of free online storage for any file. The home page for creating new Google documents. Excellent search. |
| Google Docs | Microsoft Word | Word processing and writing | Design prayer letters and more. The multi-person commenting and editing features make it excellent for collaborative authoring |
| Google Sheets | Microsoft Excel | Spreadsheets: calculations and charts | Do budgets, make custom MTD reports, brainstorm MTD names, manage a project. Group collaboration features are great. |
| Google Forms | --- | Web forms, online surveys. | The fastest way to create a quick survey or poll. Poll your ministry team? Results dump into a Google Sheet. |
| Google Slides | Microsoft Powerpoint | Presentation Slides | Great for our new MTD presentation, which can be shown on an iPad or printed as a hardcover photo book. Or use it for sermons. |
Some Reliant Admin and MTD Resources
Reliant missionaries can use their google accounts to access some specific services including:
- Submit online reimbursement requests (built with Google sheets)
- Build an MTD Presentation Album (built with Google Slides)
- Access some MTD resources (built on Google Drive)
How does the verified identity part work?
Because Reliant.org addresses are secured by Reliant and you with your password, we know it's you! This makes your electronic signature easier and more secure. See Electronic Signature.
Can I use my local church email address instead?
Yes! For ministry or even MTD purposes some missionaries will choose to their local ministry address as their primary address. It's up to you. (For MTD purposes, we do encourage our missionaries to use a professional address choices rather than a personal public account e.g. hotmail or gmail.)
Remember that your @reliant.org address remains your official address for Reliant missionary purposes, so if you check a different address principly, you can have your email program or phone check multiple addresses (best), or configure forwarding (advanced).
Which email address should I use for MTD?
It's up to you. Your @reliant.org email address is a good choice for donors and we've set it up for this. For some ministries, your local church or ministry address will be best.
When asking for finances, it's important to appear legitimate, and so we discourage personal addresses (e.g. "hotmail, gmail") for this. Use an official organizational address.
How do I forward my @reliant email to another account?
Instead of forwarding mail, it's best to use one e-mail program to check multiple email addresses (like your church account and your Reliant account together). All major e-mail programs like Mac Mail, Outlook, or iPhone Mail can do this. See Set up Multiple Email Addresses.
If you have email forwarding already configured, you will need to make sure you configure a Send Mail As option so you can send email that comes from your @reliant.org account.
Is the Reliant Google Account the same as what I use to login to Staffnet, Reliant.org, or the former MyGCM?
The accounts have separate passwords. You actually have two accounts:
- The e-mail and password used to login to Staffnet or Reliant Update is for Reliant websites only. This is also what you use "as a donor" to access Reliant.org Giving Dashboard (or the former MyGCM).
- Your Reliant Google account gives you access to our Google email and services.
For simplicity, we are setting your user name (email address) the same for each—first.last@reliant.org. However, passwords are stored in separate systems.
Changing the password for one account does not change it for it the other.
How do I get help with my @reliant.org account?
For questions about how to use the Google features of general email or Google Drive, Docs, Slides, Sheets, etc, see Google's online support options.
Gmail Help CenterGoogle Drive Help Center
For questions with your account, such as name and password, or data security, or technical problems, contact our Reliant Technical Services team.
Can I change my assigned email name?
We use a standard "first.last@reliant.org" format, so we can't accomodate requests for random stuff. But we're happy to make changes to use your preferred name (e.g. you go by your shorter name or middle name), married name changes, etc. Email us at helpdesk@reliant.org
