Databases/Church Management Software
Databases/Church Management Software
Databases aren’t just for large churches. Having a database can help churches of all sizes to do the work of ministry. Ultimately, church management software can improve your ministry effectiveness through empowering people, both paid and volunteer, and offering insights into the processes you follow. Having the right tools for managing your church can provide systems to engage newcomers, reengage those who have become distant, and deepen relationships within the church for the purpose of making disciples.
You don’t just need an expensive address book. Oftentimes, without proper training or implementation, that’s what a lot of church databases become. A well designed database will provide church leaders a powerful tool to understand connectedness, involvement, and movement of people in and through their church. It will help create efficiencies to make tasks easier to accomplish.
What types of tools would be useful to your church? Metrics and real time data can help you make the best choices for your ministry in times of transition. Intuitive web forms can automate processes for event management, children’s ministry check-ins, volunteer scheduling, and more. Attendance tracking can help the people in your ministry connect. Online giving can be streamlined and can incorporate one-time and recurring gifts. Pledge and donor management can help you appreciate and thank your donors, while cultivating future planned and major gifts. Photo directory tools, calendars, and file sharing can become available to members through online portals.
You don’t know what you don’t know. Choosing the right tools for your church or diocese can be daunting. Talk to other churches or dioceses who’ve implemented a database/church management system and are strategically using it to grow their church.
Popular Church Management Software Solutions:
"I implemented Realm at my previous parish and have recently purchased for my current one. Before choosing Realm, I researched my options for about two months, taking workshops online and talking to sales reps, reading reviews, etc. I did the data transfer myself the first time and plan on doing it again. With only minimal video tutorials and reading their help documents, I was able to get the entire database up in an afternoon. NOTE: There was a lot of massaging of data for a couple weeks before I did that because we were coming from a very old system. I give it high marks, and highly recommend it." - Lena Sewell, St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Lakewood, Colorado
What database/church management software are you using?: BreezeChMS
What do you like about your database/church management software?: Simple and all-inclusive pricing structure, no matter how many members we have. Integrates with MailChimp and replaced ministry scheduler pro.
What do you wish you could do that you currently aren't able to do?: Looking forward to even more integration between the various capabilities - having form entries automatically create follow-ups, etc.
- Kelli Joyce, Saint Philip's in the Hills Episcopal Church, Tucson, Arizona
What database/church management software are you using?: chmeetings
What do you like about your database/church management software?: Simple to use and low cost. It's free for communicating with up to 100 people(parishioners) but there is a limit of 100 e-mails per month. The free version is an easy way to get started for a small church like mine. The next level is $10/month for 250 people and unlimited e-mail.
Other good features are; text messaging, Calendar with attendance, customizable fields, an app for your iPhone or Android, e-mail reports, customizable groups, Notes for individuals, and relationship tracking.
What do you wish you could do that you currently aren't able to do?: The only concern I've had is that there is no on-line documentation or help. Instead all help is done by submitting an e-mail. But, they are very responsive and I always got an answer within a day.
What advice would you give others searching for a church management system?: Understand what you want to do and make sure you have buy in from all interested parties.
What database/church management software are you using?: ParishSoft
What do you like about your database/church management software?: For the 3 people that use the accounting software, it works well. Able to track dates of giving over the year. We also have a software product that individuals may use themselves to enter their pledges. It produces letters.
What do you wish you could do that you currently aren't able to do?: We would like a comprehensive software package that encompassed on line giving, financial records, a parish calendar, a parish directory and skills of members of the parish, parish database, etc.
What database/church management software are you using?: Elexio Community
What do you like about your database/church management software?: Groups, Group Attendance, Registration Forms, Volunteer Scheduling, Workflows to Automate the Follow-Up Process, Check-In Kiosks to take attendance for each service and print name badges (parent receipts for children at Sunday School too).
What do you wish you could do that you currently aren't able to do?: The volunteer scheduling software allows you to invite people to serve at a particular service date/time. They can either accept the invitation or decline. My congregation prefers to look at their calendars and pick their dates themselves. I have created volunteer sign-up forms that they prefer using. I then must manually put them into the scheduling software. I do appreciate that the scheduling software emails/texts reminders automatically.
What advice would you give others searching for a church management system?: Decide what data is important for you to collect.