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Church Management Software – 4 Steps to a Successful Implementation

If your current church management software isn’t working for your church, and you’ve decided to make a change, there’s much more involved than just converting data to a new system. Even if everyone on your team hates the current software, there’s still going to be some resistance to change. New software involves learning a new program, possibly changing processes, and the usual implementation headaches. They might all agree that change is necessary, but you still may deal with frustrations along the way. So, how do you have a successful church management software implementation and a happy team? Tip #1: Fix Processes First One trap many people fall into is thinking a new tool will fix all their problems. Unfortunately, even the fanciest and most expensive ChMS can’t correct a broken process. Before you evaluate potential ChMS options, examine the processes you would perform within a new tool. Here are a few examples of the types of processes to review: If these processes aren’t functioning well now, fix those issues first. Decide how you want a process to work manually, then consider how a ChMS could help you automate aspects of each process. Tip #2: Evaluate Several Church Management Software Options There are several excellent options for church management systems. That’s the good news! The bad news is that the process to figure out which one will work best for your church can be cumbersome. Take your time evaluating various options and use these tips to make that effort a bit easier. Tip #2: Perform a Data Clean-Up If you plan on migrating data from a previous ChMS, take the time now for a data clean-up effort. It doesn’t make sense to bring outdated or inactive records into the new system. One way to clean up the database is to remove the records of people who are no longer active at your church. You can find these by running reports to identify people who haven’t donated, registered for an event or small group, checked in as a volunteer, checked in their children, or other key activities within the last 12-24 months. Here are a few ways to verify you have valid contact information: Tip #3: Get Buy-in From Key Influencers Who within your staff or key volunteers has the most influence? This isn’t always the person in charge of a department. These individuals are those whom your staff and volunteers listen to and whose opinions they value. If they like this new software and are champions of the changes required in the implementation, then the rest of the team is more likely to buy in as well. Once you’ve identified these influencers, get them involved in the selection and implementation planning process. Once they’re on board and like the new system, they’ll be your best champions in getting the team to change. Tip #4: Make Gradual Changes Many ChMS applications have multiple modules you can implement separately (giving, check-in, event registration, facilities, etc.). Whenever possible, change over to a single aspect of the new ChMS at a time. For example, you might migrate contact information and start using childcare check-in, but wait a few weeks before using the online profile aspects of the system. Too much change at once, even good change, can be overwhelming. A phased approach gives your team time to learn the new system gradually. This approach also gives you the flexibility to work out any “bugs” in the process one module at a time. Tip #5: Invite Feedback Ask your staff, volunteers, and congregation to provide you with feedback about the new system. Find out what’s working, what isn’t, what they like, and what they dislike. As you receive this input, make whatever changes are appropriate and possible. When you implement requested changes, let everyone know you made the change due to their feedback. This communicates that you’re listening and taking action on their requests. It is not easy to change a significant tool such as your church management software, so you need your team to fully support the new direction. As you involve key influencers early on, run a phased implementation, and invite feedback, you should have a much smoother changeover to the new software.

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How to Select the Best Church Management Software for Your Church

Jake Douglas

Church Management Software, or ChMS, can be a great tool to help church leaders do ministry. You can leverage technology to follow up with guests, coordinate volunteers, provide online communities, record donations, manage church facilities, and much more. Fortunately, there are many vendors providing various options for churches. However, the potential downside of all these options is it can be challenging to find the best church management software for your church. Whether you already have a ChMS and are considering making a switch, or you’re starting from scratch, selecting a ChMS is a big decision. The investment of time and money can be significant, so you want to take time upfront to carefully choose the system that will best support your church. This isn’t the time to just ask a few other churches what they use and go with that one. Nor should you simply go with the highest rated software – it might be great, but for someone else’s church. Here’s how to select the best church management software for your church: Step #1: Tell the Story Pull your team together and ask them about a “typical” week. Capture the narrative of your team’s regular routine. Discuss whether the current processes are working well or if some changes are necessary. Once you’ve documented that information, you can compile a document that lists what the church needs a ChMS to support. This document should go beyond a list of features to see what software will match that list. Instead, consider how your church operates and what processes you’d like software to make more efficient. Make sure you’ve considered key areas such as: Step #2: Consider End Users Which staff members and volunteers will use the software and for what purposes? Will you provide members of the congregation access to update their contact information and view their donation records? Once you determine who will use the system, consider their unique needs to anticipate what they’ll want from the ChMS. If you already have a church management tool and are thinking about switching, find out what these groups like/dislike about the current software. Step #3: Research Vendors Implementing a new church management software involves the initial purchase, possibly a long-term contract, migrating data, training your team, and more. After all that effort, you want this to be a long-term relationship with a vendor you like and trust. That means you’ll need to do some initial research on vendors to see if they might be a good fit. Here are several aspects of each vendor to research: Step #4: Request Information Now you know what you want the software to handle and what vendors you’d like to evaluate, it’s time to find out if they can meet your requirements. A standard method for handling this is to send out a Request for Proposal or RFP. This document should include the narrative you captured from your team. Put the story and objectives at the beginning of the document, and then include a list of requirements. Send this to each vendor and ask them to respond to you by a specific date. Send out your RFP to the top 3-5 vendors you want to evaluate. Some ChMS vendors offer free trial versions of their software online. In those instances, check out the trial version to see if it will meet your church’s needs. You’ll likely receive an email or call from a salesperson for that vendor, so that might be the opportunity to provide an RFP or schedule a more in-depth discussion. Step #5: Evaluate Responses As vendors reply, look for indications they understand what your team wants to accomplish using the software. Next, check to see if the vendor can meet specific requirements and if so, how. If a vendor doesn’t seem to understand your processes or can’t meet the most important requirements, eliminate them from the list. Rank the remaining vendors and select the top few to continue with the evaluation process. Step #6: Participate in Demos Just because a vendor says they can meet your church’s needs doesn’t mean they’ll meet them in the way you expect. Their methods may not necessarily work for the culture of your church, so you need more than just reassurances – you need to see the software in action. Step #7: Ask Additional Questions You’ve narrowed the field and seen the software in action. Now it’s time to dig into even greater detail about the remaining vendors. Step #8: Make a Decision This is where you compile all the information you’ve collected and consider your options. Realize that no software will be perfect or solve all issues. However, you need to select the one that is the best fit for the vision, processes, and culture of your church. Choose the vendor you can trust that provides a quality product and service. Once you’ve made the decision and started working with your new vendor, give careful thought to how to roll out this new tool. Too much change all at once, even good change, can cause friction. Get key staff and volunteer leaders using it first. Once they’ve bought into the new system and become fans of the tool, they can help get others on-board. A ChMS can be a valuable ministry tool or a tremendous headache. By taking the time in this selection process, you drastically increase your ability to choose a tool that supports the vision of your church.

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