There are lots of good software options out there to help you manage your church. So how do you choose?
It’s easy to end up with software that has cool features but doesn’t really solve your core operations problems. Software systems aren’t management strategies, and you have to be careful not to treat them like they are.
Here are five steps to help your church make software decisions you’ll be happy with.
- 1. Be sure that you first have good employee management systems in place before you try and solve productivity and efficiency problems with software. Churches are about people, and people effectively interacting with, motivating, and managing other people is the foundation of everything you do.
- 2. After you’ve established personnel and volunteer management processes, define what you want a software to be able to do. Examples include finances, giving development, team communications, and project management. Make a list of your needs and wants. And for each item, note which staff members and/or volunteers will be in charge of using the software.
- 3. Figure out a software budget.
- 4. Decide if an all-in-one software system would best suit your needs or a handful of different tools. The more modular approach may better take into account the skills and styles of the people handling each task. Regardless, you will probably find it easier to have everything in the cloud so that your team members can access the systems wherever they are.
- 5. Don’t forget to consider customer support. Large software companies may promise to do it all, and some of them can. But personalized support may be the most important software feature of all. Smaller companies tend to have much higher customer service ratings , according to Harvard Business Review. With better customer service, rolling out new systems and church software solutions isn’t as hard on your team and your community. Sometimes these programs can be challenging for some to understand and get started on. Quality customer service and tools like video tutorials can make all the difference in helping you start out on the right foot.
At i3 Nonprofit Solutioins, if you choose to use our products for text and online giving, communication, or connecting with your members, we walk with you on the entire journey. You don’t have to worry about us leaving you to figure it out alone. Instead, we are always available to answer your questions and help you work through any issues you might be having.
We hope this post has helped you find some direction in your search for management solutions. At i3 Nonprofit Solutions, we’re happy to help you find the perfect solution for your needs.