Church Contribution Software

A wide variety of church contribution software is currently available to help churches and nonprofit organizations simplify their financial stewardship processes. The solutions that are presented by these programs are generally simple to understand and maintain. Since many churches are dependant upon lay people and volunteers who manage these areas, finding an application that meets the needs of a growing organization, but is still very simple to use, is very important. While the individual features of basic church donation software can vary, most can help the user track membership, record contributions, create bank deposit records, and generate contribution statements at the end of the year. Other solutions currently available include online record keeping services. These allow members to track their own contribution records online. Accepting online donations is another feature of these web centered applications. Whatever choice an organization might make, the ability to track and maintain financial records can be greatly enhanced by using these programs.

Some of the basic benefits of church donation software might include the ability to track not only a list of members, but also specific information about each member or member's family. That information could include addresses, phone numbers, birthdays, anniversaries, e-mail addresses, interests, small group memberships, and volunteer activity as well as information on monetary contributions. While a member's financial giving can be easily followed using these programs, they also can offer many other services as well. These applications can also help the user create smaller groups within the whole based on selected criteria. Specific reports based on a particular range of dates can often be created using church contribution software. If a letter needs to go out to a specific group, these programs can often not only add names and addresses to letters, but can print out a group of mailing labels as well. Add to that data files for prayer lists, calendars, or administrative committees and it becomes obvious that these programs are quite versatile and can offer any number of helpful data management solutions.

Along with the pluses, there can be a few drawbacks to these programs. Thorough research is key before selecting the application that will best suit individual churches or organizations. Some of these programs are not compatible with many of the widely used examples of business software. That could mean hours of tedious data entry into other applications that are an organization already uses. Some church contribution software is also not designed to be used in conjunction with a computer network. This could be a very serious drawback for churches that operate a networked system. Other applications do not provide a way to keep track of donations that are not financial in nature. Yet some may boast every needed feature and then some ranging from the ability to enter any type of gift whether that gift comes in the form of a check, cash, or other type of contribution. If an organization wants to stage a fundraising campaign, many of these programs can simplify record keeping for these events as well. Reminder letters and payment schedules can also be generated. Some programs can even be used to import contributions that come in electronically. The price of these applications can vary greatly, ranging from a few hundred dollars and up. Products are also available free of cost on the internet. Careful comparison shopping and research are wise steps to take before making any software decision.

Other forms of church donation software feature the ability to manage pledges and contributions that come from an online source. These are generally subscription services and can cost up to a hundred dollars per month or more. Generally included in these subscriptions is a web site that has been created with the organization's name and a means of logging into the account. This service allows members to make their tithe contributions or gifts online. Automatically scheduled payments can be set up by individual members. Receipts can be generated automatically as well. These web sites can be designed to coordinate with an organization's colors or logos. By using this type of church donation software, churches and organizations can retrieve instant answers to such questions as the number of donors to the organization and the last time that they made a donation, the size of the donations, what kind of volunteer activity has the donor provided, and how did they become acquainted with the organization. The Bible describes how Jacob committed to donating a tenth of his property to God. "And this stone, which I have set for a pillar, shall be God's house: and of all that thou shalt give me I will surely give the tenth unto thee." (Genesis 28:22)

Internet security would be a major concern for any organization that chooses church contribution software that offers online tithe tracking. However, with adequate security measures, many major corporations and institutions now do business online. Bills can be paid online as well. Those same security measures can be applied in the area of online tithe tracking. Services that offer password protected and encrypted data can generally provide contributors with solid protection against identity theft. Many of these services also will limit the amount of key personal information that they keep in storage. For example, many will not store social security numbers or credit card numbers or other personal information. Another major benefit of this approach is that important data is stored off site and is backed up on a regular basis. Some of these services charge extra if the allotted amount of data that can be transferred in a month is exceeded. Should a visitor to a church's or organization's web site wish to make a contribution, they can easily do so online using this technology. If a church wishes to use their web site as a means of selling books or merchandise, they can do so online using this type of church donation software.

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