ParishSOFT News & Information

Press Release

ParishSOFT Hosts 1st Annual Users' Conference

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE November 13, 2008
Contact: ParishSOFT
Michael Cusick, Vice President of Sales and Marketing
Phone: 866.930.4774

Ann Arbor, MI — ParishSOFT, the nation's fastest growing church management software company serving Catholic churches, held its First Annual Users' Conference October 27-29, 2008, in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Welcoming more than 200 participants during the opening session, ParishSOFT President Bill Pressprich introduced the conference theme—Organize, Communicate and Collaborate—by saying, "From its beginnings, ParishSOFT's mission has been to serve the Church by helping to organize and manage church operations and ministries, improve communication to the various audiences in and outside the parish, and foster collaboration through the sharing of data, allowing staff, volunteers and others to work more closely together. We've seen many churches use technology to connect with the homebound, reach out to fallen-away Catholics, and engage their youth."

Keynote speaker Ralph Martin—Director of Graduate Theology Programs in Evangelization at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, President of Renewal Ministries and host of "The Choices We Face" on Catholic television and radio—set the spiritual tone of the conference by focusing on Pope John Paul II's "New Evangelization." The Pope believed Catholics must bring fellow Catholics to a deeper relationship with Christ by reaching out to them with the Good News. The Holy Spirit, said Martin, is leading us to rediscover the Church and all her organizations as a communion of love.

A highlight of the conference was the unveiling of ParishSOFT's newest additions to its integrated suite of software—the Parish IQ and ConnectNow! family of web-based software modules that includes Parishioner Portal, NotifyNow, Ledger & Payables, and Online Giving. Because of the easy-to-use interface, any staff person can run Parish IQ to analyze data and obtain fast, accurate answers to nearly any question, no matter how complex. All ConnectNow! products provide anytime, anywhere access to your data via a secure web-based login.

Conference attendees selected from among 58 workshops divided into several tracks for parish and diocese staff, with about half of the workshops led by parish and diocese staff and the other by ParishSOFT. Subject matter included Effective Parish Communications, Stewardship, Online Giving, e-Documents, Customized Queries and Reports, and many more. Key software workshops were aimed at beginner, intermediate and advanced users.

Participants came from New England to California and as far away as Alaska and the Virgin Islands, and what they all liked best about the conference was networking with peers, interacting with ParishSOFT staff, and learning more about their software.

"This users' conference was fantastic," Donna Borman said afterward. "It was easy to learn in such a collaborative environment." A parish accountant at SS Faith, Hope and Charity Parish in Winnetka, Ill., Donna was especially impressed by learning how much the ParishSOFT system can do to expand a parish's management strategies. "Many parishes do things 'their own way', so training for staff is limited to one person's view of what works best. I am meeting with my Lay Leadership committees in the coming weeks, and I'm on a mission to use the system more fully to meet the needs of the parish."

Plans for the 2nd Annual ParishSOFT Users' Conference in 2009 are underway as staff members search for a larger facility to accommodate expanded workshops and training.

About ParishSOFT
Founded in 1998, ParishSOFT offers a complete suite of church management software and web services that streamline operations and foster stewardship, collaboration and communication. Presently serving 3,600 Catholic parishes and 37 arch/dioceses, ParishSOFT continually invests in improving its software and web solutions, as well as adding new features and products.

For more information, contact Michael Cusick, Vice President of Marketing and Sales, at (866) 930-4774 x131 or visit www.parishsoft.com.

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