In Making Data Matter, part one of this series, we discussed the impact data has on parishes and parishioners. Good data gives your parish the ability to plan with prudence and properly tend to the souls in your care. Regaining and maintaining control of your data takes perseverance and a plan, but the pay-off will be well worth the effort!
Does Your Data Tell the Real Story? Common Data Issues
No parish wants the saying ‘garbage in, garbage out’ to apply to their records. Where does your parish stand today on the following common issues?
Completeness
Ask yourself the question, if you need to speak to a parishioner, can you look at his or her record and feel that you really know that person, as a minister entrusted with the care of a soul should?
Determine what information is necessary to help your parish fulfill its mission. Then plan, and periodically perform, an information audit to identify which records need updating. This can be done in a number of ways, including using ParishSOFT Family Suite’s incisive filtering capabilities. Check out this helpful article from ParishSOFT Support on different methods of filtering in Family Directory.
Here’s the great news: with Family Suite’s email capabilities, you can email your parishioners right from the user interface, and ask them to update their family record on My Own Church! Or, if they don’t feel like logging in, they can just reply to the parish email with the necessary information. Stay tuned for upcoming information on using powerful My Own Church capabilities and Family Directory to re-census.
Keeping Information Up to Date
Email address changes, telephone numbers are added and dropped, families move, but forget to unregister. Are your records up-to-date? How confident are you in your numbers as they stand (or appear) today? Are you preparing for the future of your parish using sound information, or are you just hoping what you have is about right?
Don’t settle for guesstimates . . . .With Family Suite, you have the ability to get the REAL numbers! Reporting “we’re a 2,000-family parish” may make you feel quite important, but if that number isn’t accurate, your actual numbers of sacramental statistics, participation, and giving are going to be off (perhaps making it look like you’re not measuring up to where you ought to be). You may be paying too much for liability insurance. You may be trending toward growth or decline . . . but without good data, how can you be prepared to see your parish into the future?
Accuracy and Consistency
Despite our best intentions, it’s easy to make errors entering data. The solution? Establish standard practices for data entry (ex: ‘St.’, not ‘Street’ or ‘St’), establish how fields are used, incorporate double (even triple) checking entries, and perform regular data audits to ensure long term success. When parishioners register but omit information you need, reach out and ask for it, with an explanation of why you need it (be prepared to address how you’ll protect their privacy). Check out these and other helpful tips on maintaining the long-term health of your database in previous blog articles located here.
Make sure staff and volunteers are on the same page by incorporating training – a little time upfront will save a ton of time later! In an accessible spot, post links to support resources including the comprehensive articles located through the ‘Help’ link on each page of your ParishSOFT system, ParishSOFT’s Support Center video tutorials, longer training videos, and more. Make sure your staff has access to everything needed to make certain your parish is poised for success.
Where the Thirsty Come to Drink
“It [the parish] is a community of communities, a sanctuary where the thirsty come to drink in the midst of their journey, and a center of constant missionary outreach.” (“The Joy of the Gospel,” #28)
Who are the “thirsty” of your parish? The thirsty could be the faithful parishioner who has recently lost a spouse, experiencing loneliness and isolation. Excited new converts in search of support and community. Overwhelmed young families. Cradle Catholics looking to go deeper. The recently separated “Christmas” Catholic seeking solace. Teens longing for purpose and a good time.
We are all thirsty. Thirsty for community, for authenticity, to encounter Jesus Christ not only in the Sacraments but also through His people! Yet with hundreds or thousands of families in your parish how can you possibly keep track, let alone identify those who might be falling through the cracks?
Use your data to track more than emails and phone numbers. Who has passed away leaving family behind? Who has given birth, perhaps in trying circumstances? Who is new to the area? Who is seeking involvement? Who has stopped receiving the Eucharist? Who has suddenly started attending Mass? Mine your data for these telltales, and seek out those who may not directly seek out your care.
Don’t let incomplete or inaccurate data stand in the way of your parish becoming the sanctuary where the thirsty may come to drink, and the satiated are sent out refreshed.
Call ParishSOFT at 866.930.4774 x 7, or sign up for a free demo to find out how the ParishSOFT Family Suite can help you connect with your parishioners!
Making Data Matter – Part One | Good Data, Tell the Real Story – Part Two
