ParishSOFT Accounting Archives

Accounting – it’s probably not the most exciting topic when it comes to church ministries. But it’s one of the most important. Churches need church accounting software to stay on track and on budget.

Church accounting software is created for the church and integrated with your church management software (ChMS).

There are basic similarities of course – money comes in, and money goes out. But parishes aren’t businesses. And using accounting software designed for businesses is a missed opportunity on many levels.

Since our accounting functionalities are designed with parishes in mind, ParishSOFT can share six specific ways that a ministry-driven accounting program will strengthen your parish.

Made-for-the-Church Accounting Software Helps Parishes Save Time

A great accounting program that’s designed for ministry can streamline your parish’s financial processes and actions. This will help reduce administrative work and improve efficiency.

And church accounting software will save time because you won’t have to convert processes from a traditional business standpoint to fit within Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB)principles. If you compare ParishSOFT accounting to QuickBooks, for example, you can see why it’s important to use a program specifically designed for Catholic churches.

Ministry-Driven Accounting Lets You Manage Parish Funds from Anywhere

With a cloud-based accounting program, you can gain secure access to your parish finances at any time, from anywhere. You can view data and reports in real-time. And with automatic data backups, you’ll have peace of mind. If someone on your team isn’t in the office but needs to balance the books or check the budget, they can do so from any device with internet access.

Church-Focused Accounting Offers Reporting That is Tailored to Your Parish

Systematic financial reporting that’s designed for churches can help a parish see how it is performing. It also helps parishes adhere to their budgets. Monthly or quarterly reports can keep parish leadership apprised of spending and budget variances.

Having access to financial reports is extremely important, mainly because parishes have a wide range of donors, clergy, and financial councils that need to view such reports.

Integrated Software Lets You Engage with Parishioners through Giving Statements

It’s a comprehensive way to show how donated funds are being used. You can build greater trust with parishioners by showing transparency among parish operations and finances.

When accounting is a cohesive part of the complete church management system, collecting info for giving statements is simple. You’ll also be able to easily track who has given what amount and then send them an update to their address or email on file. (And make sure to add a “thank you” message with the statement – it’s a great chance to let people know they’re appreciated.)

Great Accounting Software Protects Your Parish from Fraud

Unfortunately, embezzlement does happen at parishes. Sound accounting ensures that there are proper financial controls of parish assets.

Careful tracking of purchase orders, accounts payable, and other functions bring accountability and transparency to your books. And the reporting features mentioned above can help you keep track of funds and quickly notice any discrepancies.

Church-Based Accounting Simplifies Payroll

Just because parishes are non-profits doesn’t mean there aren’t people on staff. It takes a lot of hard work to run a parish and make a difference in the community. With a payroll system designed for ministry, managing payroll, deductions, benefits, special clergy allowances, and personal time is easier because it is made with ministries in mind.

ParishSOFT Accounting Payroll guides the user step-by step through the payroll process. It handles special clergy allocations and benefits. It saves costly checks by printing direct deposit receipts on standard copy paper. And it meets your data needs with its versatile reporting system.

As you likely know from experience, parishes have incredibly unique needs regarding how they handle their fund management, receivables, payables, and ledgers. ParishSOFT has developed our Ultimate Guide to Church Accounting to illustrate how software designed with the parish in mind can be extremely helpful.

Find out how ParishSOFT can help you! Get in touch with us here for more information about accounting that’s designed for your parish.

Managing parish and ministry details can take a considerable amount of time. If the administrative software and tools are integrated and all work together within a complete church management solution, your parish staff will be able to further the Church’s mission with much less operational burden.

Ease-of-use consistently ranks as the most important purchase criteria for church software among faith-based organizations. Integrated church management software (ChMS) is one critical way to simplify parish operations. With a complete ChMS, you’ll have what you need for your ministry to run smoothly. From tracking people and finances to communication and safety.

What is complete church management software?

Church management software (ChMS) is computer technology created specifically for parishes, so administrators, clergy, staff, and volunteers have the necessary tools to engage their community, stay organized, and expand as the parish grows.

With a complete ChMS that integrates with other parish software, staff will be able to streamline the behind-the-scenes administrative work. Rather than having siloed platforms for membership, online giving, accounting, communications, and security, a complete church management solution cohesively ties all the tasks into one system. This means fewer logins and passwords to remember, and more importantly, all the tools work together. A simple way to put it is that these programs “talk” to each other. Information is synced automatically, so inputting it doesn’t have to be done repeatedly.

We are going to view one aspect of complete church management—accounting. A good church management system is designed with online donations, accounting, and pledges in mind. Parishioners can go online, make their commitment known, connect their debit card, and donate without hassle. 

Integrated Accounting Software

Fiscal responsibility, especially for parishes, is essential. Having accounting software that can handle the unique finances of a parish is necessary to maximize ministry opportunities and remain compliant when tax season comes around. The software found in a complete ChMS includes features like tracking tithes and offerings, clergy and staff payroll, and calculation of necessary taxes. It also makes reporting easy, as well as viewing pledges and sending giving statements to parishioners.

Below, we will discuss three benefits of integrated accounting within your all-in-one church management system.

1. Incorporate Financials with Your ChMS

Having a parish accounting system integrated with your ChMS and your online giving is critical. It will help streamline all the complicated processes with managing parish finances and save your team valuable time by having one system in place for multiple functions.

Reduce the number of errors caused by manual data input. Reconcile contributions and receipts with online giving and accounting. Track parishioners and their donations in one, easy-to-use system.

2. Stay on Top of Your Budget

Budgeting is crucial to successfully stewarding finances. With a parish accounting system integrated with your ChMS and giving platform, your general ledger will be able to do true fund accounting and track where funds are coming in and how they are being used.

Pledges help parishes plan wisely. They’re used to help estimate the budget based on what amount people commit to donate. Plus, you can incorporate a pledge section directly on your giving form. From there, parishioners can easily set up recurring giving that aligns with their pledge frequency—weekly, monthly, quarterly, or annually.

With a cloud-based accounting platform, donations are tracked in real time. This will help your finance team gain a better idea of how to anticipate increases or declines in giving.

3. Easily Send Giving Statements

Providing giving statements to donors can help update parishioners about the progress of your parish’s vision. You get to emphasize the mission and impact that your organization is having on the community. It’s a comprehensive way to show how donated funds are being used. It’s also a great opportunity to thank donors. Build greater trust with parishioners by showing transparency among parish operations and finances.

Because parish accounting, online giving, and member data are all a cohesive part of the complete church management system, collecting reports for giving statements is simple. You’ll also be able to easily track who has given what amount and then send them an update to their address or email on file.

Church Management and Accounting

Your staff works hard to serve the people in your parish and community. Now, you can make it easier for them with a complete church management system.

ParishSOFT will streamline your processes to free up more capacity for ministry to take place. If you want to see how integrated ChMS and accounting can help your parish, contact us today!

Does your parish finance committee do what is necessary to sustain a vibrant ministry? Parishes elect or assign members to serve on a Finance Committee.

This team of people is responsible for the management and stewardship of parish financial resources. This crucial committee can have a significant influence on the sustained financial health and growth of parish assets. When mismanaged, this group can negatively affect the long-term financial viability of a parish – something no one wants to be responsible for.

Church Finance Committee Duties and Responsibilities

1. Revenue Projections

It is difficult to budget without having a realistic idea of how much money will be available. Take a realistic approach to project revenues by analyzing historical giving, attendance patterns, and average member donations.

If your church is in the middle of a capital campaign, do not assume weekly giving toward the general fund will increase when members are stretching to designate funds to a building project.

2. Creating A Budget

The finance committee assists in establishing the global budget based on revenue projections and allocates dollars to individual departments.

The individual department managers are responsible for creating their own budget estimates that are based on the parish strategy, associated department goals, and resources that are allocated to support department goals.

Allow individual department managers to prepare their budget estimates. This simple step will result in greater accountability, more accurate reporting, and increased reliability.

3. Budget Review

A budget is simply an itemized allotment of funds and therefore requires monitoring.

The finance committee should be monitoring the budget every month by reviewing the actual dollars that came in, the actual dollars that went out and analyzing any variances.

Midyear adjustments may be made to the budget when projections fall short or unexpected expenses come up.

4. Emergency Funding

Even the best of budget planning can go awry when an unexpected major expense arises. To offset this, allocate a percentage of budget dollars to emergency funding. Set aside a percentage of revenue to an emergency fund bucket.

Create a definition for an emergency and don’t touch the funds unless a real financial emergency arises. Keep this fund growing year after year so that there will be financial resources available when those unanticipated emergencies arise. This safeguard can prevent an unexpected budget variance.

5. Financial Reporting

Systematic financial reporting helps the church see how it is performing and adhering to the budget. Create monthly or quarterly reports and keep parish leadership apprised of spending and budget variances.

If there is an effort to raise building funds, show dollars that are available for the project and what percentage of funds have been raised. If there is a focus to pay down parish debt, report on that also.

6. Responsible Stewardship

Parishes rely on the generous donations of its members to do what it does. Being good stewards of those funds is a primary responsibility of the parish council and finance committee. There should be a way to tie every expenditure to its support of this mission. Consequently, this team of dedicated people should challenge any spending that does not support the parish mission, vision, or strategy.

7. Safeguarding Parish Assets

The parish council, along with the finance committee are responsible for ensuring that there are proper financial controls of parish assets. This committee should be writing cash handling policies and auditing the process of anyone who handles parish money. This includes ensuring there are safe places to store cash, that no one is ever alone with money and that there is constant supervision of members, volunteers or employees who come into contact with cash donations. Unfortunately, embezzlement does happen at parishes.

8. Ensuring A Profit Margin

Profit margins are how nonprofit organizations grow their capital. Since nonprofit organizations can’t take profits out of the organization, they invest any dollars that are above expenses back into the organization.

Parish budgets should designate a percentage of income for a profit margin.

For instance, if a parish brings in $500,000 and budgets for a 5% profit margin, it will be saving $25,000 a year that can be reinvested into church facilities. Imagine what 10 or 20 years of growth could do with that safety net!

9. Debt Management

It is difficult to get a parish up and running without racking up some debt. However, a parish is limited in what it can do if it is debt-ridden. The finance committee should have a strategy for paying down debt, and that should be part of the budget. Paying down debt can come through capital campaigns that are designated for debit reduction, or it can be from aggressive debt payments. Either approach is fine, but the goal should be to get the church as close to debt-free as possible.

10. Member Financial Teaching

Parishioners are only as giving as their personal finances allow. The parish council can influence members by offering classes in personal finance, budgeting, and financial management. Help parishioners get a handle on their finances and giving will inevitably increase.

11. Manager Budget Training

Parishes that employ people to manage various departments within the parish should use the finance committee to help train church leaders on how to manage their budget, how to read and interpret financial reporting statements and how to address departmental budget variances.

A finance committee should be able to develop budget training and create a simple process to help managers become financially literate.

The parish’s finance committee is a financial think-tank for a church. Develop a finance committee that is committed to budgeting, monitoring and, controlling how church funds are spent and your parish will have the necessary resources to fulfill its mission, vision, and strategy.

ParishSOFT Accounting includes the accounting functionality parishes and churches need to properly steward their finances. As you consider various accounting software options, keep in mind that software which isn’t specifically geared towards non-profit organizations may not have all the GAAP required features that you and your auditors need. Also, if you prefer an all-in-one ChMS and accounting solution, you have the option to integrate with ParishSOFT Family Suite and ParishSOFT Giving. Contact us at a 866-930-4774 x 6 to speak to our sales department or register for an upcoming product demonstration and see the software in action for yourself.

History

The vibrant hub of life and Catholic community of Saint Rose of Lima has been a presence in their Houston, Texas, community since 1946. “The small side of medium,” by Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston standards, their parish core of 2,500 families is rapidly growing both larger and younger!

Saint Rose’s vital ministries revolve around the community’s parish, school, and early childhood center (ECC). Each is full to capacity, with a 600-person waitlist for the ECC. The beautiful gift of being in high demand led the community to recently undertake a parish and school expansion. Says Chuck Pearce, Business Administrator, “We take the lead from the community and try to follow God’s call.”

Standardized Church Management and Accounting

One component of answering God’s call has been the mindful stewardship of technology, provider and staff expertise, and collaborative standard processes to support the work of the parish. Having worked in the corporate sector and at the Chancery Office of the Archdiocese prior to joining Saint Rose’s staff, Pearce gained extensive networking and organizational experience that primed him to help in the implementation of the Archdiocese’s first standardized system of church management and accounting software for their roughly 200 parishes and schools, back in 2007-2008.

That initial software search led the Archdiocese to LOGOS, a full suite of church management and accounting desktop products that would later be brought under the ParishSOFT umbrella. Changing parish and archdiocesan needs, combined with the availability of new technology, led the Archdiocese to research new software again in 2015. They chose to stay with ParishSOFT as the provider of web-based Family Suite and Accounting products for their parishes and schools. The decision marked a renewed commitment among the teams at parishes, the Archdiocese, and ParishSOFT to continue working together toward the mission of Catholic ministry.

Conversion to ParishSOFT Family Suite and Accounting

Saint Rose of Lima helped lead the way, converting several months ahead of the rest of the Archdiocese as proof of concept” in the design and operation of the new web-based ParishSOFT system. The experience also tapped into and built upon the strong, established partnerships among the parish, the Archdiocese, and ParishSOFT – three communities of people, all working toward a common goal of supporting Catholic ministry with Catholic technology. Pearce notes of Saint Rose’s proof-of-concept conversion, “I have nothing but good things to say about our experience with the ParishSOFT Implementation Team.

The Saint Rose community transitioned onto the ParishSOFT Family Suite in February 2016, and then to ParishSOFT Accounting in August 2016. Their staff converted successfully without training (which we do not recommend!), and they ruefully comment that their success speaks to the strength of the ParishSOFT Support Team and an easy-to use system.

Learning a new system and implementing changes is an important part of any transition process. While the transition was not completely seamless for Saint Rose, improvements in operations were immediately felt. According to Pearce, “Multi-step processes have become a single step, and the programs are much more feature rich.” Staff also liked the attentive service and guidance from ParishSOFT, which helped instill confidence as the rest of the Archdiocese prepared to transition.

With Saint Rose successfully converted, Pearce and his staff continued to assist the Archdiocese’s other parishes. Online, remote access and enhanced ParishSOFT system permissions granted by the Archdiocese enabled Pearce to help parishes as they came onboard by offering both technical and application support. Partnering with the ParishSOFT Implementation Team and the Archdiocese, it was not uncommon to be working with 10 to 15 parishes per week in various stages of their conversion and implementation process. Quoting Pearce, “I can’t say enough good things about Joe [Joe Slomiany, ParishSOFT Project Manager] and the whole Implementation Team. It was a wonderful experience.

The collaborative relationship was a big advantage. As a community, we felt that support before and throughout data conversion. After our transition, we’ve continued to benefit from good customer service and product enhancements.”

Time Savings and Best Practices

For Saint Rose, the time savings and convenience of their new system have impacted parish, school and ECC functions in a positive way. For example, parents typically make school and ECC tuition payments online through Saint Rose’s tuition program. As payments come in, batch totals matching bank reconciliations are efficiently and accurately imported into the ParishSOFT system – accounting for every penny.

Staff appreciatively notes, “Under LOGOS we did a lot of keying, with ParishSOFT we do a lot of importing.”

Saint Rose of Lima parish uses their ParishSOFT system as a tool to smooth administrative processes, help staff adhere to consistent best practices for donation tracking and accounting, and, ultimately, to be good stewards of the funds intended for ministry.

Favorite Features

In addition to appreciating online access and reduced keying, staff members are especially thankful for the flexibility of ParishSOFT Accounting to assist with budgeting. Saint Rose parish, school and ECC operate on a zero-based budget, where expenses must be justified for each new period. With this budgeting system, although each year’s budget technically stands alone, it is more effective when informed by the previous year.

ParishSOFT Accounting enables staff to export financial data out of the system down to the detail level. Once exported, it can be imported into a program of choice (Saint Rose staff use Microsoft Office Professional Plus) for additional manipulation and analysis. Once a new budget has been established, it can be re-imported into ParishSOFT Accounting. Says staff, “ParishSOFT Accounting makes this extremely easy.”

Summary

Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Community has a rich history of dedicated, faithful service to their parish, local community and the Archdiocese. By God’s grace, upheld through organizational excellence and professional aptitude, they continue to live their mission to make still more room for all to encounter the love of Christ through the witness of Catholic community. ParishSOFT is honored to be able to serve the people of Saint Rose as your technology partner!

Download the Success Story for Saint Rose of Lima

Transition to ParishSOFT Accounting

The Archdiocese of Atlanta has been on a standardized system of accounting since 1990. A common system and accounting platform result in a shared language among parishes, schools and the archdiocese, and continuity among pastors. This in turn yields better controls, informed leadership and the safeguarding of parishioner and donor trust.

Firmly grounded in a standard accounting system, the archdiocese was poised to take the next step. In 2014, the next phase of the archdiocese’s accounting journey began by moving from LOGOS, a desktop accounting system under the ParishSOFT umbrella, to web-based ParishSOFT Accounting.

After 6 months of planning to ensure the optimum experience for their parishes and schools, the archdiocese opted for rolling group transitions. This approach guided groups of parishes and schools together through training and implementation of their new software in quick succession over the next 7 to 8 months. ParishSOFT and the archdiocese worked together to help parish and school staff learn the standard operating procedures and processes they needed in order to maximize their new web-based tools. Today, 120 parishes and schools now utilize the online ParishSOFT Accounting platform.

Nearly 30 years of exceptional accounting operations have produced a diocesan-wide infrastructure of expertly crafted and communicated accounting guidelines and best practices. Integral to this framework are the relationships forged with school and parish staff. Building upon relationships of mutual respect, with service as the aim, the Archdiocese of Atlanta honors parishioner trust, upholds the integrity of the archdiocese and assists their parishes and schools to enact informed, responsible accounting practices.

Challenges

The Archdiocese of Atlanta’s Finance Office is steeped in highly qualified accounting staff whose professional backgrounds range from corporate to nonprofit and church accounting. Unlike the business model, where accounting compliance can be dictated and strictly enforced, the office recognizes its role as the servant of the archdiocese. Experience has proven that a nuanced and sensitive approach is most effective in implementing the highest standards of accounting for the Church. For an arch/diocese, final authority for the imposition of policy rests with the archbishop to shepherd the parishes in his care.

The office offers pastors and staff a depth and wealth of accounting support and services. Accepting the office’s role within the archdiocese nevertheless means it is ultimately the choice of the pastor to take advantage of these resources, or not. Likewise, it is the pastor who must answer to the archbishop for the stewardship of his parish and/or school.

Far from being a deterrent, however, the Finance Office embraces these boundaries. Collaborative efforts, strong relationships and a standard of excellence have forged a history of dedicated care for the archdiocese’s parishes, schools and staff. And staff’s trust in the archdiocese is honored with whole-hearted and comprehensive service.

Beatitudes, not Ten Commandments

The defining approach of the Finance Office is one of relationship. Implementation of accounting guidelines flow from a model of collaboration and are communicated out of real-life, time-tested best practices and processes, tailored to the unique needs of the Church. As Patrick Warner, Parish Accounting Manager, phrases it, “Guidelines are conveyed as Beatitudes, not Ten Commandments.”

Parishes and schools are empowered to meet accounting guidelines and standards through consistent and readily available assistance from the archdiocese. Committed aid includes dedicated staff, online and in-person training, step-by-step guides, comprehensive policies and hands-on assessments.

Groundwork for Relationship

When asked the key to their long-standing success in enacting solid controls and best practices, Warner states, “Developing relationships [with parish and school staff] and being available to help.” Services are evaluated against the central question – How can we be of service? They are sustained through conscientious communication and the cultivation of good rapport with pastors and staff.

For the Archdiocese of Atlanta, the groundwork for relationship begins with the hiring process. Part of maintaining good internal controls, it is the policy of the archdiocese to be alerted of staffing changes and to be an active participant in the hiring process. Not only is this a prudent accounting practice, it is also a valuable service to offer parishes and schools in helping vet qualified candidates.

The benefits of archdiocesan participation in the hiring process are many. First, the interview process provides the opportunity to meet potential new employees face-to-face or via telephone call to initiate a partnership of mutual service to their parish or school. Likewise, it sets the expectation of the archdiocese as the provider of policy and the place where questions can be answered. It also conveys an important message about the collaborative role of the archdiocese in protecting parish and school finances.

Perhaps due to the culture of accessible support and informed guidance, staff turnover is rare. Regardless, being engaged in the hiring process ensures that the archdiocese and the parish or school are always on the same page. It also gives archdiocesan staff the ability to immediately equip new accounting staff with in-person, personalized training as needed to ensure continuity in parish and school accounting operations.

Consistent Communication

Regardless of the organization or entity, with space and time it is easy for individual groups to become isolated and standards to deteriorate. The Church is no exception. By cultivating the relationships begun through the hiring and training process, however, the archdiocese is able to create a network to undergird established guidelines and safeguard standards. Consistent communication and in-person events that facilitate professional development ensure these relationships continue to deepen in greater service.

In addition to being responsive to the needs of individual parishes and schools, the archdiocese leverages the advantage of a common ParishSOFT platform to provide information and relevant messaging for the whole archdiocese. Communications include weekly communiqués to all parishes and schools for routine updates, “how-to’s” and reminders. The archdiocesan website offers extensive, easy-to-access instructions, best practices and standard operating procedures.

Insight Conference

Commitment to fostering relationships with parish and school staff and encouragement to be a resource for each other are reflected in the archdiocese’s annual (sometimes bi-annual) Insight Conference. The conference is an opportunity for staff to gather for a day of training, networking, and in-depth learning on special topics. Their common ParishSOFT platform and standardized system of accounting vastly simplifies training, enabling greater depth of learning for specialized roles and tasks. In addition, a shared system adds value to networking opportunities where staff can compare notes on addressing common administrative and ministry challenges.

The event is also an occasion to honor the expertise of parish and school staff. These individuals, identified as subject matter experts, may be asked to present on different topics at the conference. Promoting and building upon the mastery of parish and school staff also acknowledges that it can be easier to receive information peer-to-peer. And the archdiocese is only too happy to celebrate their parish and school staff’s proficiency and many successes.

Implementing Guidelines, the Compliance Audit

Even the most carefully designed system is apt to go awry if not maintained by solid internal controls and supporting infrastructure. The compliance audit is an opportunity for the archdiocese to identify issues and potential weaknesses. Internal Audit Manager Holly Orsagh, says auditors see themselves as consultants to the archdiocese’s parishes and schools. Their multi-faceted position helps parishes to identify points of vulnerability, provides education and defines the path for achieving and maintaining sound financials, guarded by appropriate accounting safeguards.

Compliance audits take place every 2 years, or 6 months after a new pastor is installed (occasionally 6 months after a new business manager as well). In the case of staffing changes, this gives the new pastor or staff time to acclimate and to identify questions or areas of concern before auditors come. As Warner notes, “Parish [and school] staff want to do the right thing.” The audit process can be a necessary corrective agent and enables the archdiocese to connect staff to training and resources as needed.

With web-based ParishSOFT Accounting the archdiocese has real-time access to parish and school financials. The audit team is consequently able to run reports and assess finances, checks and deposits in preparation for a visit to the parish or school. During their visit, one of the primary tasks of the audit team will be to observe the counting process in addition to other standard operating procedures.

Extensive guidelines and training are available to ensure best practices protect donor offerings and do not compromise the trust parishioners have placed in the parish or school. Knowing that money counters, and ministries that handle money collection, are following suggested guidelines is also a significant measure needed to protect counters in the event an abnormality is detected. As is always the case, no guideline is in place without archdiocesan support and access to additional training whenever needed.

Following the compliance audit, a report of audit findings is presented to the pastor and business manager. The archdiocese may also follow up with the pastor to address specific concerns and to establish a plan for moving the parish to a place of excellence in implementing and maintaining good internal controls. This plan may include additional training, adherence to established guidelines, or a referral to the archdiocese’s Shared Accounting Service.

Shared Accounting Services

The Archdiocese of Atlanta is quick to point to their sister arch/dioceses as a source of learning and best practices. Shared accounting services were an idea taken from the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Qualifying parishes are able to use this service free of charge and may also receive supplemental assistance to enact best practices and standards. This lets the archdiocese assist parishes that do not have the resources to retain their own qualified staff, and it helps ensure that every parish benefits from accounting standards that are properly maintained.

ParishSOFT Accounting guarantees that the parish always maintains ownership of their finances. The online platform enables collaboration with the archdiocese, while also putting permissions, records, and ultimate responsibility in the hands of the parish.

Next Steps

The archdiocese is three-quarters of the way through their transition to ParishSOFT Family Suite. Susan Shirley, Parish Systems Administrator, notes that the integration of ParishSOFT’s online accounting, church management and giving applications is an asset for more easily comprehending parish census and financial health. Seamless sharing of information is a huge plus; however, the archdiocese strongly maintains the need for separation of staffing duties between accounting and census in order to maintain good internal controls.

Simultaneous to the transition to Family Suite, parishes are moving unequivocally toward online giving. Some report over 50% of parishioners already choosing to

donate online. Among its many benefits, online giving facilitates longer term financial planning and provides an in-depth view of parish financial status and giving trends. Likewise, it is a convenience for parishioners who increasingly opt for the flexibility and anytime availability of online services. The Finance Office plans to develop a survey to understand how parishes are currently using online giving in order to better support and guide pastors seeking to promote online giving at their parishes.

Central to parish fundraising efforts, and well within the scope of their ParishSOFT tools, archdiocesan staff is also focusing on the role of the ParishSOFT Offering and Pledges module in managing parish pledge campaigns. This functionality eliminates the need for a third party to manage the process, potentially saving a parish many thousands of dollars. The archdiocese is working on a curriculum to guide parishes through the pledge campaign process that utilizes their ParishSOFT software to manage all administration and reporting seamlessly online.

Conclusion

Reflecting on a legacy of exemplary accounting and parish management practices, the archdiocese emphasizes the importance of dedicated archdiocesan staff to support parishes. The hard work and dedication of these staff members paves the way for ongoing improvement and parish/school development grounded in standardized systems. Continual formation of resources strengthens archdiocesan efforts, made simpler and more efficient through their shared ParishSOFT platform. These cohesive efforts form the framework for archdiocesan, parish and school staff relationships where collaborative service through excellence is the standard.

Download the case study for the Archdiocese of Atlanta

“When we embark on the adventure of giving, when we give freely, we become just a little more free ourselves… We can all say with our mouths what we believe about God, but what we truly believe will be manifested in our actions.”[1]

Giving is first a response: recognition of what has been given to us, accompanied by conviction in God’s provision. Conviction and trust can spur us to give beyond what we even thought was possible.[2] In the Church, we often refer to this surrender as stewardship. Stewards receive the gifts entrusted to their care and use them in service of the Giver’s mission.

As your parish looks to unfold the spiritual and practical implications of giving, it may be worth asking the question: why do we give to the church?

#1. Belief in the mission

In a recent conversation on giving, Lisa Sliker, parish administrator of the thriving Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Ellicott City, Maryland, summarized parish mission as, ‘A call to be Christ in our community; a call that must be woven into all we do.’

Empowered by the Holy Spirit, parish events, programs, initiatives, must make known the greatest mission: to love the Lord our God with our all, to give Christ in us, the greatest gift, to the world. Through the sacraments we are made new, relationship with Jesus Christ truly transforms lives.

If you believe in the mission, this must be the question: if Christ has changed your life, how are you being called to offer this gift to the next person?

#2. A gift of self, understanding how we give

Look at Jesus, and we will see that mission starts with invitation, followed by relationship. Then, formed through teaching and fellowship, we are increasingly drawn to service.

At Our Lady of Perpetual Help (OLPH) parish, the emphasis is on giving out of who we are. We receive the gift of our identity, and it is unique and irreplaceable.[3] When we are drawn to give of ourselves – expressed through time, talent, and treasure – we offer what no one else can. Generosity that aligns with our natural talents, spiritual gifts, and passions is animated by an energy that obligation simply cannot provide.

How are you helping your parishioners to understand their identity and “embark on the adventure of giving”?[4]

#3. Transparency and trust

At Nexus 2017 we were privileged to welcome several CPA’s (Certified Public Accountants) who have extensive experience in not only best practices in parish and diocesan accounting, but also the alarming occurrence of fraud and embezzlement in the Church.

Many diocesan employees and independent accountants we have surveyed tell us that parishes that have committed to abiding by the highest standards of transparency and proper financial controls have seen not only increased giving, but also increased participation in parish life and ministries!

Theft is a wound in the heart of our parishes, but it’s a wound that is nearly always preventable. So let’s consider this question: if doing things properly on the financial side also has the potential to avoid wounds, keep ministry funds safe, and lead people to engagement opportunities, which in turn leads them to deeper communion in the Body of Christ, why would we do anything less than our very best?

How is your parish committed to sustaining donor confidence? Are your financial practices and transparency where they need to be?

#4. Enable giving

Giving will look different for everyone. Is your parish open to receive? Intentionally guiding the process through teaching, communicating, and opening more channels to give will go a long way toward removing obstacles to giving.

Online giving was up 7.9% in 2016, and overall revenue from online fundraising grew by 14%.[5] In other words, online giving is here to stay. You may have a sizable demographic that is accustomed to envelopes, but there is a growing segment that prefers to give online.

Donors may be ready and waiting for your invitation to sign on with an online giving option from your parish. If you already have an online giving option in place, be sure to continue communicating – marketing – that option, and make it easy to find on your website. Parish-branded giving sites, mobile apps, text-to-give, and giving kiosks, are modern tools that offer convenience and transparency that today’s givers and churches need.

A Case Study

Our Lady of Perpetual Help serves dinner weekly to those in need near an inner city parish in Baltimore. The fifth Saturday of the month, they are also committed to providing dinner. Through online giving, parishioners donate the money necessary to purchase supplies. Another volunteer serves by shopping for food and supplies. Yet another will drive it to the parish, where an OLPH team is ready to offer the warmth of hospitality and serve dinner.

Each parishioner is empowered to give as they feel called and are able; each act of service is interdependent and inspires the other. As Sliker says, “Once someone has the experience of serving in Baltimore, they’re eager to donate, to buy pillows, blankets, and toothbrushes, whatever is needed.” The same can be said for parishioners whose donations help fund the ministry. Seeing pictures and hearing other parishioners experience of the event, further affirms the value and necessity of their contribution. Each gift is necessary and can be an authentic gift of self!

For more information on the increase in online giving trends, please see our blog article The Future of Giving. To learn how ParishSOFT Giving can enable your mission call us at 866.930.4774 ext. 6, or register for a free demo!

[1] Margaret Feinberg, “Answering the Quiet Call,” generousgiving.org/media/videos/margaret-feinberg-answering-the-quiet-call.

[2] Francis Chan, “From Pastor to Millionare…Giver!”

[3] Psalm 139

[4] A few excellent resources many have found helpful are Catherine of Siena Institute’s Called and Gifted, siena.org/called-gifted, MCore: Your Motivational Blueprint, motivationalcore.com.

[5] Nonprofit Source, “Online Giving Trends”, nonprofitssource.com/online-giving-statistics.

“Living in the world today involves technology; reaching out to people where they are at… being fluent in technology is really important for ministry.”

– Father David Webb, Nexus 2017 attendee

Nexus 2017 Marks 10 Years of Empowering Churches and Changing Lives

Empowering Churches. Changing lives. A bold mission for a software conference. When Jesus ascended he left three gifts: the Holy Spirit, the Eucharist, his disciples. All three were present at conference. As disciples, when we put our tools, talents, and treasures – including technology – at the service of his mission, are we still surprised when lives are changed and church is built?

Empowering Churches.

Foundational to ParishSOFT, and consequently our Nexus users’ conference, is the church – you. As workshop presenter Lisa Sliker reminded us, “Church is not only the pastor and the people, it is the people for and with the people.” We are the disciples; we are the church.

Place tools in the hands of disciples on fire for the mission of making the Gospel known, and creativity and innovation are boundless. But first, tools must be learned and explored, and strength drawn from lived experience and fellowship with each other.

At Nexus, it is the learning in service of ministry, data in service of mission, and people coming alongside each other on the journey that empowers individuals for mission and emboldens change so that we can be effective missionary disciples, for and with each other.

Changing Lives.

Simple enough. We could make the case that each morning we wake up different from the person we were the day before – our experiences are always shaping and changing us. Perhaps the questions we pose then are: How are we choosing to change? And what experiences are we allowing to shape us?

Conference attendees and ParishSOFT customers have both noted ParishSOFT’s integrated approach to technology and the mission empowering parishes and dioceses in their ministry. In our view, learning and professional development; tools and technology; networking and fellowship – integral experiences at Nexus – cannot be separated from the central mission of the Christ and our identity as Christians.

One of our 2017 Nexus keynotes, Al Kresta, observed, “The Gospel is not a new perspective on life; it’s a new lease on life.” The Gospel changes lives. We build tools, facilitate learning, and work in service of the people making this message known.

Nexus: What’s New, What’s Coming.

Nexus 2017 we celebrated 10 years of holistic, integrated conference experiences for our users. In 2018, ParishSOFT will be honored and grateful to celebrate 20 years of partnership with parishes and arch/dioceses in service of the Church. Our conference attendees often comment on the unforeseen impact that a “software” conference has had in not only inspiring and informing their work, but also rejuvenating them spiritually. We would like to make this unique conference experience accessible for more of our customers.

As a result, ParishSOFT will be hitting the road in 2018 for a series of regional and diocesan daylong events. The ParishSOFT Users’ Conference in its traditional three-day format will return in fall 2019. The location and date will be announced at a later date.

It is an honor to celebrate and support the parishes and arch/diocese that give ParishSOFT mission and purpose, and make our work possible. We thank all of our customers for allowing us to empower your mission of change lives by proclaiming the Gospel in your communities.

Stay up-to-date on conference news as details are announced for 2018 and 2019: subscribe here.