ITServicesPlanning

C3HUU has been working with a set of independent processes and tools for:
 * Tracking finances
 * Dealing with pledge reporting
 * Tracking attendance, especially for RE
 * Providing feedback to members

The main reason that a recommendation was made by the IT Services group to acquire ACSTechnologies products: this was the ONE software package that provides a single, integrated solution to deal with all the above. Eliot Mintzer had taken quite a bit of time to review and noted this software could do all that C3HUU asks of Church Management Software, and then some. Some other Church Management Systems (ChMSs) provided some function, but that superior integration comes at a price which is quite large. ACS software would cost 3 years worth of C3HUU IT budget for the first year license, then the entire current C3HUU IT budget each year for maintenance and licenses after that. For a congregation of 5000 members, it may very well be cost effective, for a congregation under 500, we have some less well integrated options that CAN have data shared amongst them. Takes a bit more elbow grease.

Some thoughts that will be sorted out, but to start with responses to a set of e-mail threads from the Stewardship Committee:

Requirement: > SurveyMonkey is FAR better for just surveys, no question. What I believe we can do with ChurchLedger.com is build a C3HUU Member Portal over time, without need for a programmer. Giving polls is the forte of SurveyMonkey, no way that capability is going to mature to become as good for surveys on a relatively small service like ChurchLedger.com. Here is a Wiki page we can work to build on to continue evolving our C3HUU IT capabilities to meet our needs (this wiki web page). > > There are tactical and strategic capabilities. SurveyMonkey serves a tactical need well (get information back, provide reports), ChurchLedger and other online Church Management Systems (ChMSs) can integrate the output of such surveys and become the member portal for checking on contribution status, status of various programs, board having access to budget information, etc. Most of us would prefer one integrated service to build on, > Many of the ChMSs evaluated are setup to provide this capability. Reports on member donations and tracking against pledges, and at-a-glance notification of all contributions. SurveyMonkey cannot do that, any of the ChMSs can. > This is an area that Logos is good at, and most ChMSs have features to allow tracking attendance in RE programs as well as general attendance and contributions. The all-in-ones do that well, for a price.
 * 1) Feedback from members:
 * 1) Tracking finances: feedback TO members
 * 1) Tracking attendance: both adults and RE

Over the next few weeks, we'll lay out the perceived requirements here and seek feedback. Solutions will be noted where they seem to fit the requirements. Can we get some other volunteers to pull together as has happened on the C3HUU Wiki? Hope so!