PCPlus

toc Index of PC+ wiki pages:
 * C3HUU PC+ main page (here)
 * C3HUU PC+ User Guide
 * C3HUU PC+ Planning
 * C3HUU PC+ Users
 * C3HUU PC+ Training

[|PowerChurch Plus] was acquired for a 60 day trial evaluation as the C3HUU Church Management System (ChMS, click on this link for reviews) replacing [|Logos II]. A demonstration CD was sent to C3HUU and anyone wishing to install the demonstration CD is welcome to do so. It will be let in the "Technology Services" mailbox opposite Pat and Tifani's office. One little, um feature, of the Demo CD. You can create as many event entries or contribution entries as you want (limit of 15 people or families), BUT the information loaded in the demo can't be carried over to a regular install of PC+. So the Demo CD is really just to check out the function, not to get a headstart on entering data. We will work to import some more data, as the process is identical to what we would do on the full product version.

//**The evaluation period ends on Friday 2009-06-12**//, so we are seeking feedback from C3HUU staff, Board, and others who would use or need reports generated from the software.

Why a ChMS?
Was this "cart before the horse"? Members of the IT Services group and others who reviewed ChMSs over the past year don't think so and came to the same conclusion several times: any of the top rated ChMSs provide excellent integration of the basic tools and training materials for a Church Management System (ChMS). All of the top rated ChMS packages are well integrated tools designed to provide a centralized, secure, easy to use set of tools for managing core information about a church. The evaluations were weighted toward usability with multiple training options and simplicity at reasonable cost.

Why invest so much time and energy in Church Management System? A ChMS can allow our minister, staff, Board, and other C3HUU "stakeholders" to make better decisions in support of our mission. To quote from a ChMS site: "Churches are made up of people. Those people have needs and desires and those people have talents and resources. Successful church leaders are realizing that in order to effectively minister to these people and involve them in the ministry, they have to keep track of an enormous amount of data."

What data exists?
The ChMS data collected at C3HUU over the past 9 years includes information on more than 1400 families and over 2400 individuals. Every visitor who left their name and address has been entered into the ChMS over this time. C3HUU also has information on several hundred children who have been through our RE program over the past few years.

How to leverage a ChMS?
With this new platform, PC+, and enhanced training available, we now have an opportunity to leverage PC+ far better than we were able to utilize the Logos II ChMS. All ChMS training materials strongly encourage a more detailed exercise to evaluate church processes and map tool capabilities into them. To begin that exercise, here are a few questions that we hope will generate some discussion and jumpstart that planning:

? What information do Board & Council members, Committee Members, and staff need about the church from our members, friends, and finances to further our mission?
 * ? How is that need for information being met today? Where are the gaps, the areas not met today?

? How can we better collect information appropriately and then use this common repository for disseminating that information?
 * ? How do we record attendance at services and how can we better report it?

? What training might allow us to more effectively acquire and catalog information we can really use to advance our mission?
 * For instance, PC+ has an interface to a bar code reader. We could track RE kids attendance and releasing to parents by swiping a sticker on the back of the kids name badge or attendance sheet with a bar code reader. No data entry required except for kids missing name tags and new kids.

? How are our outreach programs perceived? Survey says...
 * ? How in the world to do effective surveys that people actually respond to? We have multiple tools (Survey Monkey, Constant Contact, or Vrespond which has a free use category for non-profits), the real value comes from coordinating survey(s) timed to reinforce sermon topics, newsletter articles, e-mail to the congregation, promotion of events in the media, and special events.

? Are we gathering appropriate information from our members to create appropriate programs and match member need with C3HUU services?
 * A sample of additional data that many churches have found relevant: the [|Member Information Gathering Sheet that SK includes with their software, also pertinent for PC+].

Our C3HUU ITS group and our Board Liaison are working to create a simple survey to glean this information from staff, Board, and Church Council.

PC+ Info & Training
TBD

Apps that work with PC+
TBD

Related links

 * [|UU e-mail list on Church Management Software]
 * [|Church Management Software] in ChurchBizOnline.com
 * [|A succinct summary of the process of adopting a ChMS (written by a ChMS vendor)]
 * [|Web-based Church Management Software Continues Its Evolution] in Church Community web site