The Definitive Guide to Choosing the Best Church CRM Software
It's time to ditch the outdated spreadsheets and paper files. Your church deserves a CRM that empowers growth, not slows it down.
But you can quickly feel lost in the sea of options. With over 200 church CRM systems, choosing the right one can feel like trying to find a needle in a haystack.
Choosing the wrong CRM can waste precious time and resources. Let's cut through the confusion and find the perfect fit for your church, today.
First, let's cover what church CRM is and how it can help your church.
What is Church CRM?
CRM stands for: Customer Relationship Management
CRM has been used by for-profits for almost as long as computers have existed. Business leaders have learned that to succeed, they need to do more than manage inventory. They need to foster relationships with their customers, too!
By now, you're probably thinking...
While for-profit businesses have mainly used CRM systems, the tools and benefits of CRM systems are available to churches as well! These programs are known as Church Management Software (ChMS for short).
In this post, I'll use the terms ChMS and CRM interchangeably.
Why Churches Need a CRM
As I mentioned earlier, CRM systems help businesses maintain relationships with their customers. That relationship-building aspect is what makes a CMR program important for churches.
But there are other benefits to a Church CRM! Read on to learn more!
Do everything in one place
Fun Fact: Church leaders use an average of 7 DIFFERENT APPS to manage their ministry!
That's a lot of logins and platforms to juggle. Who has time for that?
Instead of cobbling together multiple apps and programs together, a church CRM gives you everything you need to manage your ministry in one place.
Better collaboration
In-person collaboration is always the best. But wouldn't it be great if you could also carry that over to the digital tools you use?
Your ChMS will become a centralized place where you and your entire leadership team can work together to advance the Gospel.
*Note: Not every ChMS is cloud-based, meaning your other leaders won't be able to collaborate on the platform. Read the "What to Look for" section below to learn more.
Organization and reporting
A good ChMS will not only allow you to store data, but produce the kind of reports that lets you see the big picture.
Also, having a program produce necessary reports for you takes a huge load off your shoulders! No more compiling them by hand.
Imagine the next time you have to create contribution statements, a program does it all for you with a click of the mouse. Think of the time you'll save by not creating these documents by hand from a spreadsheet! You might save so much time that the program pays for itself.
What to Look for in Church CRM
There are 7 crucial things to look for when choosing the right church CRM:
- Affordability: This one is key. First and foremost, the church software you choose has to be affordable, not a financial burden. It has to fit your church budget
- Manage Church Members: More than just storing basic member info, a church CRM needs to make it easy to keep in touch with your members, track their discipleship journey, and give them the resources they need to stay plugged in
- Church Communication Tools: Mass church texting, a free church app, and easy event planning are a must for any ChMS
- Volunteer Management: Volunteers are the backbone of your ministry. A church CRM software should contain all the tools you need to schedule your volunteers and empower them to serve
- Easy Church Accounting and Donation Tracking: Handling church finances should be a breeze, not a chore. A fund-based accounting system paired with easy donation recording is exactly what your church needs.
- Child Check-In: The safety of the kids in our care is more important than ever. Pick a church management system that includes a secure child check-in feature
- Unlimited Users: Don't choose a ChMS that limits you or charges you more for giving everyone on your team access to the tools they need
A CRM that has all of these things will be a huge blessing to your church.
Church CRM Will Take Your Church Further
Now that you know the power of CRM software for churches, don't let another day pass with outdated systems holding you back.
Take the first step towards streamlined ministry and deeper connections by choosing the best ChMS for your church today.
Your congregation, your volunteers, and your future self will thank you!
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Matt
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