Parish Membership Tracking Platform

Project Description

Issue: The parish currently uses a parish (off the shelf) data program to track parishioner contributions and to record parishioner information useful to the parish. I suspect the current program is somewhat outdated.

Action: Evaluate current parishioner data entry program. With an eye to the future, investigate current “off the shelf” parish data programs and create a program which would incorporate e.g. parishioner sacramental records, contributions, email addresses, new technologies, fresh ideas, mail merge program, family (member profiles i.e. names, ages, occupations, talents, etc.), all with an eye to conducting a parish census. Perhaps this could be App friendly in collecting the data in the future, that parishioners could use from their phones in the pew to sign up for parish events or take surveys….

Goals

To track parishioner information/participation in various parish dynamics from financial contributions to sign up and participation on a retreat. It might also, if it has an app form, serve as a means of reaching out to update people about events, or closings due to snow etc.

Impact

While such a service would certainly help our small staff in organization, it could also help us as a community to be better networked and facilitate better communication.

Resources

We can share our current outdated methods of record keeping and communication.

Group Summary

Create a membership tracking platform for the local parish that includes parishioner sacramental records, email addresses, new technologies, fresh ideas, family details. It should allow for a tool to mail merge and assist the parish in keeping track of all the new members and their contributions.

Identified Pains

The current membership tracking program is outdated and the database is difficult to use, update and implement.

Proposed Problem Description

Proposed Goals

Create a database with an attached user-friendly interface that allows the parish to monitor and communicate with its members

Brainstorming

Our takeaways from brainstorming included possibly connecting to an already established database (facebook or something) that has basic information to pull potential new parishioners. Also be able to post church services to the software solution for those who can’t make it in person.

Tab four https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Qu2ZhHeuGOCV6srcJPBy0ehYGy29Kdn-VRHO44NMJ9M/edit?usp=sharing

Contributors

Anushikha Sharma

Eric Marshall

Jason Corriveau

Ben Matase

Jingya Wu

Brainstorm Contributors

Sienna Mosher

Jordan Voves

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