It’s never too early to start preparing for Christmas, especially when it comes to managing the various aspects of church activities. Join us for our upcoming “Christmas in July” webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST. This webinar is designed to help church leaders and staff use their church management software effectively to streamline their holiday planning.

Webinar Details:

• Date and Time: July 25th, 2 PM CST
• Speakers: Cody Binder and Sarah Cavanaugh from TouchPoint Software
• Key Topics: Utilizing your Church Management Software for Christmas planning

Key Strategies for Christmas Planning:

• Using Involvements
• Checklists
• Volunteer Sign-Ups and Schedulers
• Marketing
• Mobile App

Other Creative Ways to Use Your Church Software This Christmas Season:

• Event Registration: Simplify the process for churchgoers to sign up for special Christmas events and services.
• Communication Tools: Automate emails and text messages to keep everyone informed about upcoming events and important dates.
• Resource Management: Track all your Christmas resources, from decorations to service materials, and ensure everything is accounted for.
• Attendance Tracking: Monitor attendance at Christmas events to understand engagement and plan for future events more effectively.
• Donations and Fundraising: Set up and manage Christmas-specific fundraising campaigns, making it easy for congregants to contribute.

Why Start Now?

Planning for Christmas can be time-consuming, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. By starting early and utilizing the tools available in your church management software, you can make the process enjoyable for your staff and ensure nothing is left to the last minute.

Who Should Attend?

This webinar is perfect for church leaders, administration staff, communications teams, production crews, and worship leaders. Whether you’re already using church database software or looking for ways to improve your Christmas setup, this session is for you.

Register Today!

Don’t miss out on this opportunity to get a head start on your Christmas planning. Join our Zoom webinar on July 25th at 2 PM CST and learn from the experts. Register Now!

Not Yet A Part Of The TouchPoint Family?

Schedule a free demo from one of our friendly team members, schedule a demo!

Missed Last Month’s Webinar?

You can watch our past webinars on YouTube in our Webinars playlist!

Hey TouchPoint Friends,

This is a reminder about our roundtable event tomorrow, July 16th, at 2 p.m. We are excited to have a community discussion about summer reset strategies and getting ready for Fall. Whether you are working with small groups, planning kids’ graduations, or organizing events, we have some great ideas to share on utilizing your church software to make a great transition into this next busy season!

Join Us Tomorrow

Our hosts, Andrew and Sarah, will kick things off at 2 PM on July 16th. This roundtable is a great chance to sync up and ensure we are all set for the upcoming seasons. Your insights are valuable; we cannot wait to hear your thoughts. Let’s make this a productive and fun session together.

Reminder For Our Christmas in July Webinar

Also, mark your calendars for our Christmas on July 25th at 2 PM. We will discuss some exciting strategies for getting the most out of your Christmas season planning and execution.

Looking forward to catching up tomorrow at 2 PM for our roundtable!

Join us tomorrow, June 27th, at 2 PM CST for our Q2 New Features Webinar, hosted by Chris Dolan and Hayley Whitworth. This informative session will cover the latest updates, including new mobile app features, finance changes, and more. Don’t miss this opportunity to stay informed and enhance your church operations with our latest tools and strategies. Plus, we’ll be giving a special send-off to Chris Dolan as he concludes his time at TouchPoint.

Register now to ensure you don’t miss out on these exciting updates!

Maintaining efficient operations and deep connections with members is crucial in the dynamic environment of church communities. This is where TouchPoint Software’s Process Builder becomes indispensable. Here’s why Process Builder is a game-changer for churches:

1. Automated Workflows for Seamless Operations

Process Builder enables churches to create automated workflows, ensuring that essential tasks are performed consistently and efficiently. This automation reduces the administrative burden on staff and volunteers, freeing them to focus on more meaningful interactions with the congregation.

2. Consistent Member Follow-Up

With Process Builder, churches can establish a reliable follow-up system for members. Whether it’s welcoming newcomers, following up with absent members, or reaching out to those who haven’t engaged recently, Process Builder ensures no one is overlooked. This consistency strengthens relationships and fosters a sense of belonging among members.

3. Enhanced Engagement Strategies

By integrating with Search Builder, Process Builder can trigger actions based on specific member behaviors or changes in engagement scores. For instance, if a member’s engagement score drops, Process Builder can automatically schedule a call or send a personalized email, encouraging re-engagement. This proactive approach helps maintain high levels of involvement and connection within the church community.

4. Streamlined Communication

Effective communication is vital for any church. Process Builder can automate transmitting important information, such as event invitations, newsletters, and updates. This ensures that all members receive timely and relevant communications, keeping everyone informed and engaged.

5. Personalized Member Care

Process Builder allows churches to provide personalized care to their members. By setting up workflows that cater to individual needs and preferences, churches can offer a more personalized experience. For example, parents of children in Sunday school can receive tailored updates and invitations to family-focused events, enhancing their engagement and satisfaction.

6. Efficiency in Volunteer Management

Managing volunteers can be challenging, but Process Builder simplifies this task by automating the scheduling, communication, and follow-up processes. This ensures that volunteers are well-coordinated, informed, and appreciated, leading to a more effective and motivated volunteer force.

7. Data-Driven Decisions

By automating the tracking and reporting of member engagement and interactions, Process Builder provides valuable insights into the health of the church community. Church leaders can use this data to make informed decisions, identify areas for improvement, and develop targeted strategies to enhance engagement and growth.

Ready to see how Process Builder can transform your church operations and member engagement? Reach out to our consulting team today to learn more. Let’s work together to ensure your church thrives and every member feels valued and connected.

By leveraging Process Builder’s full potential, your church can create a more efficient, engaging, and connected community and make a lasting impact on all its members.

The June release was deployed Monday night, June 10. This includes new features and updates to existing features.

Finance Updates

The biggest update in this release is the completion of Phase 3 of the finance changes that we’ve been talking about for several months. This phase includes the new, improved Transactions Report that combines the current Contributions Search and Transactions Log. This new report will be released into beta initially, so most churches will not see it on their database. After further testing, we plan to make it available to everyone.

The following items will be visible to all churches immediately:

• There are 3 new Account-based roles available. These are similar to the current Fund-based finance roles, but note that these apply only to the new report (mentioned above) that is not available yet. Once this report is made live, you will have the ability to grant more granular access to people based on fund (using current roles) or account code (using the new roles listed below).
  • ManageTransactions – This allows someone to see and manage all “non-contribution” transactions, unless the user also has the AccountManager role, in which case only transactions for those account codes will be visible.
  • ViewTransactions – This is similar to ManageTransactions, but only lets someone view (not manage) all “non-contribution” transactions, unless the user also has the AccountManager role, in which case only transactions for those account codes will be visible. A user with this role cannot add transactions on the Member Dialog in an Involvement.
  • AccountManager – This is used in conjunction with the ManageTransactions and ViewTransactions roles. It is a limiting role which signals that the user has an account-based finance role and limits the account codes that user sees based on the other roles the user has. This works like the FundManager role. If a user has this role, they can only select the visible Account codes based on their other roles in an Involvement.
  • The Account Codes page now has a new dropdown menu to select the appropriate account management role for each account code.
• For churches using TouchPoint Giving, there is a new ACH Reversal Email template that is automatically sent to the donor whenever their ACH payment is reversed, along with the reason. NOTE: The church admin should update this template to add the following church contact information to the template.
  • Contact Name
  • Contact Phone Number
  • Contact Email Address
• Changes made to pledges on the pledge management page are now tracked in the Contribution Change Log.
• The following updates have been made to the Batch Entry to make adding and managing contribution entries as easy as possible.
  • When a new person is added for a scanned check, the check image will now appear on all screens of the process.
  • There is an admin setting that can be enabled to show a person’s campus code when searching to add someone to a contribution.
  • There is a new Post Contribution Pledge Funds admin setting that will allow you to specify the fund ID of funds that you want to see pledges/pledge balances for on a person’s record when searching to associate a person to a contribution.
  • People ID’s less than 5 digits now pull into the People Search.
  • Registration Credits has been updated to work similarly to Soft Credits and the following changes have been made.
    • Error messages will be displayed if the user does not select a registrant or if a registrant is not in the selected Involvement.
    • A green dot will display after the donor’s name if a contribution has a registration credit associated with it. This is similar to the blue dot that displays for Soft Credits. The Registration Credit checkbox will be checked and the section will be expanded if the contribution is opened for editing.
    • When the Registration Credit section is expanded on a contribution that previously had that information entered, the registrant will display.
    • Once a contribution has been saved with a Registration Credit, no changes can be made to the Registration Credit information and no further adjustment transactions can be created if that contribution is saved after editing other information.
    • Users with the FinanceAdmin role can manually delete adjustment transactions, including those created because of a Registration Credit on a contribution.
• Donor Total Summary Report Updates
  • This report will now show consistent results between tabs for units and amount by date.
  • The new menu will display this report based on the same security restrictions that the old menu used.
• Several updates were made to Soft Credits to make them even easier to use.
  • A blue dot has been added to items on a person’s Giving tab if the item is a Soft Credit.
  • Header column sorting has been added to the Soft Credit section on a person’s Giving tab.
  • Two new Search Builder Conditions have been added to specifically find people with Soft Credits.
    • Soft Credit Recipient Number of Days – Enter the numbers of days to look back, Fund ID (or leave blank for all funds) and specify True or False to find any Soft Credit recipients.
    • Soft Credit Recipient Date Range – Enter the date range, Fund ID (or leave blank for all funds) and specify True or False to find any Soft Credit recipients.
  • When a finance user transfers gifts from deceased person to their surviving spouse, any associated soft credits will now move as well.
• Check images will now be available on a person’s giving tab for finance users to quickly reference.
• The following miscellaneous fixes/updates have been made related to the finance area.
  • When completing an ACH reversals all the relevant information is now included.
  • When processing a refund through TouchPoint, it will now go into the correct batch.
  • Voided transactions will now automatically be removed from the pending batch.
  • Voids that are processed on the TouchPoint Giving gateway will now show in the settlement report.
  • On the pledge search page, the number of families field now reflects all filtered results.
  • Credits that are processed on the TouchPoint Giving gateway will now show in correct settlement batch.

The following miscellaneous changes will also be included in the release:

• The Quick Sign-in settings have been adjusted to separate cell and email into two separate options for each church.
• If a donor that is associated with a PushPay gift is re-assigned, then the donor ID is now moved to the new record.
• The expiration on the Get Sub Link on the Volunteer Calendar has been extended from 3 to 7 days.

In addition to the above finance and other miscellaneous changes, several items related to the New Registrations have been addressed. The new registrations are in beta with several churches, and we are working hard to put the new forms through rigorous testing so that they can be made available for all churches as soon as possible.

Here are the updated items:

• The settings tab on involvements using the new forms, has been completely re-designed and reorganized.
• Setting up new questions no longer requires an open pledge fund
• Questions where options have reached their limit will now be grayed out if the limits have been reached upon page load
• We now verify limits for all question on the final checkout screen
• Unchecking “show” will now uncheck “required” on personal questions
• Email template renamed and updated to remove erroneous question marks
• Adding new person not in family shows blank address now
• Better cell phone formatting
• When adding someone to a meeting, the person is now added as attending
• If a new person is added under the age of 18, then they are added as a child
• Processing Fee works with Suggested Fee Question
• Registration Terms has been updated to show terms file name
• Registration now respect checkbox for whether address is required
• A user’s info no longer can be cashed into form
• When registering a child (non-logged-in), duplicates are not created if phone or email matches one of the parents
• Registrations now show in the app based on existing settings

We are excited for our upcoming webinar, “Getting Staff On Board & Keeping Them On Board,” hosted by TouchPoint Software. This insightful event is scheduled for May 30th at 2 PM CST. You can join us via the following link: Webinar Registration.

Our friends, Jessica Siri from RockPointe Church and TouchPoint’s Marketing Director, Hayley Whitworth, will guide you through essential strategies for successful staff adoption and ongoing support of church management systems. The webinar will cover:

• Understanding and navigating change
• Effective project management
• Engaging and lasting staff training
• Overcoming common obstacles

This session is a must-attend for anyone involved in church management, especially those looking to improve their staff’s engagement with your church management system. Don’t miss out on this opportunity to enhance your church’s operations and foster a supportive environment for your team.

Join Our Webinar

Register now to reserve your spot today and ensure your staff is fully equipped to embrace and support your church management system.

Today, technology changes daily, and churches must decide whether to keep old systems or switch to modern ones. Our program works perfectly on computers and phones. It makes managing your church easier and helps you connect better with your congregation.

The Shift from Legacy to Modernization 

Legacy systems used to be essential for church management, but now they are outdated, like rotary phones or dial-up internet. These systems can slow you down and stop you from growing. Our church management software helps your church run smoothly and keeps your data safe in the cloud. This means you don’t have to worry about constant updates or losing information.

Legacy systems often have many problems. They can be slow, hard to use, and require a lot of maintenance. They might also lack important features that modern churches need, like mobile access and real-time updates. By switching to a new system, you can avoid these issues and focus more on your church’s mission.

Key Features of Modern Church Management 

1. Cloud-Based Flexibility and Security

Our cloud storage keeps your data safe and grows with your community. Cloud storage means your information is stored online instead of on local computers. This ensures that your data is always accessible and secure. You won’t have to worry about losing data due to computer crashes or other issues. Cloud solutions also mean you are always using the most up-to-date software without performing manual updates. This lets your church focus on its mission instead of dealing with technical problems.

2. Mobile Integration

As highlighted in our webinar, “Creating a Unified Experience with ChMS, Websites & Mobile,” mobile technology is changing ministry by allowing real-time updates and interactions feeding from your database system to your website and to your mobile app as an all-in-one ecosystem. Our mobile app keeps your church members connected, whether they are at home or on the go. This means churchgoers can check schedules, sign up for events, and stay updated with church news from their phones. Mobile integration ensures that everyone stays connected and informed, which can help build a stronger sense of community. It also makes it easier for people to participate in church activities, no matter where they are.

3. Elevated Process and Communication Tools

Our tools make connecting and welcoming new members easier. Personalized communication helps every church member feel cared for, supporting their spiritual growth and building community. With our system, you can send targeted messages to different groups within your church, such as new members, volunteers, or parents. This ensures that everyone receives the information relevant to them. You can also track interactions and follow up with people who might need extra support, helping to foster a more connected and supportive church community.

4. Real-Time Data for Proactive Discipleship

You set the rules for how your church engages. Staff and leaders get alerts to help members who might be drifting away. This helps keep everyone involved and ensures no one feels forgotten. Real-time data allows you to see how members interact with the church and identify those who might need extra attention. For example, if someone hasn’t attended services or events for a while, you can reach out and check in on them. This proactive approach can help retain members and ensure everyone feels valued and supported.

5. Efficient Task Management and Reporting

Our system makes managing tasks simple. The mobile app lets leaders and volunteers track their activities easily. Every interaction is recorded and can be reviewed later. This helps staff manage discipleship paths and member involvement. Efficient task management ensures that everyone knows what they need to do and can easily keep track of their responsibilities. It also makes it easier to generate reports and see how different areas of the church are performing. This information can help you make informed decisions and improve church operations.

Conclusion 

Leaving old systems behind is a big step towards making your church’s operations future-ready. Our software offers an integrated, secure, and mobile-friendly solution that improves all parts of church management. By using our modern system, your church can eliminate complicated processes and focus more on what really matters—building a strong and engaged community.

Old systems may have served you well in the past, but they can no longer meet the needs of a growing, modern church. Embracing new technology can help you streamline your operations, improve communication, and engage your congregation more effectively. It can also free up time and resources, allowing you to focus more on your ministry and less on administrative tasks.

Our church management software is designed to support you in this transition. It provides all the tools you need to manage your church efficiently and effectively. From cloud-based storage to mobile integration, our system is built to meet the needs of today’s churches. It offers a user-friendly interface, robust security features, and the flexibility to grow with your community.

Embrace the future with TouchPoint Software!

Discover our features, see our impact, and join us in transforming church management. Schedule a demo today to see how we can help modernize your ministry for today’s world. By making the switch, you can ensure that your church is well-equipped to meet future challenges and continue to thrive in an ever-changing world.

Managing attendance effectively is crucial for any church that values engagement and participation. At TouchPoint Software, we understand the importance of keeping a close eye on your attendance metrics. That’s why we’re excited to highlight a tool that transforms how you view attendance data—the Week at a Glance Report. 

What is the Week at a Glance Report? 

The Week at a Glance Report is an essential feature available under the Admin > Reports menu, specifically designed to streamline the process of analyzing attendance across all your ministries. This report is not just a tool; it’s a comprehensive solution for evaluating attendance across specified Divisions. The report is even able to pull from numerous attendance methods at once.

Why Use the Week at a Glance Report? 

Here’s why the Week at a Glance Report is a game-changer for your church: 

Centralized Data: Consolidate attendance information from various events and programs into one unified report. This allows for a clear, concise view of your who’s attending what, helping you make informed decisions quickly. 

Completely Customizable The report is configured using the Programs and Divisions pages under the Admin menu. The best part: you decide what to report on! Whether it’s Preschool, Children’s, and Adults Ministries; first, second, and third service; or comparing campuses – you specify the Divisions and the times. You can tailor the report to meet the specific needs of your church, ensuring that you are always in control of the data displayed.

Advanced Features and Capabilities: Packed with a multitude of features, the Week at a Glance Report is versatile and powerful. To fully leverage these capabilities, we recommend reading our detailed help article, “Configure the Week At A Glance Report.” This guide will walk you through every step, ensuring you maximize the potential of this tool. Don’t have time? We can help!

Need Assistance? 

Setting up and customizing reports can sometimes be daunting. That’s why our expert Consulting team is ready to assist you. By purchasing two hours of consulting, you can have one of our friendly, dedicated team members configure the Week at a Glance Report tailored specifically for your needs. Click here to get started. 

When: April 25th at 2:30 PM Central Time
Where: Zoom

Our Hosts

Remember to register for our upcoming webinar! Discover how TouchPoint Software seamlessly integrates across web and mobile platforms, enhancing your church’s management and engagement capabilities.

Highlights Include:

• Unified experience across all platforms
• Easy access to giving, registrations, and attendance tracking
• New group management tools
• TouchPoint Sites

Why Join?

Learn how to leverage technology to enhance your congregation’s experience and streamline church management. This is a perfect opportunity to see how a unified digital approach can benefit your church.

Click here to register and transform your church’s digital strategy!

Enhancing Communication with Custom Backgrounds

Immediate Updates: The ability to swiftly communicate new events or last-minute changes is crucial for any active church community. Customized Check-In backgrounds serve as a direct communication channel, ensuring that everyone from parents to volunteers is immediately aware of any updates as they check in.

Engagement and Visibility: Custom backgrounds can highlight upcoming events, schedule changes, or important announcements, making sure they catch the eye of your community members. This not only boosts engagement but also ensures that critical information is not missed.

Consistency in Branding: Every background can be tailored to include your church’s branding elements, such as logos and color schemes. This consistency reinforces your church’s identity and makes every piece of communication instantly recognizable.

How It Works

TouchPoint Software makes it easy to implement customized Check-In backgrounds that keep your community informed and engaged:

• Design Consultation: Discuss your communication needs with our team. Whether it’s promoting an upcoming church retreat, notifying changes in service times, or highlighting new ministry opportunities, our designers will help create a background that conveys your message effectively.

Get Started Today!

Are you ready to transform how your church communicates during the check-in process? If you’re interested in leveraging custom background templates to distribute information effectively, click here to set up an appointment.

Our commitment at TouchPoint Software is to enhance the operational efficiency and communication clarity of partner churches. Custom Check-In Profile backgrounds are just one of the many tools we provide to support your church’s growth and ensure that every interaction within your community is impactful and informative. Contact us today to see how our solutions can help streamline your church communications.

Our consulting team is ready to support you in getting this started; this requires one hour per background. You can set up an appointment with our friendly and amazing team here.

As of today, the New Navigation Menu is now the default menu for all users in TouchPoint. We know that change is never easy, but we believe that after using the new layout for a bit, you will find that options are now laid out in a more logical manner. For those of you that did not try it during the beta period, here are a few highlights of the new menu.

• Finance items are all in their own menu area now, which will make finance tools easier to access. This new layout provides space for new reports for churches using TouchPoint Giving.
• The Reports menu has gone away, and now each main navigation area has its own Reports menu under it. You can add SQL and Python reports to this menu by using the “Add Report to Menu” option at the bottom of each report.
  
• Many admin tools and functionality were renamed and better organized.
• Tags are now completely managed from the Tag icon in the upper right corner near the Search icon.

If you have any issues with the new navigation, please contact Support and let us know. If you need to temporarily revert back to the old navigation menu, you can do so by clicking the User menu at the top-right and toggling the New Navigation off.

Who cares what your registration pages look like?

Probably your Communications Team. And, if we think about it, your congregation and potential new members do, too. In a digital era where every interaction counts, simply placing your logo on a registration page is just scratching the surface. But why settle for the basics? Your registration pages are more than just a formality; they represent an extension of your church’s hospitality. Let’s delve into crafting registration pages that not only your team but your community can take pride in.

The Significance of Cohesive Design

First impressions are lasting. The moment someone steps onto your registration page, they should feel like it is an extension of your website. A thoughtfully designed page conveys professionalism, care, and meticulousness. It communicates, “We value your experience with us.”

But what exactly does ‘well-designed’ entail in this scenario?

• Branding Consistency: From your church’s logo to its color scheme and typography, every element on your registration page should echo the consistency found across all your digital platforms. This coherence not only fortifies brand recognition but also cultivates trust.
• User-Friendly Interface: The path to registration should be straightforward, with readily accessible information. A cluttered or bewildering layout can deter potential attendees.
• Mobile Responsiveness: Considering the growing reliance on mobile devices for web access, ensuring that your registration pages are optimized for mobile is imperative.

Wrapping Up

Your registration pages are a pivotal element of your church’s digital footprint. “Who cares what your registration pages look like?” The answer should be: we all do. By dedicating just one hour per background, you can elevate your registration pages from functional to fabulous.

Ready to revolutionize your registration pages? Let’s get started.

Embrace the opportunity to create registration pages that resonate with the heart of your church, making both your team and congregation proud.