Fellowship One

Still trying to get that discussion moved to contract.  I hope to connect to the sales director as I don't want to have to pay an arm and a leg of "implementation" to get the Standard Plus level vs. Growth Plus.  Standard Plus has some additional features we might not use out of the box -- but would/should upgrade too in 90-180 days.

We'll see how they roll.

Met with Diocese today..

Met with both Cannon Michael Barlow and Jim Forsyth today to talk about the work I've been doing.  The vendors/options I've selected and how that work may dovetail well in the work of Congregational Development/Missions and/or with other churches nearby in Oakland to do the phase 1 pilot project.  I need to come back with a specific workplan/propal so they can react to that as they were generally agreeable and understand the needs very well.  I will work on that over the next week and try and schedule a follow-up/demo for soon after that.

Things are rolling

Last Friday the install of the new Internet Connection went in.  Friday afternoon and again on Saturday installed and cabled (temporarily cabled) up the new VOIP phone system and to move the router out of Fr. Williams room to put it near the copier.

Friday night and Saturday day I spent organizing and converting us over to hosted Exchange that came with the service and getting the details to Fr. Williams on configuring his iPhone and webmail.

Sunday tested out uStream on the network from Trinity including both broadcast and broadcast/record.
Yesterday I got the order in for the new phone system and configuration is scheduled for Wed @ 10AM + Got new dedicated server to run WordPress Mu selected and Alchemy has just completed the setup of the server.  I also sent all the information across to a potential graphic designer to get the Easter Campaign going as well as broader discussion on St. A's for work at a later date.  Also had further discussions with Fellowship One -- it would seem to be the best vendor for our needs for now to replace ACS need to walk Fr. Williams through what that means.

Today looking into Moodle and LMS again.  Wordpress and Fellowship One work.  Follow up with Graphic Designer and Sign/Banner issues.  Look at vendor for broadcast VM.

Tomorrow. Setting up the phone system and starting the number porting process with AT&T.

Moving towards an ideal solution - longer term

Currently reviewing several Church Management Solutions (ChMS), CRMs, Broadcast Email/Campaign Marketing Provider, Broadcast Voicemail, Google Apps, Workflow Automation, Automated Customer Service, Survey Solution, etc. to develop an integrated solution for a denomination of churches to handle day-to-day process management of their offices, develop automated or standard work flows, etc.

Specifically preparing them to handle an increase of contacts directly or funneled through a separate web site/phone system that will be backed by a sizable and ongoing community outreach & advertising campaign.  Goal of the campaign is to develop interest and feed/assign prospective members/leads out to local congregations and have them be able to route, process, follow up and be accountable – all online enabled.  This includes tracking and follow up with people with both fall out of the process as well as people who then are transitioned to attendees and later members.

We may specifically need assistance in integrating one of the online SaaS Church Management Solutions (Fellowship One, Community Church Builder, etc) with a CRM and Google Hosted Email apps to track communication/touches out to members and record that to their record.

We are potentially looking for a partner to handle development work to bridge a possible ChMS with a more functional CRM and then automate some workflows in between.

Gbridge: Free instant VPN w/Google Apps

Google Solutions Marketplace - Gbridge: Free instant VPN for everyone!:

"Gbridge lets you sync folders, share files, chat and VNC securely and easily between friends or your own computers. Google Apps users can create their own free VPN within the organization instantly!
DesktopShare: Technical support made easy.
EasyBackup: Backup to remote computer!
SecureShare & AutoSync: Share files within group!"

Cordys Process Factory - Workflow for Google Apps

Google Solutions Marketplace - Cordys Process Factory - Workflow for Google Apps

Another Business Process Automation service with integrations into Google Apps.

Socialwok

Socialwok

Another great integration with Google Apps. Really helps close those gaps in communication. Trying to see where this fits in or possibly overlaps with project management and/or process management apps.

RunMyProcess - Workflow and Integration for Google Apps

Google Solutions Marketplace - RunMyProcess - Workflow and Integration for Google Apps

Another big win here -- run my process is also integrating with google apps / gmail!

Email This Page/Event/Post/Sermon/Blog Entry Feature

Really want to empower web site readers to be able to easily share items on the church web site.  Sociable plug-in may do this -- but want to make sure it is clear to every visitor and attached to all types of content types whenerever possible.  So "Email This"/"Share" page (or event or news item or sermon or blog post, etc.) that triggers a normal users email mailto: function or possibly records the entry into a trackable database.

SkyCMS (Church Templates & Hosting)

http://www.discoversky.com/

From what I can glean from their site -- looks like it could be a white label install of WrodPress Mu with a bunch of plug-ins & templates that churches would want.  If not functionality looks close to that....

They are possibly based on "LightCMS" - http://www.speaklight.com/

Single Sign-on for Online ChMS & outside tools

One of the things I'm looking for is knowing where a vendor stands on supporting Open ID or Google sign-in so that users redirected from our online site would not have to sign in with a different system, user id/pw if at all possible.

Note back from Monvee:

"Yes.  Monvee has already begun the integration process with ACS and F1.  Launch for each of those will take place this summer or early fall."

Expensive tool need to look at further

http://www.unifyer.com/church/default.asp

Some churches are using this to unify communications.  Not sure on the exact functionality and what if any other tools out there may already exist or might be built-into an online crm or ChMS system.  If it is just a one-way tool to post to social network sites -- there are free ones of those.

Church Software, Web Based | Church Community Builder, CCB

Church Software, Web Based | Church Community Builder, CCB

Another option for a web based community with ChMS like functions. They are trying to be more friendly/open to Twitter, etc. Some of the twitter post out functionality could be made by using the "email to post" option direct w/twitter but also with other providers that repost to multiple sources simultaneously and they too accept items via "email to post" then syndicate across multiple sites.

Once again, Church Community Builder has gone and created new, innovative technology tools that integrate their web-based church management software with the ever-changing outside world of communications technology.

Today, I helped them announce a new feature that combines text messaging with Twitter. Who would have thought? This is a great idea -I’m not sure that anyone else out there is doing this. Here are the basics:

CCB Twext™ Offers the Following Benefits:

Group Texting: In addition to email and mail merge, every Group Leader has the option to communicate with their Group participants via Text Messaging.

Twitter™ Integration: If a group within the church has its own Twitter account, the Group Leader can add that account to their CCB Group. When utilized, a Text Message sent to the group will also immediately post as a Tweet on the group Twitter™ feed. This further extends the reach of the Text Message to those who may not receive text messages but are a member of the Twitter group.

Member Controlled: Group members have full control over their ability to receive text messages. They must proactively edit their CCB profile before receiving them. This ensures people don’t end up paying for text messages they do not wish to receive.

ServiceU for your Church

ServiceU for your Church

Another event scheduler, fee collector and online donor solution.

Alternative solution for online donor management

http://www.donortools.com/

If we went with a ChMS / CRM without good donor tools and reporting or bad online donation/giving -- an external site that just does this very well might be an option.

Ekklesia 360 is another Online ChMS/CRM

http://www.ekklesia360.com/

Another Church Specific ChMS / CRM Option

http://www.faithhighway.com/church-management-software-and-other-church-software.php

They also do the Sermon Connect service.
http://sermonconnect.com/

Checklist / Tips for 70+ things to consider in a church web site

http://www.internetevangelismday.com/church-site-tips.php

1. Most church websites are designed entirely for their members, or unwittingly exclude non-Christians because of their choice of language and content.
   More  | Extra
2. A good church site must communicate with three very different target groups:
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3. This ‘three-way stretch’ is a challenge, but can be achieved.
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4. Take time to consider the needs and viewpoints of non-Christians.
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5. Avoid all ‘churchy’ jargon and ‘Christianese’ language throughout the site, especially on the homepage.
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6. Non-Christians may have negative images of Christians: boring, killjoys, judgmental, etc.
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7. Christian outreach often fails because Christians do ‘megaphone proclamation’ from behind the protecting walls of their ‘ghetto’.
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8. A primary task of the website is to convince non-Christians of these four things:
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9. Do not think of your church site in isolation, merely as a stand-alone online brochure.
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10. Church is people: the home page should have at least one photo of a church member. This is absolutely foundational to good communication, yet infrequently done.
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11. Internal pages on the site can include photos of both outside and inside of the church building.
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12. Include some ‘meet our members’ pages.
    More 
13. All links, page titles, and sub-headings should sound enticing.
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14. If testimonies are used, they should be completely free of religious jargon, exaggeration and sentimentality.
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15. Consider a ‘New to this site?’ visitors link on your homepage. This enables you to offer a particular welcome to an outsider.
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16. Games and fun stuff are attractive and make a site sticky.
    More  | Extra1 | 2
17. Consider adding some ‘bridging’ pages to the site.
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18. Involve your church members in praying and supporting the web design team, and ‘owning’ the site.
    More 
19. Demonstrate a specific welcome for people with disability.
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20. Summing up: the overall impression of the site must of a gentle, loving, enticing welcome. But...
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21. Sadly, it is this issue of welcome and assimilation that frequently breaks down.
    More  | Extra1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5
22. The context of your country, area and culture may lead you to apply these principles in different ways. Analyzehow some very effective church sites are using them: Brandywine | Southside | Bridge | King’s Church | Atlanta |North Branch | Questions
23. Church websites are not the only form of web evangelism.
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    Design

24. Your church site will be the first point of contact for many people in your community. First impressions count.
    More  | Extra
25. Do not place too much information on your homepage.
    More 
26. And all important information should be ‘above the fold’.
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27. Avoid ‘churchy’ graphics – open Bibles, stained glass windows, doves, candles. And appeals for money.
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28. Use at least one graphic of a person’s face on the homepage.
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29. A 3-column layout is often the most suitable for a church site.
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30. Never use an introductory ‘splash page’.
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31. Every page should display the same overall appearance, with the same navigation options in the same place.
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32. All links, menu options and buttons should be clearly identified as ‘active’ – they should change color when hovered.
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33. If you use Javascript for any effects, ensure everything on the site still works for those with Javascript disabled.
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34. Don’t use frames for site design.
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35. Learn how to use ‘include’ files – a great time-saver.
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36. Also learn how to use CSS.
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37. Use colors correctly: understand how to choose a color scheme, how colors relate to each other, and what mood they communicate.
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38. Don’t use patterned graphic backgrounds behind body text.
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39. Consider a ‘liquid’ page design: the content should flow naturally and fit together, at any screen resolution (i.e. size of the monitor screen measured in pixels) or reasonable font resize by a user.
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40. And don’t put ‘best viewed at resolution’ or ‘best viewed in browser Y’ on your website.
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41. Don’t include ‘mailto’ email addresses in plain coding on the site.
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42. Your site need not be large or complex.
    More 
43. Don’t leave out-of-date content online.
    More 
44. Use several people to proof-read for typos and poor grammar.
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45. Make your pages printer-friendly.
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46. Take time to assess your target audience, their interests, needs and circumstances.
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47. Not least, pray – both for planning and implementation.
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    Your church webmaster/team

48. A church webmaster or team needs a clear job description.
    More The church should encourage the webmaster or web team in their back-room role.
49. What if there is no-one technical in your church, to take on the webmaster role? You can use a pre-designed template system. These also answer the problem of what to do if the only technical person in the church moves on, leaving a website that no-one really knows how to update. Follow ‘Extra’ for a listing of providers and how to assess the features they offer.
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50. A larger church site can benefit from ‘CMS’ – Content Management which enables multiple users to keep the site updated.
    More  | Extra
51. Learn from others. Help is only a mouse-click away.
    More 

    Readability

52. For normal body text, use black font on a white or near-white background.
    More 
53. Do not used fixed font size in your coding.
    More 
54. Therefore make all font sizes relative, so that users can resize text if they wish.
    More 
55. Choice of fonts is important. The Verdana font is designed for computer monitors, and is widely perceived as the most readable for body text. (Note how upper-case I is distinguished from number 1 or lower-case l.) Test it yourself: view this page in helvetica | arial | default sans-serif | default serif | times new roman | restore verdana.
    More  | Extra
56. Understand how to make your site user-friendly to color-blind and visually-impaired visitors. color tester. More 

    Testing

57. Test your site from a technical viewpoint in different browsers, and at different screen resolutions.
    More 
58. Also test your site with real first-time users. Remember, you know your site backwards. They do not.
    More  | Extra
59. Find non-Christians to critique your site. Yes, non-Christians! They are your primary target audience.
    More 

    Navigation and usability

60. Good navigation allows a first-time non-technical visitor to move round your site easily.
    More 
61. Good navigation gives visitors constant clues to fulfill the vital requirements: ‘Where am I, where have I been, and where can I go’. Many websites, of all types, fail to be effective because they lack a good intuitive navigation system.
    More 
62. Do not offer too many links in your navigation menu.
    More 
63. You can use ‘paper prototyping’ to plan different ways of structuring links within the site.
    More  | Extra
64. Make sure your pages download quickly.
    More 

    Being found – online and physically

65. The title tag in the head of your homepage, which should contain the full name of the church, plus town, state and country.
    More  | Extra
66. Your church name, street, town, area/state, country and phone number should also appear in unabbreviated form in a small font in the footer of your homepage (or preferably every page).
    More 
67. Submit your church site to main search engines and secular directories.
    More  | Extra
68. Make every page of your site a logical entry point to your site.
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69. Framed pages present problems to being listed in search engines.
    More 
70. Ensure the church URL is easy to remember. Take every opportunity to give it a high profile.
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71. Make full use of press releases to local newspapers and radio stations. These should always include your URL. Larger churches can consider publishing regular news using an ‘RSS’ feed.
    More  | Extra1| 2
72. Include clear directions for finding the church. Give details of parking, public transport links, and a map.
    More 

    Responding to emails

73. Ensure that every day, someone reads incoming emails to the church.
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74. Some people may be emailing for help on serious life issues.
    More  | Extra
75. It need not necessarily be the pastor or pastor’s secretary that does this, especially out of hours.
    More 

Photography needed

One of the areas that modern CMS's tend to have added is upload/linking a face to a name.  Some people including me have a really hard time remembering peoples names and faces.  We need to go about starting to photograph members faces (head & shoulders) and/or having members send in their pictures to the office via email.

Fun with database fields & data tracking

Membership status?


We have a lot of options here that we probably need to discuss, define and decide which terms and who they apply to for the database (our use) and need for reporting under Parochial rules.  So there is a toss-up having too few options does not give us a clear picture of where we are at and having too many tends to leave people lost between the cracks.  We can juggle other fields/lists as well if that is a better option i.e. split contribution and steward info separate from membership so there is less of a hierarchy of Steward, Contributor, Active Member, Attendee, etc.  

• Active member
• Inactive member
• Member Non-resident
• Prospective Member (or Returning visitor or Seeker or Visitor 3 or more times)
• Visitor (1 - 2 times)
• Active Participant (or Active Attendee)
• Inactive Participant (or Inactive Attendee)
• Active Contributor Only
• Inactive Contributor Only
• Active Pledging Member (Pledging / Financial Steward - Same or separate form contributor?)
• Relative of Member/Participant
• Deceased?

Relationship:

• Need to separate single adult from single youth/child.

Additional Contact Note types:

• Personal Crisis Event
• Health Crisis Event
• Alert
• Pastoral Counseling

Custom fields:

Adding some special fields into the ACS People Database for office use/tracking:

• 2008 Pledging Member (Yes/No)
• 2009 Pledging Member (Yes/No)
• 2010 Pledging Member (Yes/No)
• A-List Member (Yes/No)
• Baptised (Yes/No)
• Confirmation Status (Conf. Episcopal, Confirmed Other, Not Confirmed, Reconfirmed Episc.)
• Frequency of Attendance (almost never/moved, Al least once a month, at least quarterly, at least 2x a month, Every week solid, high holidays only, less than once a year, regular 3-4x month, yearly)
• Last time seen at church (2006 or before, 2007, 2008, 2009 Q1/Q2, 2009 Q3, 2009 Q4, 2010 Q1)
• List in Directory (Y/N)
• Membership form recevied (Yes/No)
• Preferred service or event (8AM, 10:30AM, 5:00pm, Special Event Only)
• Attending with whom (Adult child only, Friend, Other, Parent, Self only, Sibling, Spouse, Youth or child only)

For baptism and confirmation separately tracking in text:

• Date for baptism
• Location of baptism
• Denomination of baptism
• Date for confirmation
• Location of confirmation

Additional possible fields:

• Majority Faith Community (What denomination if any before now would you most identify with/raised in?)
• Marriage in the church, name & location of church, what denomination, when

As far as groups, organizations, skills, etc -- all likely to be handled in that subfunctionality and not direclty attached to the customizing user record fields.