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Good thoughts, Sheri. To take a page from design fields, "form follows function." If function (ministry) starts following form (organization), we have a problem.
~ Sharon Ellens

We had an intern a couple of years ago who did some research on church and denomination database issues. In her notes, I found reference to these packages, recommended by someone at the Center for Congregations in Indiana:
* ACS (www.acstechnologies.com)
* Logos (www.logoscms.com)
* Shelby (www.shelbyinc.com)

Through the years, I've also heard positive comments about Power Church Plus, as mentioned by a previous poster.

I have no personal experience with any of the above, however I did find a couple of sites that review church software:
* www.churchaccountingsoftwareguide.com
* www.digical.com/cgi-bin/htmlos.cgi/ccmag/index1.htm

HTH,
-- Sharon

Hi Lois --

I was doing a little comparative research for another purpose, and thought I'd share a few cost details I found.

1) CanadaHelps (www.canadahelps.org), for Canadian organizations only. CRC Canadian agencies used this method before we moved to Convio. "CanadaHelps assesses a 3% transaction charge on each donation. This 3% is deducted from the donation before being disbursed to your charity.... There are no monthly charges or set-up/registration costs. There is an additional 1% (for a total of 4%) assessed from donations to charities that haven’t signed up for Electronic Funds Transfer for donations." Canada Helps is supported in part by donations.

2) Network for Good (www.networkforgood.org). One-Time Account Setup $199.00, Monthly Fee $29.95, per Donation Fee 3%. US-based, although they can accept international transactions. No separate merchant account required.

3) MinistryGive (/www.ministrygive.com). Basic service (up to 70 transactions/mo) = $39 per month. $99 one-time set-up fee. They also require a separate merchant account, through which you would pay per-transaction fees.

There are many other options. These are just a few for which pricing information was readily available. HTH.

Ken, thanks for bringing up this crucial topic.  I'm a parent of two great young adults, and I've worked with teen leaders in the past.  I have been very impressed with their level of thinking and spiritual commitment -- far beyond where I was at their age.  I agree with Dave that these current and future leaders need to be specifically encouraged to lead, and the rest of us need to be humble (and flexible) enough to accept their gifts.

Specific question for the Leadership Exchange -- are you working with colleges and universities to help identify young Christians with leadership potential?  Are there other organizations you are partnering with to find youth leaders?

Sharon T. Ellens on June 24, 2011

In reply to by anonymous_stub (not verified)

Hello Bert!  It's great to see your name on the Network.  I hope all is well with you and Marie.  And yes, you are a poster child for an "active retirement."  Kudos to you both!

-- Sharon

Posted in: Give Ear

Sharon T. Ellens on March 17, 2011

In reply to by anonymous_stub (not verified)

Hi Ken --

If it makes you feel better, not *all* women are better at non-verbals, etc.  I, for one, have had a lot to learn when it comes to listening well, and responding to the message behind the words.

PS, when I peruse various Network threads, I often see your name.  Your insights are always worth reading, and often challenge me to think differently.  So thanks for that!

-- Sharon

Our IT director alerted me a Google tool that will evaluate a web page and let you know what is likely to be seen, or not seen, by users.

Here's the main page:
http://browsersize.googlelabs.com/

Click on the blue text "About Browser Size" at the top of the page for more info.

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