Sharon T. Ellens
I am a lifelong CRC member, and a longtime employee of the CRC in various capacities, currently as Director of Advancement Services* in the Grand Rapids office. I have no official role with the Network, but am very interested in seeing the CRC broaden its influence with younger generations and a wider ethnic community. *I describe Advancement Services as "the backroom for fundraising and communications." Our stellar team in Burlington, Pasadena, and Grand Rapids helps CRC ministries raise support and awareness by managing a large database, processing gifts, producing receipts and reports, streamlining processes, and suggesting best practices.
Posted in: Managing Churches Well
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
Posted in: What software works for tracking church membership information?
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
Posted in: What works best when setting up credit card and EFT giving at church?
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.
Posted in: The Gap: Young Adult Leadership
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?
Posted in: Retired, but Still Productive
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
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
Posted in: Handy Web Resources
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.