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Church Management Software Alternatives

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Question:
Many churches adopted online giving and donor management in the early days of Covid-19. Some churches were forced to make a quick decision, while others have not revisited their donor management tool for some time. What options are available for churches seeking to establish or change their donor management software?

Answer:
There are many options available, each having its strengths and weaknesses. It is important that the specific needs of the church are considered when deciding which software to use. It is also important that the software is not only selected to meet those needs, but that it also falls reasonably within the church's budget. The church should not be paying for additional features it will not use. A couple of our team members at MinistryCPA serve at their local churches and have become familiar with the following products. Stephanie and Tim have provided a brief listing of those alternatives below, including their features and advantages.

  • Membership database
    • Track birthdays, anniversaries, and attendance.
  • Donor Management
    • Intuitive for recording donor contributions
    • Generate contribution statements 
    • Data entry is straightforward and easy to use
  • Reports are easily customizable
  • Capability of uploading and integrating feeds into QuickBooks (including specific general ledger account #'s for donor designations and general tithes and offerings)
  • Works alongside online donor giving platforms to pull data directly into software and QuickBooks Online
    • ServantKeeper is not an online giving platform itself
  • Customer Service representatives are very helpful and friendly
  • Cost depends on size of church and features needed
  • Membership database
    • Track birthdays, anniversaries, and attendance.
    • Create directories and church calendar
    • Send batch emails to congregation
  • Donor Management
    • Record and track donor contributions
    • Generate contribution statements 
    • Includes Churchtrac online giving platform
  • Easily generate reports and statements
  • Offers its own accounting software that integrates with donor management
  • Cost depends on size of church and features needed
One tool we have found helpful in comparing donor management software is a chart created by MBS, Inc. The chart compares the various accounting, non-accounting, and infrastructure features of 35 different church management software providers. The MBS, Inc. website provides the chart and contact information for each of the software providers. A more readable PDF of the MBS chart can also be found on our website at https://www.ministry.cpa/resources/other. 


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