In these tough economic times non-profit organizations must be very resourceful and good stewards of the funds that are available. In 2009, many ministries saw a decline in offerings by as much as 30 percent. Research shows that many medium to large size ministries are forced to reduce staff and find alternative methods of managing their organizations.

Many churches have sought out various forms of artificial intelligence to compensate for the lost of qualified individuals. It is not uncommon these days to call a ministry and find yourself in an IVR phone system that seems to never end or receive payments from others sources than that of the actual ministry. There also has been a major conversion to relationship management software that has the ability to do everything from track revenue to manage volunteers.

Here are some of the benefits of using a certified church management software program versus the using an in house program. A recent report shows  a study of one such software Proclaim, a Microsoft certified product. Here are few finding in the report that outlines the benefits of a church management software package.

1. Reporting- CRM software provides the ability to quickly query any information in the database and generate reports which can be saved and dynamically updated when they are run.
2. Member Retention- Proclaim provides the capability through Outlook and Word to reach out to members and encourage them on their spiritual growth path and volunteer opportunities. It also links the members to the church to insure they feel a part of the church recognizing them through personal emails and newsletters.
3. Fundraising- This software product has the ability to manage campaigns by organizing tasks that are critical to the overall success. Proclaim also tracks results of each activity in the campaign.
4. Volunteer Management- The software platform matches volunteer availability/competency to organizational needs. It is also provides calendar management that gives volunteers the ability accept assignments and schedule tasks.
5. Web Integration- Unlike most church management packages, Proclaim offers a web portal that is linked to the church website and allows members to view their contributions, small group information, volunteer calendars, register for events, update family profiles and purchase products. It also can direct prayer request with a follow up process that offers accountability.

Proclaim CRM is a church management software product that was developed by Microsoft and customized by Ministy Management Solutions. The product is currently being used by churches that average weekly attendance from 2000 to 30,000.  A product overview and demonstration is available at www.proclaimcrm.com or by calling 888-947-3763.