Choosing church management software ( ChMS )is no easy task. Make sure you have considered and made a comparison of all of the features and aspects that are involved. Here is a great ChMS comparison chart to help you compare yours or another church management software solution with Servant Keeper.
Remember, everyone is using something to manage their data. Even if your “system” is to make a spreadsheet or simply keep it all ‘in your head’, that’s your system. It’s a good idea to compare your ChMS to what you need. Hopefully this comparison chart will help you decide if Servant Keeper church management software is the right fit for you.
GENERAL
| Feature | Servant Keeper Suite | Other Software |
|---|---|---|
| Award winning (Campbell Rinker – User Satisfaction) | YES | ? |
| Move a family member with data intact | YES | ? |
| Easy install | YES | ? |
| Unlimited Database size | YES | ? |
| Included contributions module | YES | ? |
| Pledging | YES | ? |
| Attendance tracking | YES | ? |
| Child Check-In Capability | YES | ? |
| Online Scheduling | YES | ? |
| Outreach Lists | YES | ? |
| Links with many accounting programs | YES | ? |
| Updated every few months with new free features | YES | ? |
| Free bug fixing and maintenance | YES | ? |
| You own it! No recurring software rental fees | YES | ? |
Company Aspects
| Servant Keeper Suite | Other Software | |
|---|---|---|
| Company is focused on serving churches and ministries | YES | ? |
| Serving over 25,000 churches and ministries directly. | YES | ? |
| Christian owned and operated company | YES | ? |
| Award winning Help Desk Support | YES | ? |
| Not a conglomerate of mergers and acquisitions | YES | ? |
| Privately owned, customer service oriented company | YES | ? |
Membership
| FEATURE | SERVANT KEEPER SUITE | OTHER SOFTWARE |
|---|---|---|
| Main List presents membership data upon login | YES | ? |
| Filter main list by ministry group (i.e. children’s ministry) | YES | ? |
| Built in Search Engine for instant record retrieval | YES | ? |
| Manage skills/service opportunities/gifts and talents | YES | ? |
| Visitor follow-up reporting and personalized mailing | YES | ? |
| Track important milestone events in lives of members | YES | ? |
| Alternate addresses with automation | YES | ? |
| Multiple phone and email addresses | YES | ? |
| Email any reports/ directories/ lists | YES | ? |
| Built in PDF converter | YES | ? |
| Save directories to HTML for website publishing | YES | ? |
| Attendance Tracking | YES | ? |
Smart Groups
| FEATURE | SERVANT KEEPER | OTHER SOFTWARE |
|---|---|---|
| Create groups based on any criteria in seconds | YES | ? |
| Create groups based on multiple criteria | YES | ? |
| “Smart Groups” maintain dynamic relationship with database (always up to date) | YES | ? |
| Build groups based on contributions | YES | ? |
| Build groups based on attendance | YES | ? |
| Build groups based on skills and attributes | YES | ? |
| Build groups based on pledging | YES | ? |
| Personalized mail merging to any group | YES | ? |
| Email any group | YES | ? |
| Access any group from anywhere in the program | YES | ? |
Contributions
| FEATURE | SERVANT KEEPER | OTHER SOFTWARE |
|---|---|---|
| Email statements | YES | ? |
| Print and Email statements for different groups for same or different date range | YES | ? |
| Run statements by groups | YES | ? |
| Add visitor on “the fly” while entering donations | YES | ? |
| Add new account on “the fly” | YES | ? |
| “Loose plate” tracking with denomination breakdown/auto calculate | YES | ? |
| Variable date range statements (quarterly, monthly, yearly, fiscal, custom) | YES | ? |
| Monthly and quarterly quick statements | YES | ? |
| Unlimited funds/accounts | YES | ? |
| Customizable funds/accounts | YES | ? |
| Entry by envelope number | YES | ? |
| Enter split contributions | YES | ? |
| Use memorized transactions for repeat donors and repeat split donations | YES | ? |
| Create combined family and/or individual statements | YES | ? |
| Track “in kind” or non-cash gifts | YES | ? |
| Pledge tracking with statements | YES | ? |
| Payment tracking with statements | YES | ? |
| Mail merge pledge and/or payment letters | YES | ? |
| Integrated online giving | YES | ? |
| Deposit slip for batch deposit | YES | ? |
| Check scanning reads amount and individual | YES | ? |
| Links with general ledgers like Quickbooks and other popular accounting programs ( peachtree, etc) | YES | ? |
| Lets you use/keep using whatever accounting/ledger program you like | YES | ? |
Mass Communication and Emergency Alert – Servant Keeper Notify
| FEATURE | SERVANT KEEPER NOTIFY | OTHER SOFTWARE |
|---|---|---|
| Syncs with your data in Servant Keeper | YES | ? |
| Uses your Servant Keeper groups and syncs for easy updating | YES | ? |
| Smart phone and web-based apps | YES | ? |
| Send Text, Voice, and Email messages | YES | ? |
| Send messages through multiple delivery types at once (multi-modal) including Facebook and Twitter | YES | ? |
| Conduct surveys and polls | YES | ? |
| Unlimited Email Delivery included | YES | ? |
| Attach video, audio, pdf files, etc to emails. | YES | ? |
| Hosts file attachments for you to save you money and prevent spam blocking | YES | ? |
| Includes FREE automated emergency weather alerts for your staff and ministry leaders | YES | ? |
| FREE mobile app for congregants for viewing archived messages and receiving notifications of new messages. | YES | ? |