I started thinking about this a couple of weeks ago during a customer care call in which the Executive Pastor shared with me his major goal for using Churchteams in the new year. I thought it was a great idea worth sharing.
So, here are 5 suggestions with questions to get you started. All of these came from real conversations our team has had with current clients.
Use Online Registration for VBS. The Executive Pastor I talked to shared that VBS registration was his goal for Churchteams in the new year. He has been aware of the possibility to do this for a few years, but always reverted back to the "old way" which was much more cumbersome but familiar. I look forward to hearing from him how it goes as we get into the second quarter of the new year. This Knowledge Base article shows you how.
What cumbersome registration process needs to be improved?
Receive Pledges Using Registration with a Landing Page. On another call I learned that their church is planning to launch a pledge campaign in January. I reminded him of the new pledge campaign registration process. His concern was for the use and quality of marketing materials. I suggested he take the design of the marketing materials that they have invested in and use it to create a Landing Page hosted in Churchteams. Then, embed the pledge registration into the landing page. Lastly, we talked about using a Text-to-Church keyword and/or a QR code to direct people to the landing page to make (and enter) their pledge.
How can you creatively use landing pages this year?
Build a New Workflow. We've noticed that a lot of churches have either not yet looked at workflows or they've built one or two that they may or may not be using. The first time guest follow up is probably the most popular workflow because of our promotion of it. But there are a ton of other ways to use them. I've written entire blog series' on this topic in the past. Scan through the Automation category on the blog for ideas.
What ongoing guest, member, equipping, volunteer, or pastoral care process could you automate?
Create and Reuse a Volunteer Schedule. Creating and managing volunteer schedules can be challenging because it involves many moving parts. We've been working on a best in class level solution for a lot of years now and have gotten really good at it. Want people to block out dates or get their own subs? No problem? Use text to remind volunteers they're serving this weekend? Definitely. Re-use schedules over and over or pre-plan for a quarter or semester? Yep. The Volunteers webinar will help you get started.
Who on your team could benefit from the use of volunteer scheduling?
Expand Your Use of Texting. The stats we've seen indicate 97% of Americans text every day and 90% of texts are opened within 3 minutes. Start by sending outbound texts. Expand to giving, registering and check-in with inbound texts. Advance to workflow and two-way texting. Finally, master database access by text. Text-to-Church combines all of these in a single platform.
What can texting do for you in 2023?
The way to accomplish your ministry vision is by developing supportive strategies and programs. But the way to accomplish your strategies and programs is through increased competency with your church software. So, as you set vision and strategy goals, don't forget to include use of church software. You'll be glad you did.