As a church ministry leader, you know there is nothing more rewarding than seeing your church spread the Gospel, make disciples, and positively impact the community. At its core, your ministry is about serving God, and it’s easy to put all other administrative tasks on the back burner while you do so.
However, church accounting is critical to ensuring your ministry uses its resources wisely, fosters financial transparency, and ultimately fulfills its mission. That’s where accounting software comes into play. Technology can centralize your church’s financial operations and records, helping your team manage its money and create accurate reports for your congregation and important stakeholders.
Let’s review the steps your church should take when choosing accounting software.
Understand Your Church’s Financial Needs
Church accounting is unique in that its focus is on reinvesting every dollar into your mission and demonstrating this approach to your congregation. As Jitasa’s church accounting guide explains, these differentiators require churches to look for accounting software that can handle their specific needs, such as:
- Tracking all types of contributions, including those with donor restrictions and non-cash gifts, such as stock and crypto donations
- Creating your budget and comparing it to actual spending and revenue generation
- Compiling financial statements and exporting them to share with leadership or in your church’s annual report
- Filing necessary tax forms, depending on the regulations your church must adhere to based on its income or the state in which it operates
These tasks are foundational for maintaining financial transparency and earning the continued trust of your congregation. When done well, they also support stronger strategic planning for a more impactful ministry down the road.
Create a checklist of features like the ones above that you consider “must-haves” when choosing church accounting software. This checklist will serve as a great starting point when narrowing down your options and can ensure that everyone who has a hand in the purchase is aligned on what to look for.
Many churches find that consulting a professional accountant adds another layer of confidence to their software decision, especially if no one currently on staff has financial expertise. Research accounting firms with church- or nonprofit-specific experience to ensure you receive advice tailored to your unique financial needs. These firms may set your church up with the accounting systems they use, meaning your church won’t have to look for its own solution.
Consider Additional Software Characteristics
Once you’ve mapped out your must-have features, assess practical software considerations. Like any digital tool, church accounting software should align with your organization’s size, structure, and operational comfort level.
Key software characteristics to look for include:
- Customization: Can the solution be tailored to your church’s unique workflow needs and expectations?
- User-friendliness: Is the accounting software intuitive for team members with varying technical skills?
- Security: What certifications or measures does the software offer that guarantee its ability to protect sensitive financial and donor data?
- Customer support: Is help readily available when technical issues arise?
- Integrations: Does the platform connect with your donor management, payroll, fundraising, or church management software?
- Scalability: Can the platform grow with your church?
- Budget: Does the accounting software’s cost align with your church’s resources?
- Implementation timeline: How long will it take to get fully onboarded with the software, and can your church reasonably handle the implementation process?
Prioritize the characteristics that are most important to your church. For example, churches that are on a tighter budget should limit their search to the solutions that are in their price range. Or, if your church is growing rapidly, the software’s cost may be less of a concern than its ability to keep up with your increasing revenue and expenses.
While most software adheres to necessary accounting standards, it’s always worth double-checking a platform’s compliance before investing. Software that enforces standard practices can prevent costly errors, especially for smaller churches where financial tasks are handled by volunteers or part-time staff.
Make Your Decision Collaboratively
Choosing church accounting software should be a team effort, involving anyone in your church who will interact with the solution. Gather input from your board members, bookkeeper, or any other member of the church who will use the software to ensure it’s a good fit across the board.
Here are a few tips for gathering feedback:
- Read product reviews or talk to peers in your church network: Learn from others’ experiences with the platforms you’re considering. Make sure to ask for input from those managing congregations of similar sizes or financial operations.
- Schedule demos for your top choices: Many software sales teams will allow your church to test their accounting tool for free. Ask to see the software in action so you can clarify how well it matches your needs and how intuitive it will be for your team.
- Form a decision-making committee: Consider asking a group of church leaders or congregation members to spearhead the search for accounting software. This group may include administrative staff, tech-savvy volunteers, or a combination of both, and should be tasked with evaluating software options and presenting their findings to leadership.
Once you’ve settled on a platform, schedule training sessions to onboard your team smoothly. Take advantage of vendor-provided training resources or develop internal documentation to ensure consistent usage across your team.
Don’t forget to gather feedback post-implementation as well. Use surveys or informal discussions to understand what’s working and what needs adjustment once you’ve started using the software for your everyday needs.
Choosing church accounting software is an involved process with high-yield rewards. With the right tools in place, your church can confidently manage its finances and focus more on its calling.
Establish ongoing maintenance and review procedures to ensure your accounting software remains effective over time. Appoint a point person or team to own system management, and regularly schedule audits to assess the software’s effectiveness.
By evaluating your church’s needs, considering practical software features, and involving your team in the decision, you’ll be well-positioned to find an accounting system that supports your church’s current and future financial activities.
ACS Technologies
ACS Technologies sets a new standard in church technology, offering a holistic suite of solutions that streamline administrative tasks and empower your staff to excel in their roles and your church to excel in your community.
In the ever-evolving landscape of church engagement and management, ACS Technologies rises above the rest. Our comprehensive church solutions, bespoke digital offerings, streamlined communication tools, comprehensive ministry consulting, and training make us the trusted choice for over fifty thousand churches. Experience the ACS Technologies advantage and elevate your church’s online presence, connectivity, and generosity today. Join us in redefining church technology for the digital age, where your ministry’s success becomes our shared mission.
