Free church management software

Let's see...

First post.... Advertising a program...

This won't take long.

 

Um...I thought that's what this particular forum was for? Especially the thread that discusses free software?

 

The software doesn't work. Before it can be installed, it says Microsoft Access 2010 Runtime must be installed.

I downloaded and installed MS Access 2010 Runtime and restarted my PC as per the instructions.

Then I attempted to install the ... software. It keeps wanting me to install the Access 2010, which it says is downloadable off of the churchtrac download page. It will not recognize the Access even though I installed it on the PC. And so the circle begins....

My assessment? The OP needs to check out the software before presenting it.

 

my experience with "free church software" of any kind has not been good at all.

 

I downloaded it some time ago on my laptop and it worked fine. I just downloaded it on my main computer and won't install, asking for Access even though I have Access 2007 installed.

Downloading their runtime, will give it a go later when I get home.

You could email them and see if they have help for you, I'd guess they might have some ideas, or maybe an FAQ.

 

ACS isn't cheap, but it sure is good.

 

Installed Access runtime, then installed Church trac and all went well - works.

It looks good, you can put 100 people in before needing to upgrade.

69 for 250 names and up to 279 for unlimited names.

 

Not to dismiss the free offer -- I have no experience with that software -- but most of our computers already feature some office suite that includes a database like Microsoft Access. No further software is actually required to track membership, etc. In fact, many church tracking packages just tap into Access with a shell to make input of data easier.

For small churches that do not have the funds available to purchase a big name software package, there is always "Open Office" which has many of the same software parts (word editor, database, presentation, spread sheet, information manager) as name brands. It is a product presented by Sun Microsystems, a big name player in the computer world. I've used it and it works very well, and can even read some Microsoft files.

It can be downloaded for free here:

http://www.openoffice.org/

 

What is ACS?

 

Spam is spam, no matter what is being advertised/pushed. Plus this is not "free" except for the very basics.

Adios, muchacho.

 

ACS lets you keep up with your folks. Like this:

I have around 200 students on roll at our church. Constantly, there's changes--addresses, phones, schools, etc. This program is a "central place" for you to keep that information. And you're able to create infinite numbers of "groups" and place those people in those groups. So Jessica, a 12th-grader, is going on a youth mission trip. Therefore, I create a group, and 'tag' Jessica for that. If I want to send out a letter to all participants of the trip, a couple of clicks and I'm done. And when we update people's info, that's automatically updated when I send that letter. If I have a simple postcard to send out, I'm able to do an "export" and print two-sided on card-stock, cut it out, and all I have to do is stamp it. What would have taken me an hour or two to do, I can do in 5-10 minutes now.

We also keep our Sunday School rolls & attendance on there. Instead of attendance books, we just print a class roster every week. They make any changes on it; we change it the next week. Much easier to see who's been coming, or not.

Finally, there's a financial module. Everything we do financially (checks, payroll, budget, etc.) is done on here. W-4 forms, taxes, giving records, and the like are all generated. Needless to say, I'm not familiar with it (by design--I'm the "ACS People" guy--but I can't, and don't want, financial access or info). But I'm told it's a really good financial program.

I've been in a church of 150 that used it; and the church I'm in now (several times larger) also does. THe bigger you get, the more value it becomes. The fee for support is a little steep, but you get good support.

Hope that helps.

 

First off, my apologies cbtaylor. I assumed that this was just another "sales pitch" advertisement. I was wrong, and I apologize.

I checked out the program, downloaded and installed the free version. It is truly free. Good looking program.

Again, my apologies.

 

I am an admin on a different board (a computer help forum). Your post sounded identical to the many I delete and ban on a regular basis for spamming. That may not have been your intention, but it sure sounded it in my ears.

My apologies.

 

When it comes to church management software, there are almost too many options to count but using a web based software is better.
The greatest benefit of Web Based Church Management Software is the ability to access your information from anywhere with internet access like your Church Administration Office, Home or even in travel. This is possible since your information is housed in highly secure database repository which provides you with 24 hours, 365 days a year access to you information anywhere with the internet.