 In This Issue
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Save the Date! 
Join us this fall in
Dearborn, Michigan!
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Accept Gifts from a Swipe Terminal
If your church is enrolled in Online Giving, you can purchase a swipe terminal and accept onsite donations or payments from debit and credit cards. Swipe terminals give members and parish visitors another convenient way to make a donation or payment for things like a retreat, class, or parish dinner. The terminal connects securely via the Internet to your existing Sage Merchant Account, and funds are deposited just as they are for Online Giving. The same low credit card rates available through Online Giving apply.  | | Call Linga McClair! |
To learn more, contact Linga McClair at 866.930.4774 or lmcclair@parishsoft.com. |
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e-Filing Your W-2s
If you're using ConnectNow Payroll, you can file your W-2s electronically with these three easy steps:
- In ConnectNow Payroll, click the Forms icon.
- Click W-2 Electronic Filing.
- Click the Transmit W-2s button.
From there, create an account and e-file!
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Great Winter Reads
Stewardship by the Book, by Sharon Hueckel, download from Our Sunday Visitor.
The Role of Your ParishSOFT Data in Stewardship (by ParishSOFT)
Why Every Church Needs Accounting Standards and a REAL Accounting System (by ParishSOFT)
Living Your Strengths (by Albert L. Winseman, D. Min., Donald O. Clifton, Ph.D., and Curt Liesveld, M.Div.)
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 Greet 2012 with a New Attitude of Gratitude When was the last time someone said "thank you" to you, and really meant it from the heart? It feels wonderful to know our gifts are appreciated.
Gratitude is a beautiful gift to receive as well as to give. And January is the perfect time to look at the true substance of your thank you messages and evaluate what you're really saying to members. Learn specific ways to say thanks with sincerity, humility and grace and amp up your parish's attitude of gratitude in our column in this month's Christian Computing Magazine. Get the full article here.
We owe a big thank-you to Sharon Hueckel, who inspired this article with her workshops on stewardship, spirituality, and gratitude at our 2011 ParishSOFT Users' Conference.
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"Maiden Name" Tops List of Parish Suite 3.7.34 Updates
The 3.7.34 release of the Parish Suite brings some exciting enhancements to your ParishSOFT programs. We've reorganized the data fields for member information to make the Maiden Name visible at the top (but only if the member is female and has a matrimony record in the system). We've also added "Orthodox Christian" to the list of available Religion choices, and we've changed the default settings for the Religion field so that they vary based on the member's status.
All users can see the Maiden Name, Religion, and Date Deceased fields; but only those with Add/Edit rights can make changes. Sacrament templates have also been updated to use the mother's maiden name if it's in ParishSOFT.
New Location for the Maiden Name Field!
Please see the release notes for more on updates to the Family Directory, NotifyNow, Email, Offering & Pledges, Religious Education, Time & Talent, and Reports (including the new Non-performing Pledges Report).
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| 385 New Online Giving Churches in 2011!
799 churches are now using Online Giving. And 385 of them signed up in 2011. That's more than one church per day!
In fact, 56,330 families are using Online Giving to contribute millions to churches ($3,688,059.65 in 2011 alone), directly from their bank accounts or credit cards. They're writing fewer checks! It's a trend so pronounced that the Federal Reserve has closed 44 of its 45 check processing facilities since 2003. And the International Catholic Stewardship Conference has stated, "The availability of donations by electronic funds transfer is the single most important factor in increasing annual offertory per parish...."
 Online Giving lets church members choose the giving method that best aligns with the way they are managing their other major financial obligations. And donors who switch from using envelopes to Online Giving significantly increase their annual giving.
Of course, the decision to change how they contribute is a voluntary one for members, and adding Online Giving doesn't mean those donors who prefer using the envelope system are left out.
Adding Online Giving could be the best financial decision your church will make this year! Learn more in our free educational webinar. Just click to register on the date that works for you.
"Online Giving Made Easy" Webinar Schedule
Wed, Feb 1, 2:00 - 3:00 PM EST
Fri, Feb 10, 10:00 - 11:00 AM EST
Other dates
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Top 5 Excuses for NOT Attending Conference!
- Being around other Catholics who work for the church scares the bejeebers out of me!
- My office, maybe the entire Catholic Church, may collapse if I leave my desk.
- I'm already so spiritually fulfilled and efficient in my work that there's no room for improvement.
- Our members are so engaged in parish life that every ministry is fulfilled...no way could we be doing anything better.
- We can't afford it.
(Trust us: You can't afford NOT to be there!)
But let's get serious: The ParishSOFT Users' Conference is an experience that will change the way you think and work. You'll return to work with new ideas, best practices, and a re-ignited passion and energy for ministry. Need approval from your pastor or finance council? Download our Conference Justification Template letter and edit as you like.
Join us, Oct. 8-10, 2012, in Dearborn, Michigan!
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Latest ParishSOFT Versions
Have questions about the latest update? Give ParishSOFT Support a call at 866.930.4774 x2.
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