Ann Arbor, Mich. - February 2, 2012 - The Archdiocese of Cincinnati this week named ParishSOFT's ConnectNow Church Accounting as the standard accounting system for 232 parishes and schools, representatives of both organizations announced today.  

Richard Kelly, Chief Financial Officer of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, said that he is very excited about the new capabilities the ConnectNow Church Accounting platform will deliver for the parishes, pastors and central offices of the Archdiocese. Kelly said, "Over the past several months we have been evaluating our needs, in consultation with Archbishop Dennis M. Schnurr, and his priests' council and lay advisors."  

The decision to evaluate accounting software evolved out of the Archdiocese's ongoing efforts to better support its pastors, staff, and volunteers with transparent processes, procedures, and systems. But it could not have happened without the team of approximately 20 parish business managers and other administrative staff who conducted a full assessment and needs analysis of parishes and evaluated four prospective service providers. Impressed by the teamwork and effort of the evaluation committee, Kelly said, "Our business managers did a great job performing their due diligence of the systems of the different vendors."  

While the thorough vendor evaluation process took some time, the decision on whether to move the Archdiocese to a standardized accounting technology happened early on in the process. "It was very obvious from the beginning that one unified accounting software was needed for the benefit of both the Archdiocese as well as for the parishes that it serves," said Vincent Woodall, Director of Business Affairs at St. Cecilia in Cincinnati, Ohio. "ParishSOFT is able to address all of our needs, and I look forward to the transparency that this software will create."  

Without a common system, parishes and schools are currently using a wide variety of programs and accounting methods, making consolidated financial reporting an arduous and often manual process. Having separate systems also limits the Archdiocese's ability to provide training and assistance to the people keeping the books in parishes and schools. Pastors, who bear the responsibility for their parish finances, have in the past had to learn a whole new system when they are transferred to another parish.  

ConnectNow Church Accounting will give the entire Archdiocese a way to streamline processes, get accurate financials at any time, and create an environment that fosters teamwork and collaboration.  

Chris Rauch of St. Charles Borromeo in Kettering and Angie Pfaller of St. Mary in Hyde Park each reported that serving on the evaluation committee with other parish, school, and archdiocesan staff was a pleasure. And they're both pleased with what ConnectNow Church Accounting will do for their own parish financials.  

"This project is the result of our mission to leave no stone unturned regarding the functionality, support, and security of new accounting software for all of us in the Archdiocese to use as a standard product," said Rauch. "ParishSOFT rose above the competition and met all the requirements that the team established. I can't wait to begin using ParishSOFT at St. Charles!"  

Pfaller is also looking forward to implementing ConnectNow Ledger and Payables at St. Mary, and she is confident that the evaluation committee has made the right decision for the parishes and schools of the Archdiocese. "We examined a number of products," said Pfaller, "and in the end, we selected ParishSOFT as the system that met all of our criteria."  

Both Rauch and Pfaller are likely candidates for inclusion in the pilot program rollout, in which a small group of approximately 15 parishes will be the first in the Archdiocese to receive training and change over from their current programs to the ConnectNow Church Accounting system. They'll be using a standard chart of accounts and standard accounting practices, and their financials will roll up to the Archdiocese automatically via the Financial Consolidation Manager.  

The pilot program rollout is just one component of ParishSOFT's proven approach to organized and collaborative project planning, chart of accounts and standards design, user orientations and training. Introductory orientation sessions for parish staff took place in January, and parishes and schools will be scheduled to transition to ConnectNow in groups over a 15-18 month period. Archdiocesan and ParishSOFT staff serving together on the project implementation team anticipate that all 232 parishes and schools will be live on the ConnectNow Church Accounting system by July 2013.  

Mike Cusick, ParishSOFT Vice President of Marketing and Sales, said, "We had to prove to a very engaged evaluation committee that our Web-based ConnectNow Church Accounting would be the best choice for all the parishes and schools in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati. They made it clear that they were looking out for the best interests of everybody and would settle for nothing less than a system that met all their criteria. The dedicated people of ParishSOFT look forward to serving the Archdiocese and every individual user with that same level of mission-centered dedication."  

About the Archdiocese of Cincinnati  

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati is the 38th largest Catholic diocese in the country, with almost 500,000 Catholics, and has the eighth largest network of Catholic schools in terms of enrollment. The 19-county territory includes 214 parishes and 113 Catholic primary and secondary schools.  

For more information about the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, please visit www.catholiccincinnati.org.  

About ParishSOFT  

Founded in 1998, ParishSOFT offers a complete suite of church and diocesan management software to connect people and the church and to reduce administrative work.  

The company's Web-based ConnectNow Church Accounting system, launched in 2008, is the next generation of the CMS Fund Accounting software, first introduced in the mid 1980s by ParishSOFT's sister company Church Management Solutions. The ConnectNow Church Accounting suite includes the modules Ledger and Payables and Payroll, with an Accounts Receivable module coming in 2012. From its earliest beginnings, the ParishSOFT and CMS accounting products have been designed to meet the unique accounting and stewardship needs of churches and schools, while offering the same ease of use and affordability found in secular programs, like QuickBooks�.  

ParishSOFT continually invests in improving its software and web solutions, as well as adding new features and products. ParishSOFT presently serves more than 5,600 parishes, and the company's products have been implemented in 52 arch/diocesan offices.  

Please visit www.parishsoft.com for more information about ParishSOFT's products, services, and its annual Users' Conference for parish and diocesan staff.