Marg PowerChurch Plus

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

Um... set-up is pretty easy. It allows you to import congregation members, although I have never tried that.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

It cannot run a list of contributors by envelope number and also alphabetical by name.
Also, if you enter a date wrong it cannot change the date of a batch of data. You have to completely delete the data and re-enter. Excel would honestly be more useful.

What features/services would you like to see in future versions of this product?

For it to be able to meet a church's basic needs, that'd be fantastic. I dread everytime I have to contact customer support because I know they won't be able to help me. They are friendly and do what they can, but it is just a useless product with no support for basic features a church might use on a practical week-to-week basis.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

I bought the software in August and started setting it up in November for January use. A new version was released in September. I called and asked to speak to management too see if I could get an upgrade since I hadn't actually started using it yet. They were SO RUDE.
At one point I was put on "hold", but really the receiver was put down and I could hear the owner telling the office admin that he didn't want to speak to me. It was immature and unprofessional. When he did speak to me he tried to sound "Very Important" and told me that he had to go because he had a meeting with a phone much larger church who wanted

But the really dumb part. What I needed was a list of contributors for the Envelope Steward, sorted by envelope number. This is a very basic list most churches will want. But the way PowerChurch works, it included all members of the household (including small children?) in that list. So it was about 5 times as long as I needed it to be. I just need the head of the household, the person who a tax receipt might be issued to.

Apparently the new version had this feature, but I'd need to pay an extra $500 for a program I was already unhappy with (no thanks). Apparently the "very important" church on the phone call had the new version and was unhappy with just households printing and that they couldn't print a list with all the members individually. Naturally different churches have different needs and PowerChurch software fails to recognize this. They are attempting to make a one-size-fits all solution.

Anyway, I am reviewing today because today I realized there was an error in my contributions. I had entered them for 02/22/18 instead of 05/22/18, a slip of the finger. When I called I found out there was NO WAY to batch change the date. I have to delete all the records and enter them again. More and more I feel like... a simple program like Excel can do this.

I see the value in specialized church software, sure. But there is no value in PowerChurch as of June 2018. Stick with HeavenCent, start yourself an excel spreadsheet, or just look elsewhere.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

This platform has an amazing database system which is really helpful when it comes to keeping records of members and tracking donations that can be integrated into an accounting app. I also love the calendar feature which helps in monitoring and planning events. I also love the feature where our pastor can plan schedules and organize sermons. The interface is really cool, too. It's user-friendly, affordable, and really neat!

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

It's a great platform. I have no complaints.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

This software really helps in managing various groups/units in our church. Decision-making is easier when you have a bird's eye view of what's going on in different units of the church.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

I love how it was designed exactly with the needs of non-profit organizations in mind.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

It's not well-integrated with iOS devices.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

This app improved our church's documentation and reporting, as well as the organization and internal communications.

Are you a current user of this product?

No

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

PowerChurch is cloud-based so it's easily accessible wherever you are, or whatever device you're using.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

The check-in module is not available online.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

We found its modules really useful in keeping information about our members, and in keeping track of donations and financial activities.

Are you a current user of this product?

No

PROS & CONS

What are the best aspects of this product?

This software helps us monitor our church's finances and keep information of our community members.

What aspects are problematic or could work better?

Producing reports containing only the information I needed is a little challenging. Customizing the reports should be easier.

What specific problems in your company were solved by this product?

This makes administrative work easier because everything can be done with just this one program.

Are you a current user of this product?

Yes