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Website & Technology

How to Set Up a Free Church Database Template Quickly and Easily

Author: Sayana Izmailova
October 2, 2020
Contents
🕑 4 min read

If you run a church membership program, you know first hand how important it is to stay organized and be able to easily and effectively communicate with your members.

Say, for example, that you’d like to send out additional reading materials to everyone who attended a particular sermon. How easily can you find everyone’s email address and send a mass email?

Or maybe you’d like to recruit volunteers for a specific task, such as helping out to set up a virtual service? Do you know which of your community members have expressed interest in volunteering?

Not to mention, the current COVID-19 situation has only intensified the need for quick and easy ways to manage and communicate with your community.

In order to keep your congregation informed, up-to-date and engaged, you likely need a functional website that’s easy to update, as well as a robust email communication system.

Does this sound like a lot of work?

It actually doesn’t have to be!

Thanks to membership management software like WildApricot, you can set up your church database in just one afternoon — it’s as easy as importing a spreadsheet of contacts.

Once you’ve done that, you’ll be ready to take advantage of all the great functions that membership management software has to offer.

Not only will you have a clean record of all your members and their information, but you’ll be able to build a website for your church, send automated emails, process online donations and much more!

Plus, WildApricot is so easy to navigate that even volunteers can quickly get up to speed and start using it.

What is Church Management Software?

You can save both time and money when you use membership management software to manage your church. It can help automate most of your administrative tasks and includes tools such as:

  • Easy Website Builder: Use pre-made templates to create and update your church website (no tech experience necessary).
  • Online Event Registration: Create and manage events like meetings, Bible classes, special outings and more. Plus, easily manage registration, send automated reminder emails and track attendance.
  • Robust Contact Database: Maintain detailed records of all your members in an easy-to-search online database that you can access from a desktop or mobile device.
  • Professionally Designed Emails: Send beautiful newsletters and email communications to your members to keep them up-to-date.
  • Exclusive Member Login: Allow members to create their own password protected profiles and access exclusive resources on your website.

The #1 Choice for Membership Management Software

WildApricot is the #1 rated membership management software used by over 29,000 nonprofits, clubs, associations and religious communities across North America. You can try a free, 60-day trial of WildApricot and have your church set up with a professional-looking website and member database in just an afternoon.

Free Trial WildApricot

Cycling Club Management Software“I use WildApricot for three non-profit foster parent associations. After using other competitive services, I find that they have the best mix on price and performance. Most functionality can actually be done by non-techies! Yet they still allow for customization by those that know CSS and HTML. I recommend WildApricot for any small to mid-sized membership organization that wants to consolidate their member, donor and event databases into a single reliable solution.”

– Dennis Seger, National Foster Parent Association, Greater Denver Area

How WildApricot’s Automated Features Save You Time

Imagine that you could automate all of your administrative tasks and spend more time connecting with your congregation.

Well, with WildApricot, you can do exactly that.You’ll be able to easily register new members, track their attendance at church events, send out regular communications, update your website and much more!Many membership managers report saving 20 hours a week or more in administrative work.

If you’d like to save this kind of time too, I encourage you to start your free, 60-day trial of WildApricot now.

Wild-Apricot-features

WildApricot has dozens of other features that can help you save time, including:

  • A membership directory
  • A mobile app to manage your church on the go
  • An app for members
  • Membership reports
  • Financial reports
  • Free, unlimited support
  • And much more!

Getting Started With Your Own Free Church Database Template

Click here to start a free, 60-day trial of WildApricot. This will allow you to quickly and easily put together your church membership database using our easy templates.

Even better, it’s free for up to 50 members.To access your free trial, simply enter your info and click Activate your WildApricot account.

activate-your-trial

Once your account is activated, you’ll be asked if you’d like help setting up your trial. If you choose yes, then you’ll be taken through an easy set-up guide that will help you hit the ground running.

If you choose to skip the guide, you’ll be taken straight into the back end of your new WildApricot membership management system.

optional-setup-guide

Once you’ve started your free trial, you’ll be able to create membership levels, customize your database fields, and add your first members, either manually or by importing a spreadsheet. For a complete guide on setting up your membership database template,check out this post.

You can also use your website to register new members who will then automatically be added to your member database by creating achurch membership form.

Plus, you take it one step further and display a member directory on your website, either publicly or in aprivate member-only area.

For example, check out how theGalveston-Houston Archdiocesan Catholic Committee for Youth Organizationsdisplays a directory of available mentors within their community:

Galveston-Houston Archdiocesan Catholic Committee for Youth Organizations

For more details on how to create a member directory on your church website, check out this post.

So there you have it! A church membership database will save you tons of time and money and will help keep your members engaged and connected through COVID-19 and beyond.

Start a free trial of WildApricot and see for yourself!

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