|
|
I'm always on the lookout for good resources and tools to help me with my
ministry to those who support our ministry in so many ways. Here are some
recommended computer resources. Be sure to check in the discussion forums
for additional resources to help you strengthen your ministry partnerships.
Computer Software (Windows)
-
Mind
Manager - if you are into mind-mapping as a planning
technique, you need to take a look at Mind-Manager. Great for
planning, brainstorming, and other creativity related exercises.
-
Plan
Plus - this program, by Franklin Covey (the Seven Habits of
Highly Effective People), helps turn Outlook into a 7 Habits planning
tool. Very, very helpful.
Win2PDF
- this simple and inexpensive program will allow you to create Adobe
Acrobat pdf files from any Windows program. It installs as a
printer driver, and give you the option to e-mail the files that you
create. A super solution. The demo version is free, but
ads an advertisement page to the end of each pdf that it
creates. Recommended.
Help for E-Mailing Partners
High
Impact E-Mail -
this excellent program provides many pre-designed email templates that
work with Outlook and Outlook express. Recommended.
Infacta
Group Mail - the basic version of this program is free.
It is very nice for e-mail mass mailing with personalization.
Advanced features come in the paid versions of the program, but even
the free version has a lot of excellent features.
Other Donor Management / Support Development Programs
The Donor Manager isn't for everyone and
doesn't fit everyone's needs or way of doing things.
Here are some links to other similar programs I am aware of that may fit your needs better.
-
TNTMPD -
this excellent program is provided by Campus Crusade. This
flexible program has excellent support and is full featured.
Very, very nice.
Friend
Files - this is another donor management program built on an
Access foundation. Very nice with a lot of very
useful features.
-
People
Raising Tracking Program - be sure to visit Bill Dillon's
excellent site featuring his People Raising materials. He also
has a series of customized Excel worksheets to support the People
Raising approach. There are samples and screen shots available
at his site.
-
Ministry Manager - This program, currently in public beta,
is offered by Sunergeo Systems. The program helps you
track supporters, both individuals and churches, contributions,
correspondence, print labels, and does mail merge for letters
and e-mails. Data is stored in an access.mdb which makes
it easy to do custom reporting. The goal is to help you
concentrate on the ministry and not the mechanics of record
keeping.
Pocket PC Software
-
Pocket
Informant - If you get one program for your PocketPC, be
sure to take a look at Pocket Informant. It combines your
contacts, calendar, tasks, and notes into one program.
-
ListPro:
this is a great list manager for the PocketPC.
Recommended.
Palm Software
-
Life
Balance - an excellent app for the Palm (I wish there was a
Pocket PC version) to help you maintain balance in your life based on
your values and life mission.
-
Progect
- a free project, task manager, and outliner. Nice!
-
Shadow
Planner - another project manager for the Palm. Very,
very useful!
-
Agendus
6 - this great program (formerly called "Action
Names") for the Palm brings contacts, dates, and your to-do's
together into one great app.
-
Datebook
- another great date book / to do list enhancement for the Palm.
|
|
