Ministry Vault
Tech for the Local Church
Choosing a Web Designer
Aug 27th
Who do you trust? Who is the expert? How do you know if a web designer is worth his weight in salt?
FULL DISCLOSURE: I am a web designer. My policy is to give away information and sell a service. Early in the process with clients, I go through a “discovery” phase – finding out where they stand with their site, then I take them through a teaching phase- so that the decisions that follow are informed. This is when I often find that the clients have had a bad run with their last “webmaster” (I use that term lightly). Hindsight is 20/20 and this is a particularly hard lesson when a bad website is publicly displaying your decisions… for better or worse.
Here are a few questions you might ask to ensure your decision to hire a company or individual is a good one: More >
Is Google Apps Church Management Software?
Aug 21st
During the last MinistryVault.com podcast recording (coming soon to an itunes near you), we got into a discussion of the tech that pastors use everyday to be more efficient. We – ok, I – talked at length about All-In-One church management systems versus Google Applications. For those who missed it or want a brief, “ICanHazLinks2ShareW/MyChurchTreasurer” summary, here’s a quick recap of what is out there and how Google measures up.
More >
Are You Using Online Surveys?
Aug 17th
Feedback is critical to leadership and making sound decisions. But most leaders don’t have the time to poll more than a few individuals for their take on an event or new idea. Keep reading for some great online survey tools! More >
Episodes 1, 2 & 3 of Our Podcast
Jul 14th
Check out our first three episodes of our Ministry Vault podcast.
Subscribe Here: http://portablesermons.com/ministryvault
Or Here: http://itunes.apple.com/podcast/ministry-vault/id382190586
Facebook Fan Page Design – Part 2: Create a Micro Site
Jul 14th
In part 1 of our series, we covered adding the FBML (Facebook Markup Language) application to our Fan Page. It shows up as a tab and accepts some basic HTML. One great example of this from Part 1 is here. Now we will move on to a more advanced technique that allows us to hide and reveal different sections of our page to mimic a micro site – a webpage within a webpage. More >
Joining PDF Files in Preview (Mac)
Jun 29th
Macs handle PDF files natively (no extra software required). This is one more reason on my ever-growing list to switch to a Mac. Joining two PDF files could not be easier. More >
What can I get the iPhone 4 ?
Jun 24th
So much hype surrounds this little update from Apple, its hard to overstate the success of the product. And this is day 1. The product has been over-covered and over-reviewed, so I won’t attempt to give a full review just yet. If you do want a great review, I recommend THIS ONE over at Engadget. But, if you are up for a little editorial review, read on. More >
Online Image Conversion
Jun 24th
Have you ever run across a file that won’t open in any software that you have installed on your computer? Have you ever received a file that you KNEW you COULD open, if you had $1200 to buy Adobe Creative Suite?
Go2Convert.com to the rescue. More >
Online Giving & Landing Pages
Jun 24th
Landing pages allow you to customize the content to the reader who has just clicked through from an ad or special offer kind of click. These pages don’t have to show up in your regular website menus/navigation.
If you have an online giving option on your website (you do have that, right?), have you thought about what the donor sees after successfully sending money to your church?
Enter the ‘Thank You’ page.
Here are some best practices based on Hubspot’s blog article Thank You, Come Again!: Best Practices for Thank You Pages:
- Thank Them. Well, duh! Put yourself in their shoes and ask yourself what you’d like to see if you had just given money. Be sincere but not cheesy.
- Set Great Expectations. Will you send them a tax receipt? A written thank you? What are you going to do with their money? Let them know what happens next.
- Suggest They Follow You. Are you on FaceBook or Twitter? Invite them to be more involved in your ministry/cause by joining your circle of friends
- Better Yet: Suggest They Tell Their Friends. They’ve already given you a vote of confidence by their donation. Suggest they invite you into their circle of friends. Get the word out!
Don’t miss the opportunity to involve your donors in the mission & ministry of your church. People love to be a part of something bigger than themselves, and especially love being part of a ‘winning team’.
What good ideas could you add to this?
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