All ParishSOFT Reviews
1-25 of 108 Reviews
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Mike
Environmental Services, 11 - 50 employees
Used more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
3
Reviewed April 2022
Not A Fan
Sr. Marie
Education Management, 51-200 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
We are Efficient and Effective because We use ParishSoft
We are running efficiently and effectively. I have used ParishSoft for 10 years and have enjoyed growing with their help!
PROSI like that ParishSoft is specifically designed for Religious Education programming. I love the fact that the program continues to grow. Users are asked for feedback and evaluations. The company is responsive to needs and provides gracious, capable customer service.
CONSI have no complaints. I am a very satisfied costumer!
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
I found an advertisement left behind by the former director of religious ed in my desk drawer. I researched it and decided to try it. I have never had reason to look elsewhere. This is what I needed.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
The public school platform was designed for public school use. It was not responsive to the scheduling of religious education nor did it have portals for sacramental records. I inherited this program but found ConnectNow which then became ParishSoft. It is designed for parish functioning.
Betsy
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2020
Still learning after several years of use!
Overall, I like using the Family Suite. It is easy to input data to, and I think, it's very user friendly. I like the reports it makes. But I need to learn how to modify those reports. I'm sure there is a way..just haven't had the time to investigate. Also, whenever I have had to call Customer Service, which, lately, has been almost daily, or more, whomever I get is VERY patient with me and VERY helpful and knowledgeable! I would give them all 5 stars!
PROSMy church became a Collaborative with another church about two years ago. When that happened I needed access to both parishes. At first, I would need to log into the two different software's separately, but after contacting ParishSoft's GREAT Customer Service, they were able to make it so I can log in once and toggle from one parish to another! THAT makes my life at work MUCH better!!
CONSEven after using ParishSoft for many years now, I am still learning new 'tricks'. The only thing that bugs me is when I toggle from one parish to the other and say, go to the Family Directory, and want to look up a family, then go to a different tab, like Religious Ed, the parish I'm looking at doesn't stay there! It reverts back to the previous parish. I've mentioned this to their Customer Service reps, and THEY have the same problem...and they deal with a lot more than 2 parishes! I think that when you choose parish #1 and want to work there, it should stay at #1 until you choose to go to parish #2. I'm not a software person, but there must be a way to do that.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
The Archdiocese of Boston personnel did their research for all of the parishes and they decided on ParishSoft....which I'm glad they did! I don't recall what we had before (it was about 12 years ago), but whatever we had we gave the data to ParishSoft and they converted it to their software! At first there were some glitches. But, all in all, their software is fantastic, and easy to use!
Rebecca
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
3
EASE OF USE
1
VALUE FOR MONEY
2
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
2
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed August 2023
Very unhappy
I have VERY unhappy with ParishSoft system as a whole including the online giving that has had constant issues since day one and all the team members I have worked with over the last several months have all quit leaving me with having to explain issues we have had over and over again. They also do not communicate well between departments. I am currently looking to switch to another system as soon as our contract is up. I would never recommend ParishSoft Systems!!
PROSVery friendly staff to deal with when help is needed, which is often. Unfortunately they have a VERY high rate of turnover and you have to keep all emails and notes regarding your account and any issues you may have.
CONSThey have made numerous "upgrades" and they constantly glitch! They system is not consistent and frequently crashes. You only have so much time to work and the system logs you out.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
Better product and many other churches use OSV.
Joe
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
St. John the Evangelist Church (Greece, NY)
I often praise the full functionality of the product and how the various modules are integrated, but find certain nuisances VERY annoying.
PROSIntegration of modules; Ease of creating and editing Batches; editing individual entries one at a time or many at a time; flexibility around designing and printing Annual Giving Reports and Batch Reports; ability to retrieve Batches; ability to add "Funds" to our giving list; ability to add Donors on the fly, ability to have access to Family Suite while entering donations.
CONS1. the "type ahead" function is - to me - very clunky - I am constantly having to retype whole or partial entries until I catch up with software. I have uses software for many years and have never run into this type of issue!! 2. when I am reviewing a batch I often cycle between posting entries and often editing entries but when I return to the "Contribution" list for the batch I have to re-type the Batch Name again with all the attendant issues mentioned above with the "type ahead" function. Why can't you keep the most recent Batch Name in the Box? Also, that Batch Name rarely appears in the Drop-down box. 4. I almost always select the 100 entries option when I review a Batch but I have to re-select this option every time I go back to the Batch. Why can't I have 100 entries be the default for a session once I select it?
Alicia
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
2
VALUE FOR MONEY
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed September 2020
Still Learning
I just wish it was more user friendly, with the ability to go in and make corrections when necessary. Especially since most parishes have volunteers to help out. But volunteers are prone to mistakes. I hope that after using it for a few years I will become more proficient but with so much to know I am not sure how long that will take. I would really like to have personal training in the software because of how much we would like to use it for we've recently purchased additional modules to expand our use but I have yet to find time to train.
PROSI love that EVERYTHING can be organized by one software package. Our Diocese wants every Parish on it. It's great that if a parish Family moves their records can move with them. Admittedly I am still learning and there are training modules for everything they are a bit time consuming but I am glad you provide them.
CONSThere are plenty of digital payment options that would cost the church a lot less. Perhaps it does too much because sometimes getting reports on information I need seems inaccurate, certainly clumsy. Admittedly I am responsible for more than the average user but there are clumsy processes that you absolutely must remember or the data will be wrong. Then going back in to correct anything is a nightmare. If the weekly contributions are not entered correctly or the day they are counted you cannot change things later very effectively, then it will not show up in the year end report correctly. That said I just wish it was more user friendly, with the ability to go in and make corrections when necessary. Especially since most parishes have volunteers to help out. But volunteers are prone to mistakes.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
The Diocese mandate is ParishSOFT
Kathryn
Non-Profit Organization Management, 2-10 employees
Used daily for less than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
Smart Organization for a Parish
From this bookkeeper's point of view, being able to track Family Giving within the Family Directory is a huge deal. I love that Online Giving is easily integrated as well. When I began a couple of years ago, there were notebooks and different programs for different purposes. Now, everything we need is within ParishSOFT, one program to learn, one to open throughout the day, and it's actually becoming automatic and so much easier. Customer Service is very patient and helpful, and I've actually not needed to call in a couple of months. The resources that I print are all I need if I have a situation I'm not clear about. All in all, I can easily keep track of parishioners, addresses, giving, and communication.
PROSFamily Suite is a well-organized way to keep track of ever-changing addresses, financial data, and members of our organization. Once learned, changes are easy and quick to make!
CONSThere is no shortcut for experience to make this easier, but when I first used Family Suite, I had a couple of months of anxiety. There are many step-by-step printable directions, for every possible situation, but I still found myself needing to call Customer Support for "live help." This is all to say: ParishSOFT Family Suite is complex!
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
Our Diocese chose this program.
Catalina
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed August 2020
My experience with parish soft
I am very pleased. I do pretty much everything on it. Family lists, keepin up with registrations, religious ed, mailouts, deposits and end of year contributions statements.
PROSI like the religious education module and the financial capabilities of this program
CONSat first we had a hard time with lag times to get online. the systems was slow and frustrating. but it got better after our IT department contacted parishsoft.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
I don't know
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
The diocese made the change.
Martina
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed September 2020
Administrative Assistant
Not as user friendly as ParishSoft Accounting but okay
PROSLike online registration feature Like that you can like family suite with religious education
CONSI can't edit the email sent to new users Can't get all the information I need from new users unless I send a follow up email Would like to click save only once when entering a new family
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
N/A
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
Former provider sold company
Kathleen
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
Functionality of Parish Soft Family Suite
Over all, it does give me a lot of what I need to complete a task or when inputting data.
PROSMany different areas are connected and share information
CONSWhen Inputting sacraments for a large group, there are a lot of different screens we have to go through and things don't repeat easily. For instance, if I am reporting the First Eucharist reception of 84 children, I have to repeat the zip code and search for the church and for the presider rather than being able to go through the entire class since they are all serviced in the same church by the same presider.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
Seemed to fit our needs better than the other products.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
Needed a program that was useful over several platforms without reposting data.
Cindy
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed August 2020
Cindy's review
It is a decent program, and does most of what we need it to do.
PROSKeeps all the info in one system instead of different programs that you have to go in and out of.
CONSThe parish DB is getting easier to use. There are still some things that could be better. Such as when a family is registered in one church in the diocese you can not add info to the file from another parish. Which I understand for the most part you don't want to do that without permission but there are some instances where it makes it very difficult to add sacramental information, when a family is registered in one church and attends another church and receives a sacrament at that church, but they do not own the family record.
Danette
Used free trial
OVERALL RATING:
1
EASE OF USE
2
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
3
Reviewed November 2015
Wish we had another option
The Archdiocese of Boston has selected Connect Now (the web based program from ParishSoft) as the database management system for all parishes within the Archdiocese. As one of those parishes, we have been very disappointed with this product. First and foremost, it is extremely slow! Tech support at ParishSoft and within the Archdiocese continually try to make this a customer issue (you need more bandwidth, cleaner systems, etc) but that is not the case, I suspect that their servers were simply not adequately prepared to manage the load of all the parishes required to transition to their product. Secondly, there are so many design limitations and just plain bugs, that we are continually frustrated by lack of functionality (pick a module, any module). I understand that the folks at ParishSoft are working to address many of these issues, but there should be much more rigorous testing of modules before they are released. What was not made clear but what seems obvious now is that all parishes making the transition to Connect Now in the Archdiocese are beta customers paying full price - who does that?! It appears that there is no solid corporate structure in place for Testing and Quality Assurance - at least not one that is evident. This is made rather plain by how calls to customer support are handled. I also learned recently that when a customer calls in to request a new feature or to inquire about the lack of one, that the feature will be implemented with the next release but that sometimes, and here's the odd thing, that feature will result in a limitation for another customer. Is there no overall corporate review process for addressing design limitations and adding new features? Seems a bit piecemeal to me. We are reminded at trainings about how feature rich the product is but if the features most needed are not working properly, the rest doesn't matter. If you have a choice, explore other options carefully before becoming so invested resource-wise that you can't back out.
Joanne
Non-Profit Organization Management, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2020
Vital Database for Parish
Tech support is to be commended for their efficient and timely response to concerns or issues with queries.
PROSThe many features of maintaining parish information especially offerings is very user friendly. Our parish has been using ParishSoft for many years but especially since we converted to cloud-based use and new version that was implemented over a year and a half ago is extremely helpful and efficient is handling data. Would recommend to other parishes.
CONSBeen using newest upgrade for over a year and have no complaints.
Gertrude
11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
2
EASE OF USE
1
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
2
FUNCTIONALITY
2
Reviewed December 2016
Awful product
We were forced to use this software by our Diocese and it has been nothing but a problem for our staff. We currently run two programs, one for our daily work and parish soft to keep the Diocese happy. The update to connect now has not made it easier or less cumbersome to use. Old style technology and obviously they don't check with local parishes to see what we need to make our lives easier. Customer service is terrible. Email a problem and wait for days for someone to get back to you. I am convinced if they don't have an answer they just push your problem to the side. Look somewhere else.
PROSnothing
CONSCumbersome and old technology
Concepcion
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
3
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
1
Reviewed August 2020
Overall use of the program.
We have been fairly satisfied with the program overall, but it has been frustrating that our e-mail function is not allowing us to send out any e-mails.
PROSThe record keeping sofware is good. The ability to retrieve our information is also good.
CONSWe are currently trying to do bulk e-mails and have not been able to make it work. The IT Support Staff is working on the issue for us but still no luck.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
It was recommended to us by our Archdiocesan office.
Victoria
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2020
Time saver
We have used ParishSOFT since 2010 or so. We have been able to use the software to help serve our congregation better. It is very extensive and can be used by anyone with computer skills.
PROSThis software helps to keep track of all aspects of your parish from donations to sacraments and religious education.
CONSSome information does not carryover from one module to another.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
It was more inclusive.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
They were bought out.
Christina
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
4
EASE OF USE
4
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed November 2018
Parishsoft needs help
It's just fine. You can run a ton of different reports based on a any number of things, which is helpful. I can see the registered parishoners who will soon age into/out of our programs and reach out to families who are/aren't participating in things.
PROSI love that it's a great database for parishoners and their info, sacrament records, etc. I love the ability to run a number of different reports too.
CONSIt runs incredibly slow, even right after an update.
Mayet
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed September 2020
great support
I like that whenever I get stuck in a task, support is justa call or an email away.
PROSThe support is always there when you need it.
CONSThe cost because you have to pay for almost every feature you want to add on, like to get the IQ feature will cost extra, etc.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
I think Family Suite was more robust and better suited to our needs as we were growing .
Terri
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
Excellent Product
My overall experience has been very positive. It was a majoy improvement over out old system, and I am very pleased.
PROSThis program is easy to use. I like that it has guided support for each page or section, and seems logical in its set-up. They are responsive when there is a problem. Many updates have been added over the years, making the system better. I also like how it is integrated with ParishSoft Giving, which makes our online giving very easy for our parishioners.
CONSI found it straightforward to use, and questions were answered quickly.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
I am not sure. I was not the one who reviewed and shopped for the new system.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
The system was outdated and cumbersome to use.
Rita
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed September 2020
St. Thomas the Apostle Church
Good
PROSThe fact that it is so user friendly and had all the features we needed in a church software.
CONSHaving to keep logging in. Logs me out after about 10 minutes of non-use.
Reason for choosing ParishSOFT
One of our employees researched ParishSOFT and it fit our needs.
Reasons for switching to ParishSOFT
We were using an outdated DOS system.
bethany
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed December 2018
ParishSOFT Church Management
we keep track of parishioners and their tithing with vary little trouble. we can even email right from our list that we can create .
PROSParishsoft is vary easy to use and very helpful if you have trouble.
CONSsometimes we wish we could create our own list, but they do have several to pick from and it does work out .
Freda
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
5
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
Good company
The customer support is always willing and able to help with any challenge that I encounter.
PROSThis software is user friendly and easy to use.
CONSReports are the hardest thing to figure out. Sometimes the software boots me in the middle of a project.
Devin
Religious Institutions, 11-50 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
VALUE FOR MONEY
5
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
4
Reviewed August 2020
PS Review
It has been good. Easier than the previous PS.
PROSCustomer service is the best there is. They are always there and willing to help answer any and all questions.
CONSHave some trouble figuring out filters.
Teresia
Religious Institutions, 2-10 employees
Used daily for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
5
EASE OF USE
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
5
FUNCTIONALITY
5
Reviewed August 2020
Parish Soft Family Suite SSTMCC
very easy to navigate through the Family, offering & religious ed tabs.
CONSI don't understand the querie section as well as I should. Always have to ask for help
Annie
Religious Institutions, 51-200 employees
Used weekly for more than 2 years
OVERALL RATING:
3
EASE OF USE
3
VALUE FOR MONEY
4
CUSTOMER SUPPORT
4
FUNCTIONALITY
3
Reviewed July 2018
My parish uses ParishSOFT and I have the information on our Religious Education families in it.
All of our parish data can be found in one place.
PROSI do like how easy it is to change and edit information. It is nice to be able to have the parishioners and the families I work with online in an easily searchable way.
CONSI find it very slow. Also, I have difficulty doing things that I want to do - such as send a group email. It seems like that should be possible, and it really must be - but the other staff and I have spent a lot of time struggling with it (a few times) only to give up and do things a different way.