9 of the Best SaaS ChMSPs with ERP for Faith-Based Organizations

Finding high-quality SaaS ChMSPs for managing a faith-based company or nonprofit is sometimes a challenge. Most will offer what you need, some lack necessary features, and others have too much. This can make finding the one right for your church a bit of a trial-and-error task, and one that can waste time and money you don’t really have. But don’t worry, as each has its pros and cons. To make things easier for you, here is a list of the best for your organization.

Unit4 – best ERP for faith-based organizations

One of the most notable online platforms for powerful ChMS is Unit4. As an integrated financial and HR tool, Unit4 delivers professional-level results throughout every module, including transparency and compliance, staffing accountability, and project fund management. 

Notable features

• Helps track multiple funding sources and manage grant restrictions with reports.
• Powerful combined ERP, HR, and FP&A tools for planning and analysis in one place.
• Built-in tools for maximum transparency, financial reports, and funding accountability.

Official website: https://www.unit4.com/industries/nonprofit-erp-accounting-software/faith-based-organizations 

Sparkrock 365 – best all-in-one solution

Sparkrock is one of the most robust ChMS tools because it has been built from the ground up with churches and nonprofits in mind. Unlike some other SaaS ChMS platforms, modules are tailored towards the necessary operations in one place, such as HR, payroll, and finance.

Notable features

• Easy cloud-based accounting system for funds, expense tracking, and other needs.
• Useful payroll and HR integration so you can easily manage staff and volunteers.
• Real-time reporting tools that help church leaders make data-driven decisions.

Official website: https://sparkrock.com/nonprofit/faith-based/ 

Blackbaud – best for funding integration

Blackbaud’s ChMS tools bring all the features you need for small to large churches under one roof. With this feature-rich toolset, you can more easily manage vital systems such as fundraising, donor management, and financial ERP accounting from a central location.

Notable features

• Easy management of restricted funds, grants, and donor gifts for compliance reports.
• Integrated systems for donor management, gift processing, and member payments.
• A single platform with a unified CRM, ERP, and ChMs in an integrated ecosystem.

Official website: https://www.blackbaud.com/who-we-serve/faith-communities 

Elvanto – best for volunteer management

With a heavy focus on membership, Elvanto offers all the tools you need to manage personnel at a faith-based organization. From paid staff to volunteers and members, Elvanto is ideal for churches whose day-to-day needs are focused on the congregation and church events.

Notable features

• Easier to manage the congregation, smaller groups, and volunteers for the church.
• Simple tools for planning events, tracking attendance, and even bookmarking rooms.
• Support the tracking of donations, online giving, and pledges, and report generation.

Official website: https://www.elvanto.com 

ChMeetings – best for affordability and simplicity

SaaS ChMSPs don’t have to be overcomplicated. For smaller organisations, setting up a functional home office with the right tools for the job is all you need. ChMeetings is a great platform for core church management without the complex systems that can get in the way.

Notable features

• Various tools to manage pledges and donations, both online and offline.
• Secure methods to store member information, segment groups, and manage attendance.
• Useful for small congregation event check-ins, attendance tracking, and communication.

Official website: https://www.chmeetings.com 

Pushpay – best for online donations

Pushpay is mostly known for its mobile tools, donor management, and church management. The aim of this useful tool is to make donations as easy as possible with wider features for church member engagement, and communication with segmented groups and the wider community.

Notable features

• A digital platform for accessible member donations to boost giving and track them.
• Community engagement tools that can manage a large amount of member data.
• Excellent scalability for use by small and large churches alike, whether up or down.

Official website: https://pushpay.com 

Fellowship One – best for community features

As one of the most established platforms, Fellowship One offers a robust tool set to manage all aspects of a church or nonprofit. This includes membership management, donations and giving, and congregation communication, making outdated, complicated ChMS a thing of the past.

Notable features

• Excellent tools to manage congregation data, families, and attendance tracking.
• Scheduling can help with event organization, attendance, and volunteer shifts.
• Various tools to track donations, pledges, and contributions with report generation.

Official website: http://www.fellowshipone.com 

ChurchTrac – best for basic ChMS tools

No matter the size of your church, you don’t want overly complicated tools. Sometimes you just need the basics, and ChurchTrac is one of the best for delivering a powerful suite with no unnecessary extras, which is ideal for smaller churches that might rely on a tighter budget.

Notable features

• Easy tools that help you keep a list of members, families, and attendees.
• Support for donation and gift tracking that allows easier financial management.
• Basic tools that will help you plan events, services, and worship schedules.

Official website: https://www.churchtrac.com

FaithTeams – best for straightforward church management

Some church management software tools can be complicated and hard to learn. FaithTeams is built with users in mind and supports the basics for church management, including event planning, financial tracking, and straightforward communication for you and your members.

Notable features

• Easy tools for communication with members, including email and SMS messaging.
• Donation management and reporting are useful for churches that rely on them.
• Support for event planning and volunteer coordination for various church activities.

Official website: https://faithteams.com 

Summary

When running a church, diocese, or faith-based nonprofit, you need a robust platform that integrates the various modules needed for communication, management, HR, and finances.

Tools like Unit4 are excellent platforms for SaaS ChMSPs with all the deliverables any modern faith-based business or nonprofit needs today. Tools like ChMeetings are also valuable and offer the basic tools a church needs at an affordable price. However, some of these tools can be pretty hard to learn, especially for non-technical staff. In this case, you might be better off choosing a SaaS tool like FaithTeams that has been tailor-made for easy church management.