We're constantly updating and enhancing ChurchSuite, often building directly upon customer feedback to guide our development. The following lists some changes that were made to ChurchSuite between 8th November 2018 - 3rd January 2019.
ChurchSuite
28-Dec-2018 - Custom giving methods now supported for GASDS
For UK charities claiming Gift Aid under HMRC's Small Donations Scheme, you can now select custom donation Methods when adding small donations. Previously the Method field was locked down to "Cash" donations only. We've removed this lock so that you can now assign a custom giving method, such as "Contactless" to small donations. When processing small donations, do remember that it is your responsibility to ensure donations meet HMRC criteria in terms of the individual donation limit (currently £20 , increasing to £30 from 6th April 2019), accepted donation methods and the records that need to be maintained to support a Small Donations Scheme claim.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/319-how-to-process-donations-under-the-gift-aid-small-donations-scheme-uk-only19-Dec-2018 - Bookings planner - "sticky" dates
When choosing a specific date on the Planner and moving between day/week/month views, you'll find that your chosen date sticks with you, making navigation between the views much easier.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/121-adding-and-viewing-bookings19-Dec-2018 - Children group "Print summary" enhancements
We've completed some work on the printable Summary report for the Children module, bringing the PDF generation inline with other reports in the module. In addition, we've made it possible to filter the report by group and also tag, giving you more control over the PDF that's generated.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/166-printing-registers-for-manual-child-check-in19-Dec-2018 - Administrator Profile changes log
We've added a Changes log to the Profile section for Administrators to help you keep track of future changes made to your ChurchSuite account's profile.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/62-how-to-personalise-the-appearance-of-your-churchsuite-account18-Dec-2018 - Booking type and resources questions modalised
Previously custom questions for booking Types and Resources were added in the Type/Resource's edit pages. Rather than clicking through to edit a Type/Resource, you can now add and manage questions from the "View" page, without having to click through to edit. Custom questions are also now managed within a pop-up modal.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/122-creating-booking-types-and-resources18-Dec-2018 - Clearing email content
When composing an email, sometimes the editor pre-loads with content from an email you were working on previously. If you want to start over and clear the previous content, you can now do so simply by clicking on the "New document" icon (the blank page icon), which is the final icon in the toolbar.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/425-communicating-to-individuals-and-groups-through-churchsuite#email18-Dec-2018 - Multi-site Resources for bookings
For multi-site churches, Resources in your Bookings module can now be set as "All Sites" resources, or site-specific resources. For example, if your multi-site church's minister or clergy are set up as resources to be assigned to wedding or funeral bookings, you can now set them as "All sites" resources so they can be assigned to wedding/funeral bookings for any site.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/122-creating-booking-types-and-resources17-Dec-2018 - Customer Modals
We've updated the way you add and edit customers. Instead of edit pages all adding and editing will now be done through modals.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/412-managing-booking-customers17-Dec-2018 - Age filters
In the Address Book module, on advanced search and the communication page, we have added age range filters to make things a bit easier for you to quickly filter.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/40-search-and-advance-search-in-churchsuite13-Dec-2018 - Booking charges table is now sortable
The list of charges on a booking page is now sortable - simply click on a column heading in the table to change the table's order.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/426-booking-charges12-Dec-2018 - Multi-site site access changes
We've made some changes to our multi-site functionality across ChurchSuite so that you can now view objects that belong to a different site to the site you're currently viewing. If you have permissions for that object's site you can click through to that object. If you don't have permissions for that object's site clicking through will take you to the object list with a message informing your that you don't have site permission to view that object. Previously the user would have received an "Access Denied" error page. For example, when viewing a specific site's rota that includes rota members from multiple sites, you can now click through to a rota member's underlying contact profile in the Address Book regardless of the site you are currently viewing (assuming the user has permission for the Address Book).
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/216-multi-site-functionality07-Dec-2018 - Managing sites
We made some changes to how we display Sites within the Profile page of the Administrator menu, making it easier to visualise and manage the site list within an orderable table. Adding and editing site details now happens in a pop-up modal.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/216-multi-site-functionality06-Dec-2018 - Leave index
If you use multiple sites and are viewing a specific site rather than all sites, leave and leave setup indexes now only show users who have access to the site you are currently viewing.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/101-leave-out-of-office-and-sickness05-Dec-2018 - Enhanced editing sign-ups
We've made some changes to the user experience when editing sign-ups, which means that you're now kept in-place on the screen rather than being scrolled to the top of the table. This update has been applied throughout ChurchSuite when editing a record through a modal box.
05-Dec-2018 - Archiving Attendance categories
We've made it possible for you to archive Attendance categories that you no longer use - simply choose the "Archive" menu option! Archived categories don't appear when you're adding new attendance data, allowing you to have fewer options on your screen.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/285-how-to-use-the-attendance-module03-Dec-2018 - Recent Changes report filters
We've added a multi-select User filter to all our Recent Changes reports. This will allow you to search for changes made by a specific user or groups of users.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members30-Nov-2018 - Total pledged report now respects date range
The progress bars on the Total Pledged report now respect the date range specified so you can use the report to forecast income and predict donations attached to pledges.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/225-managing-pledges30-Nov-2018 - Site access granted automatically when adding a new site
When an administrator adds a new site they will now be automatically given access to that site.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/216-multi-site-functionality29-Nov-2018 - Calendar data on contact & child view
We've made the 'Calendar' section on a contact and child profile interactive so you can now optionally view 5 or 10 recent signups or 5 or 10 recent event invites.
29-Nov-2018 - Admin User Recent Changes
We've added a new report to the Administrator module, User Recent Changes. The report will show all recent changes made to users.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members29-Nov-2018 - Booking Recent Changes Report
We've added a new report to the Bookings module, Booking Recent Changes. The report will show all recent changes made to bookings.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members29-Nov-2018 - Giver Recent Changes Report
We've added a new report to the Giving module, Giver Recent Changes. The report will show all recent changes made to givers.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members28-Nov-2018 - Archived Givers Report
We've added a new report to the Giving module, Archived Givers. The report will show all givers that have been archived within the specified date range.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/120-adding-a-new-giver27-Nov-2018 - Pledge Progress report
We've added a new report to the Giving module, Pledge Progress. Using the report, you're able to see a comparison of donations pledged vs received against a fund, date range and givers within a tag.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/225-using-churchapp-to-manage-pledges26-Nov-2018 - Added booking date to the Bookings Charges report
In the Bookings module, the Charges report now contains a column for the booking date, making it easier to distinguish between Bookings with the same name.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/426-booking-charges26-Nov-2018 - Changed the default event category to '--Please Select--'
When adding an Event in the Calendar module, we now default the event category to '--Please Select--', to ensure users select the correct category before saving their event.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/98-adding-events-to-your-church-calendar22-Nov-2018 - Added user filter to contact recent changes report
When viewing the contact recent changes report it is now possible for you to filter the report by users, allowing you to see all changes made by a particular user or group of users.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members21-Nov-2018 - Flow links from contact profile now open the process window
When clicking on a flow in the right hand list on a contact profile you'll now be taken straight to the process window for that contact within the flow. You no longer need to find the contact in the list and click on 'Process'
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/154-flows21-Nov-2018 - Enhanced Group Members report
We've made some tweaks to the Group Members report in the Small Groups module, giving you some more details about each group - when it meets, the cluster - at the top of each table.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/381-tracking-small-group-membership20-Nov-2018 - Add numeric and currency metrics in the Attendance module
When adding groups to categories in the Attendance module, you can now specify whether the group type is a numeric value or a currency value. So you can now record your weekly offering amount as well as the normal numerical attendance metrics.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/285-how-to-use-the-attendance-module20-Nov-2018 - Re-order attendance categories
We've made it so that you can now to re-order attendance categories in the the Attendance module, making it easier to record and view your key attendance data in the order you prefer.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/285-how-to-use-the-attendance-module19-Nov-2018 - Service notes
Easily add notes to a service and they'll show on all rotas in a service. Service notes show in ChurchSuite and My ChurchSuite and in the email rota reminders your rota members receive.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/495-adding-notes-to-services19-Nov-2018 - Group rotas together into services
You can now group together rotas into services - ideal for reporting and communication. There's a brand new Service section within the Rotas module for defining each of your services. When adding a new rota (or editing an existing one) you can optionally specify the service the rota relates to. A new "service view" makes it super easy to see all your rotas for a service in one elegant view.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/496-grouping-rotas-with-services19-Nov-2018 - Pledged donations
When adding/editing a donation, we've added a new "Pledge" drop-down list from which you can choose which pledge a donation should be linked to. When a giver has multiple pledges running concurrently, this drop-down allows you to allocate a donation against the appropriate pledge.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/51-adding-or-importing-donations19-Nov-2018 - Children Attendance View
When viewing the attendance for children groups within ChurchSuite, in addition to the list of children recorded as attending the group (checked in or manually recorded as attended), we're now displaying a list of children that were registered via Connect using two-stage check-in, but who were not checked in.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/327-child-attendance-reporting16-Nov-2018 - Child Check-In Smart Tag Conditions
We've added two new Smart Tag conditions for the Children module: 'Registered' and 'Checked-In'. These can be filtered for custom date ranges - ideal to help identify children that have never been checked in, or if you're using two-stage check-in, have have been registered but not subsequently checked in.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/37-smart-tags12-Nov-2018 - Improved communication and change logs
We've made a raft of changes to the Communication and Change logs at the bottom of pages, improving performance as well as the ability to navigate between different pages of results.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/50-changes-made-by-church-members08-Nov-2018 - Default Communication Preferences
Default communication preferences can be set in the Address Book and Children module options for new contacts and children added/imported through ChurchSuite, My ChurchSuite, Connect or Embed/Small Group sign up pages. For the majority of EU organisations looking to respect the opt-in precedence set by GDPR, these defaults should remain unchecked.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/475-managing-communication-preferences08-Nov-2018 - Phone Call Opt Out
If the 'Show receive phone calls field' is enabled in your module's options, we now display a yellow warning symbol on a person's profile page if that person has opted-out of receiving phone calls. This is consistent with email and SMS, and make it's much clearer to users whether a person is happy to receive your phone call.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/475-managing-communication-preferences
Connect
17-Dec-2018 - Child check-in group lock
Through the Admin area of child check-in, it's now possible to lock a device such that all check-ins will be for just one specific group. Searching for children will work across all groups within the gathering, but when checking in, the children will be allocated to the group the device is locked to.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/392-child-check-in#lock
My ChurchSuite
03-Dec-2018 - Linked custom fields
Email addresses and URLs in custom field values are now automatically linked throughout My ChurchSuite. So if you have a custom field for a secondary email address that's set to be visible in My ChurchSuite search, the email address will be clickable.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/39-creating-custom-fields29-Nov-2018 - Event searching in MyChurchSuite
We've now added the ability to search on the My Events page
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/385-my-churchsuite-user-guide28-Nov-2018 - Opt out icons on My ChurchSuite homepage
When viewing the My Details block on the My ChurchSuite homepage, church members will now see a visual "opted out" icon for each communication option where they have opted out - a helpful reminder to new and existing church members to review their communication options and opt in to your various church communications.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/475-managing-communication-preferences20-Nov-2018 - Overseers can assign new rotas to a service in My Rotas
Ministry overseers can now assign their rotas to a service from within My Rotas - either when adding a new rota or editing an existing one. Where rotas are assigned to a service we show the service name in the Next Serving list and the Rotas list on the My Rotas page.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/496-grouping-rotas-with-services20-Nov-2018 - Filter services in the All Rotas report
You can now filter the All Rotas report in My Rotas by service - ideal for drilling down into the detail of all the rotas for one particular service. Service notes and rota notes are also included in the report, ensuring everyone is in the loop with what's happening on any given date.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/358-granting-all-rota-overview-functionality-to-your-serving-team-members
Support
17-Dec-2018 - More intuitive "Support" help beacon
The "Support" beacon in ChurchSuite has had a makeover and now provides support article suggestions related to the context of the page you're viewing or working on in ChurchSuite. Click to view a list of suggested articles, or search by entering a topic, phrase or keywords - matching articles are listed neatly within the beacon, or click an article title to view the full page article. And if you use the 'Get in touch' option to contact ChurchSuite Support you'll even be able to access 'Previous messages'.
https://support.churchsuite.com/article/186-is-there-a-churchsuite-instruction-manual30-Nov-2018 - UK training events for 2019 announced
We've now finalised the dates and locations for our 2019 UK training events, including two new finance-focussed events (North and South). Make a great New Year resolution and get into training - it's a fantastic investment in your team! We also continue to provide on-site training (chargeable service) for UK customers - simply email your enquiry to support@churchsuite.com.
https://churchsuite.com/training
If you have any thoughts or suggestions for us, please let us know - we'd love to hear from you.
