Getting started with the Church module in ChecKmate

The Church module helps a church or ministry keep track of its people and its giving. You can keep a member register, record tithes and offerings, follow pledges, plan events, take attendance and organise departments like the choir or the ushers.

Before you start

When the module opens, choose your church under Select Location. You will see these tabs: Dashboard, Members, Tithes & Offerings, Pledges, Events, Attendance, Departments and Reports.

Step 1: Set up your departments

Start here, so you can place members in a department when you add them.

  1. Open Departments and tap Add Department.
  2. Enter a Name, for example Choir, Youth or Ushers, and a short Description.
  3. Tap Create Department. Once you have members, you can come back and add new departments with a Department Head.

Step 2: Add your members

  1. Open Members and tap Add Member.
  2. Enter the Full Name. This is the only required field.
  3. Add the phone, email, Gender, Date of Birth, Join Date, Baptism Date, Department, Address and Family Role (Head, Spouse, Child or Other).
  4. Tap Add Member. ChecKmate gives each member an ID number.

Search by name, ID or phone, and filter by Active, Inactive, Transferred or Deceased. Tap the pencil button to edit a member or change their status. The list shows 20 members at first. Use the load more button at the bottom to see the rest.

Step 3: Record tithes and offerings

  1. Open Tithes & Offerings and tap Record Contribution.
  2. Pick the Member, or leave it blank to record the gift as Anonymous. Loose offerings from the plate work well this way.
  3. Choose the Type: Tithe, General Offering, Special Offering, Building Fund, Mission Fund, Event or Other.
  4. Enter the Amount and the Payment Method: Cash, Card, Bank Transfer, Mobile Money, Cheque or Online.
  5. If the gift is toward a pledge, choose it under Pledge (optional). The amount is added to that pledge's Paid total.
  6. Pick the Service (for example Sunday AM or Bible Study) and check the Date.
  7. Tap Record Contribution.

Above the list you will see the total for what you are viewing. Filter by type to see, say, only building fund gifts.

Step 4: Set up pledges

  1. Open Pledges and tap Create Pledge.
  2. Pick the Member and give it a Pledge Name, like Building Fund Pledge.
  3. Enter the Total Amount and how often they plan to give: Weekly, Bi-Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly, Annually or One Time.
  4. Set the Start Date and End Date, then tap Create Pledge.

Each pledge shows the total, the amount paid, a progress bar and its status. To pay toward it, record the gift under Tithes & Offerings and pick the pledge. When it is paid in full, it is marked completed.

Step 5: Plan events

  1. Open Events and tap Add Event.
  2. Enter the Event Name, choose a Type (Service, Special Event, Conference, Retreat, Meeting, Outreach or Other) and add the Location.
  3. Set the Start Date and time, plus an End Date if needed.
  4. Add a Fee if there is one (leave it at 0 for a free event), the Max Attendees and a description.
  5. Tap Create Event. Once it's over, tap Complete beside it.

Step 6: Take attendance

  1. Open Attendance and tap Record Attendance.
  2. Pick the Member, the Service Type and the Date.
  3. If they came for an event, choose it under Event (optional).
  4. Tap Record Attendance. Repeat this for each member.

The cards at the top show how many people attended on the last few dates.

Step 7: Check the dashboard and reports

The Dashboard tab shows Total Members, New This Month, Tithes This Week, Offerings Today, Upcoming Events and Outstanding Pledges. The Reports tab shows Weekly Giving, Active Members, Pledge Fulfillment, a six-month Monthly Revenue Trend, your Top Contributors and Attendance by Service Type.

Tips

Related