Do you know the most effective way to use your parish data to your best advantage? Do you know how to secure your parish data? This session will help those in charge of data management learn how to get the most effective use of that data in support of the ministries and programs in the parish.

1. Making the Most Out of Using
and Securing Your Parish Data

2. Your Presenters
Joe Luedtke
LPi’s President e-Giving Division
Mike Stone
LPi’s Internet Product Manager

3. • Why we’re talking about
data security at a
stewardship conference?
• The data we need to focus
on
• Steps to keep your data
secure
• The engagement potential
in leveraging your data.
• The Wrap-up
Feel free to Tweet
@MikeStoneGtown
@CathTechTalk
@4LPi
#ICSCDallas

4. Huh?
We’re here because
we’re called, hoping to
be transformed and
then sent forward to
serve…
And you want to talk
about data?!?

5. Why?
We live in the
Information Age, an
increasingly digital,
online always
connected world.

6. And yes it
effects the
Church

7. Data is a tool
• It can…
–Make our jobs easier
–Increase our Treasure
–Drive engagement

8. But Comes With Responsibilities
• Data Privacy
• PCI Compliance
• Diocesan Reporting and Audits

9. Data? What Data to Parishes Have?
• Financial Data (Quickbooks)
• Parishioner Demographic and Sacramental Data
(Personal)
• Parishioner Financial Account Data (Private)
• Payroll Data
• Domain Names, Website Accounts, System
Passwords
• Email Correspondence
• Volunteer records / training materials
• What else is missing from this list?

10. • Accidental data loss
• System failures
• Hardware crashes
• Fraud
• Theft
• Natural disasters
Risks

11. • Lock and secure your data
• Of course you need backups
• Accidental data loss requires
retention of incremental
backups
• Theft and natural disasters
requires offsite backups
• Combating Fraud requires
point-in-time backups
Mitigating These Risks

12. Steps To
Secure Your
Data

13. Step #1 – Have a Policy
• Data Retention Policy
• Sometimes less is more
• Ask why?
• Data Privacy Policy
• Builds trust
• Reference frequently
• Backup Policy

14. Step #2 – Physical Security
• Never leave the offices unlocked and completely
unattended, even for a short time
• Prevent social hacking, know who you’re talking to
• Secure employee, volunteer and member records in locked
cabinets. Never leave papers or files unattended
• Shred papers with identifiable member or church personal
data
• Send and receive business mail from a
secured mailbox or post office box
• Store system passwords in your safe or
safety deposit box
• Only store what you have to

15. Step #3 – Backup Your Data
• Onsite or in the Cloud
• Know your Core Vendor’s
Requirement and Backup
Capabilities
• Backup Often
• Test at least annually

16. Backing Up Your Data
BACKING UP CRITICAL PARISH INFORMATION
In the course of parish reviews, we are finding that many parishes who think
their data is securely backed up are mistaken. Every other year or so, one of
our parishes suffers a total loss of all their electronic information and it was a
disaster for those who do not have adequate back-ups. The time you spend
on the following steps to ensure that your really do have a reliable back-up of
your census and financial information is well invested.

17. Backing Up Critical Parish
Information
• Weekly backups to a
separate medium
• Weekly QuickBooks backup
procedures
• Monthly offsite backups
• Quarterly verifications
• Keep Quickbooks current
• No, the diocese isn’t
responsible

18. Local vs. Cloud Computing

19. Popular Cloud-Based Backup Solutions

20. Cloud-based Backup Solutions
Pros:
 By definition, your backups
are “off-site”
 Pay as you go; pay as you
grow
 Simple to use
 Setup and forget about it
(both good & bad)
 One file / one subdirectory
restores are a breeze
Cons:
- 1st Full Backup could take
weeks
- Restores will take longer
- Need to do the math on
the pay as you go service
costs
- May drive upgrades to
your Internet bandwidth
- Trust is a perceived issue
- Can cause account /
password proliferation

21. Step #4 – Maintain Your Compliance
• Diocese Procedures and Audit
Requirements
• PCI Compliance
• Take is seriously
• Read and understand the
questionnaire

22. Step #5 – Create IT Controls
• Put passwords on all your computers and
change them often
• Install a firewall to protect your computer
network against unauthorized access
• Install anti-virus and anti-spyware software
• Keep your software updated
• Set your virus protection software to run
automatic updates each week
• Keep your wireless network secure
• Turn off computers when not in use

23. We Have Data! Now What?

24. What if your members were…
• 13 times more likely to have invited someone to attend
Mass at your church in the past month?
• Were 3 times as satisfied with their lives?
• Spent more than 2 hours per week serving and helping
others in their community?
• Tripled their giving to their church?
• The key…
A. Winseman, D. Min Growing an Engaged Church ©2006 Gallup

27. QR Codes, Facebook & Twitter

28. Monitor
your
Social
Media
Sites!

29. Blogging

30. Email Marketing
Why does my grocery
store want my email
address?
What are you doing with
the ones you collect?

31. • Email Marketing
Programs make
an email like this
and email list
management
simple
• Mailchimp is my
favorite as its free
for lists under
2000
• VerticleResponse
and Constant
Contact are good
cost effective
alternatives
Email Newsletters Work

32. Email Campaigns
• Advantages
– Cost effective
– Easy
– Quick
– With some creativity can be very engaging
• Disadvantages
– Difficult to keep lists current
– Will my email be read?
– Message gets lost in the clutter of day-to-day
– More impersonal than conversation

33. Challenges
• Keeping data current
– Parishioner engagement vs. “consumers”
– Church Management Systems vs. Parishioner Engagement
Systems
• Making your content relevant and interesting
– Give people a reason to read your messages vs. expecting them
to get it
• Striking the right balance (the 3 Bears syndrome)
– Too much? Too little? Just right

34. Putting it all together
• Weekly bulletins
– Print vs. Electronic delivery
• E-Newsletters
• Website (but keep your true audience in mind)
• Parishioner Engagement Tools
• Letters/Direct Mail
• Email campaigns
• Text messages
• Phone calls
• As they walk in the door

35. Thank you!
For a copy of the presentation, please visit
http://www.catholictechtalk.com