It’s no secret that most church organizations are on a shoe-string budget, but that’s no excuse for working with sub-par tools. Thanks to the internet, it’s never been easier (or cheaper) to stay organized and get more done. In this latest roundup, I’ve picked out 15 excellent online tools to help you keep track of things, manage finances, send files, collaborate with your co-workers (even remotely) and more. These web tools range in price from free to cheap so even those organizations with the tightest of budgets will feel comfortable using them.
I’ve personally enjoyed using most of these services (some on a daily basis like Google Calendar and Docs), so I can vouch for their usefulness. Some of these services even have complimentary iPhone/iPad/Android apps (like Evernote, which I talked about in this post which was on some of the most useful iPhone apps for pastors).
Organization
Staying organized is an essential part of running any ministry. Here are a few tools that you might find useful.
Remember The Milk
A very nicely made To-Do list creator and manager. Capable of sending SMS message reminders to your cell phone.
Evernote
If you find yourself forgetting things you’d like to remember throughout the day, you’ll love Evernote. Evernote allows you to easily capture information in any environment using whatever device or platform you find most convenient, and makes this information accessible and searchable at any time, from anywhere. Free!
Google Calendar
Nothing beats Google’s free calendar when it comes to staying organized online.
File Storage
These stand alone file storage sites make it easy to share files across organizations and with clients.
Box.net
Probably the most well-known of the bunch, Box.net has a very nice interface and works well for file storage and file sharing.
Mozy
Mozy takes a different approach to file storage – a simple, automatic backup of all of your files. Great for organizations that store lots of data who need to have a secure copy.
Online Collaboration
Huddle
Huddle has a sleek interface and is very easy to use. Huddle combines online collaboration, online project management and document sharing using social networking principles.
ConceptShare
If you need to gather feedback, ConceptShare is a simple tool that allows you to trade ideas and post comments.
finetuna
This service is designed as a simple way to share any image with comments. Just upload an image, add your comments and send them off.
GoToMeeting
Easy web meetings.
37signals
A very useful suite of collaboration tools, used by millions of people every day. Use Basecamp to manage projects, Highrise to keep track of contacts, Backpack to stay organized and Campfire for group chat.
Finance
Kashoo
Quick and simple online accounting.
QuickBooks Online
The online version of Intuit’s popular QuickBooks software.
Mint.com
The site as it describes itself: We download, categorize and graph all of your finances automatically every day, so you know where you’re spending, without spending any effort.
Office Productivity
An essential element of every ministry should be a solid office productivity suite. In the past, this space has been dominated by the pricey Microsoft Word. Fortunately, there are some great replacements available, both online and off. One of the biggest benefits of using an online office suite is that your files are always available online and can be accessed from any computer with an internet connection.
Google Docs
Google Docs is my favorite online office suite. It can create documents (think Word), presentations (think Power Point), Spreadsheets (think Excel) and even web forms. This is definitely the best tool for Gmail users. It’s easy to share documents with a team – for instance, 5 people could be editing the same document at the same time. One great feature is the ability to import Microsoft Office documents.
Zoho
Zoho has an extensive list of office related applications that go beyond the basic Office replacements to include lighter functions such as planner and chat functions and powerul business-centric CRM, meeting and invoice apps.
