The foundation for a strong and steady information management structure within a diocese can be largely reflective of the way that their data is managed. Efficiently operating a diocese and its supporting organizations often requires a unique balance of people with information. That concept alone has increased productivity at the Diocese of Oakland as they have come to rely on Parish Data Systems (PDS) to manage their diocesan solutions.
Prior to the diocese automating their processes, significant amounts of work had to be processed by hand thereby creating the need for data to be re-entered and numerous tasks to be done repetitively. In the end, efficiency took a back seat due to the lack of an effective software management system. It wasn’t long before the diocese recognized that they were at a point that they needed to use technology to increase efficiency.
Standardization. In 2003, the Diocese looked to PDS and their DioView solution to help to standardize their financial operations. With DioView, all of the chart of account information from the 86 parishes it supports can be viewed and analyzed in just one place. Reports are run for a given parish, a select group or the entire diocese if necessary. This financial information can then be consolidated or kept separate and data is published as frequently as needed.
Diocesan Advantages. “DioView was well received largely because the staff at the diocese knew that this product was going to make their life so much easier,” explained PDS Sales Representative, Debra Gunn. “It was a very easy transition for the churches to make because it minimized the volume of work that would have been required if they didn’t have PDS. The churches are now able to transfer information on a quarterly basis which is a major milestone.” Gunn added, “On the diocesan side, one of the many benefits is that they are able to review data much faster in addition to the fact that they are changing and updating processes and procedures to use the tool more efficiently each and every day.”
In his role as controller for the Diocese of Oakland, Jeff Jackson remarked, “Before we had DioView, many of our reports from our parishes were done manually and then mailed to us. Now, I am able to obtain reports in an instant by merely downloading all of that information with the click of a button.” Jackson explained, “With DioView, I am able to perform any number of functions such as taking a look at cash flows to determine if a specific parish is healthy, or if they are having problems. As a result, I can monitor the parishes or even go out to pay a visit to assess how to resolve an issue before it becomes too great. It allows me to be proactive.”
Implementing DioView has saved the diocese countless hours that were previously spent reinventing the wheel. Jackson continued, “With PDS, I am able to get our financial statements quickly. Before DioView, we didn’t even receive all of our 2003 statements until the beginning of 2005. Having PDS has sped up our year-end processes by at least 60 percent.”
Training Process Simplified. Because DioView was built as an enhancement to the PDS church management software system, most of the users were already familiar with PDS so they just needed to learn DioView. According to Jackson, “The people who use PDS love it because they have PDS sales support on hand to help them expand the program and help them to understand all that the program can do.” In the end, the Diocese of Oakland incurred absolutely no fiscal impact for the training.
Parishes Benefit. There is no doubt that PDS users representing the parishes in the diocese have benefited greatly from the program. Yvette Ripoli, office manager at Church of the Good Shepard was actually able to go from working full-time to part-time. “PDS has helped us in every way”, Ripoli noted. “Literally all of our census information, mass mailings, labels, reports, bookkeeping and all of the financial aspects of my job are handled through PDS. One of the things that I really like about having PDS is that I am able to get everything done and not feel the pressure that something is left incomplete.”
With DioView, the Church of the Good Shepard is able to upload all of their information to the diocese. Ripoli adds, “We are virtually paperless as a result of this tremendous benefit.”
Data Protection. Beyond the fact that processes are streamlined and productivity has increased is the fact that information can be stored and backed up regularly. In 2001, Ripoli experienced the advantages of data storage when their parish withstood a major fire. “Since we had PDS, we were able to retrieve all of our data and didn’t loose one single bit of information. It was all restorable and allowed us to be up and running much faster than we would have without it.”
As Business Manager at St. Francis of Assisi in Concord, California, Marijuel Borges has found that PDS is efficient in any number of ways. Borges put it this way, “Having PDS has saved me so much time; it is hard to even consider not having the program. Before PDS, I had to produce volumes of reports and Xerox information. I would have to gather so much data from different sources. Now, with PDS, I don’t have to do any of that. All of our data is available in an instant, it is just wonderful!”
About the Diocese of Oakland, California
The Diocese of Oakland is a culturally diverse community of Catholics living in the Northern California counties of Alameda and Contra Costa. As a Gospel people, they not only gather for worship, but share their faith in many different ways. Serving approximately 86 parishes, they are a vibrant community because of the many gifts and talents of their members.
www.oakdiocese.org
