Synagogue Software Systems to Make Your Life Easier

Andrew Conrad profile picture
By Andrew Conrad

Published
6 min read

We've written at length on this blog about church management solutions for Christian churches of all shapes and sizes.

Christians make up more than two-thirds of the American population, according to Pew Research, and some church management software—for example ParishSoft, Realm, or ChurchTrac—is designed specifically for the needs of Christian churches.

But what about Jewish synagogues?

There are millions of practicing Jews in the U.S. and thousands of synagogues, all of them standing to benefit from the same features—e.g., attendance tracking, calendar, donations, and membership management—that are included in the majority of church management tools.

synagogue

An Idealware research report commissioned by UJA-Federation of New York, "A Guide to Synagogue Management Systems," found that:

"Compared to the church management sector ... the synagogue management sector is significantly less advanced in technological capabilities, cost effectiveness, and user experience."

Why this discrepancy? Idealware found that the shortfall comes down to consumer demand, pointing out that: "...before widespread innovation in the synagogue management sector can happen, 'synagogue culture has to change first.' Vendors act in direct response to consumer demand ... if clients don't ask for change, the vendors may not adopt it."

For proof, look no further than the church management software sector, which has hundreds of vendors competing with each other for customers, spurring innovation and competitive pricing.

Why do you need synagogue software?

Synagogues have unique needs that can be addressed by synagogue-specific software. For example, a High Holiday seating module, Aliyah blessings, and a Yahrzeit module are all features that you'll only find in synagogue software.

If your synagogue is using outdated technology or a spreadsheet to get by, you're missing out on these customized features, not to mention all the other standardized functions—such as attendance tracking, calendar, donation, membership management, etc.—that all houses of worship can benefit from.

According to the Idealware report:

"Even when systems are quite out of date, and have been in place for years or even decades, synagogues report satisfaction with their current technology and workflows. But the experts we interviewed urged the synagogue sector to think critically about what their current systems offer, and whether technology is helping them to effectively engage with their members and the community at large."

In other words, even if you think your current solution is sufficient, you may not even realize how much easier things could be with synagogue software. Also, the more synagogues use synagogue software, the more effective, affordable, and robust synagogue software will become in response to customer demand.

Synagogue software systems to check out

These tools were picked based on Idealware's research, with an eye for synagogue-specific features, several years of experience in the industry, and functionality comparable to traditional church management systems.

They are listed in alphabetical order.

1. Chaverware

chaverware

System setup in Chaverware

Chaverware is one of the most established players in the synagogue software industry, with a history dating back to 1993. The New York-based company claimed more than 600 clients as of 2011.

The latest cloud-based release, Chaverware 6 in 2014, added dashboards and a documentation Wiki.

Chaverware is Windows-based, and households can view and update information in the member directory, make payments and view accounts, and register for events and classes over the internet through an extension called ChaverWeb.

According to Idealware, "It does have a powerful-but-complex query building process, and creating some queries could be confusing to those unfamiliar with database structure."

So if you want to use Chaverware, you'll need either an experienced database user on staff, or someone willing to learn.

Key synagogue-specific features: Aliyah, Yahrzeit, Shalach Manot, graphical seating, and cemetery modules

Other key features: Accounting, calendar, donations, event management, membership management

Here's a complete list of Chaverware's features.

Pricing: $3,300 for three licenses and one year of support. ChaverWeb is an additional $1.25/household/year. There are discounts for a five-year commitment.

Have you tried Chaverware? Please leave a review here!

2. MM2000

mm2000

The Yahrzeit information screen in MMOnTheWeb

MM2000, or Membership Management 2000, has been building software specifically for synagogues for several decades. It recently revamped its product by adding a Salesforce CRM integration that puts MM2000 on a par with the most modern synagogue software.

MMOnTheWeb is a member-facing module that allows members of your synagogue to log in and make payments and donations, register for events and school, and update their member profiles in the directory from any device with an internet connection.

MM2000 even has a B'nai Mitzvah module, and optional Hebrew school module.

According to Idealware:

"Limitations to the online system feel well-thought out and not dictated by the difficulty of the programming task at hand—for instance, the online portal doesn't allow members to edit their own Yahrzeit data to ensure the integrity of the data..."

Key synagogue-specific features: B'nai Mitzvah, cemetery management, Hebrew school, Shalach Manot, special event seating, Yahrzeit, Yiskor Book

Other key features: Accounting, donation acknowledgement, email, membership management

Here's a complete list of MM2000's features.

Pricing: MM2000 costs an initial purchase price of $2,750 for a single user or $3,350 for up to five users. Additional five-user license packs are $600. That includes the membership module, accounts receivable, B'nai Mitzvah, cemetery, donation acknowledgement, email, Yiskor Book module, special event seating, Yahrzeit module, and a year of unlimited phone support.

Click here for a list of optional upgrades, including member portal, Hebrew School module, and Shalach Manot module.

Have you tried MM2000? Please leave a review here!

3. ShulCloud

ShulCloud

The Member Portal in ShulCloud

ShulCloud was originally designed by a synagogue for its own use, then developed into a web-based, cloud-hosted synagogue management system. They now claim more than 600 synagogues around the world in the ShulCloud network.

ShulCloud does a lot, everything from accounts receivable to website management, with a bunch of synagogue-specific features added in recent years.

According to Idealware, "ShulCloud is a product with lots of potential that is growing quickly in response to member needs."

Key synagogue-specific features: Cemetery management, Gabbai management, Hebrew School management, High Holiday seating, Yahrzeit, Zmanim

Other key features: Accounts receivable, calendar management, donation tracking, event management, membership management, newsletter management, online member portal, website management

Here's a complete list of ShulCloud's features.

Pricing:

  • Standard: $99.99/month, includes website management, donation management, and membership management

  • Premium: $199.99/month, adds membership portal with payments, invoicing system, and Gabbai management, with discounts for Shuls with less than 100 accounts

  • School: $299.99/month, adds a full school management module

There are discounts for those who pay for six months or a year up front.

Read more

Now that you're well on your way to implementing a new synagogue software system, you might like to read these other articles on making things a little easier at your house of worship:


Looking for Church Management software? Check out Capterra's list of the best Church Management software solutions.

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About the Author

Andrew Conrad profile picture

Andrew Conrad is a senior content writer at Capterra, covering business intelligence, retail, and construction, among other markets. As a seven-time award winner in the Maryland, Delaware, D.C. and Suburban Newspapers of America editorial contests, Andrew’s work has been featured in the Baltimore Sun and PSFK. He lives in Austin with his wife, son, and their rescue dog, Piper.

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