Add-ons and Integrations: Enhancing your Experience 💭

May 31

Integrations are deeply built into the fabric of Planning Center. You have probably recognized and utilized the benefits of some of these necessary integrations, like using MailChimp when emailing a large list of people or leveraging Checkr to run background checks on potential volunteers. Because Planning Center has partnered with these software companies to expand the user experience in Planning Center, there is an increased functionality and simplicity to the software platform.

In this week’s newsletter, I want to expand on the benefits of MailChimp and Checkr and highlight a few additional integrations and add-ons you may not be familiar with, explaining the potential benefits for you and your team when they are used alongside of Planning Center.

Streamline Communication with MailChimp

Planning Center People lists have a limit of 500 people you can email when using the standard email feature. Using the MailChimp integration enables users to sync lists greater than 500 people from Planning Center People to MailChimp and allows for the design and distribution of custom, stylized email campaigns. Automatic resynchronization of these lists ensures that communication efforts are always based on the latest data, making it seamless to reach out to various groups within your congregation with relevant messages and opportunities. The ability to create customized email and marketing journeys for your congregation brings a whole other level to your communication strategy. There is even a free-tier option with MailChimp, which makes this integration a no-brainer to start using now.

One of the most important things to keep in mind when using the MailChimp integration is the naming of your lists. When you sync your lists, the list name becomes a tag inside of MailChimp. These tags are what you will be to segment your audience within MailChimp. Your list names should be concise and specific. Find out more about MailChimp here.

Background Checks and Enhanced Security with Checkr

Keeping our volunteer teams safe and secure is a priority within church operations. Having a built-in integration for running background checks in Planning Center makes this effort seamless and easy. Planning Center has partnered with Checkr to do just that. Checkr’s background check integration provides a reliable method for conducting background checks directly through the Planning Center People app. This service screens candidates by accessing various databases and delivering comprehensive reports, thus ensuring that volunteers and staff are properly vetted. Churches can choose from different levels of background check detail, depending on their specific needs, ensuring compliance and safety. These features are deeply integrated within the People app and can be accessed through Automations or Actions found in Lists, Workflows, and other areas. There’s even a dashboard that allows you to keep up with your volunteer’s background check statuses.

One of our favorite Background check processes utilizes the built-in feature with Checkr in People, which allows you to order a background check directly from an action when working on a workflow card. This allows for simple ordering, updating statuses, and more in your Volunteer Onboarding workflow process.

Note: Checkr is not the only background check integration that works with Planning Center. There are many others, but they do not offer the same ease of use. You can find out more about all the background check integrations here.

Engage Your Congregation with a Better Texting Experience Using Clearstream

While the texting option available within Planning Center People is certainly capable, allowing you to send a text to a list using the built-in tool, this is a one-way communication tool, and many times, you want more flexibility than just a text-send option.

This is where Clearstream comes in. The Clearstream integration supports sending multimedia messages, scheduling communications, and engaging with new visitors via text-to-join keywords. The integration keeps People lists in sync with Clearstream, ensuring up-to-date communication paths without creating duplicate entries, thus streamlining the communication process significantly. These features are just some of the reasons we love Clearstream, and with the newly added email features, Clearstream is a great choice for text and email communication. Click here to find out more and get started with Clearstream for free.

If you are new to two-way texting journeys, consider starting with these keywords:

CONNECT: Used by new visitors to connect with the church and receive introductory information.
JOIN: Allow people to sign up to receive regular updates and announcements from your church.
EASTER (or any Special Event Name): This keyword could be used to volunteer for specific events, like an Easter egg hunt.
REGISTER: Useful for signing up for events or conferences.
PRAYER: Great for starting a conversation dedicated to prayer requests and future ministry or discipleship moments.

Automate Tasks with Zapier

There are times when you need to connect Planning Center with other software applications. That’s where Zapier comes in. Zapier's integration with Planning Center introduces powerful automation capabilities that streamline various administrative tasks. By setting up "zaps," users can automate actions like sending Slack notifications or email alerts whenever specific events occur within Planning Center, such as new form submissions or donations. This reduces manual effort and increases efficiency, allowing staff to focus more on ministry and less on administrative tasks. If you would like more information on Zapier, check it out here.

The first few “zaps” I would recommend integrating are:

Planning Center to Google Calendar: Sync Planning Center events to a Google Calendar. This can help ensure that your church calendar is always up to date, providing easy access to event schedules for your staff and volunteers.
Planning Center to Trello: Create Trello cards from new Planning Center activities or tasks. This can help in managing church projects or events, assigning tasks, and tracking progress within your teams.
Planning Center to Twilio: Send SMS messages via Twilio to a list of profiles in Planning Center. This can be used for reminders, event notifications, or urgent announcements to your congregation.

Clean and Manage Data with Clean My PCO

Maintaining your People database is essential and keeping it up to date can be a chore. The Clean my PCO integration updates and cleans data within Planning Center by verifying and correcting details such as emails, phone numbers, and addresses whenever a profile is updated or created. This automation ensures that all member information is accurate and up to date without needing manual oversight, thus saving significant administrative time, and reducing errors. If you are serious about keeping your database clean and up to date, check out Clean my PCO here.

Present with Precision Using the ProPresenter Integration

If your church uses ProPresenter for pre-roll slides or live production, you need to know about their Planning Center integration. ProPresenter integrates seamlessly with Planning Center Services, enhancing service planning and execution. This integration allows users to automatically update and synchronize service plans and media elements between both platforms. Users can link existing presentations or create new ones directly within ProPresenter based on the Planning Center schedules. This feature streamlines the preparation process, ensuring that all visual and audio elements align perfectly with the planned service activities, thus enhancing the overall worship experience. For more detailed steps on utilizing this integration, visit the ProPresenter website here.

Conclusion

Each of these integrations offers unique benefits that can significantly enhance church management and your Planning Center experience. By leveraging these tools, you can implement more effective and robust communication, maintain secure teams, and manage administrative tasks more efficiently, allowing you to focus more on your core mission of ministering to your congregations. Planning Center integrations add another level to how you use Planning Center, and those mentioned in this article are just a few of the integrations you will find on the Planning Center integrations page. You can find out more about Planning Center integrations here.

Jason Silbernagel

P.S. Here’s how we can further assist you:

#1: Looking for more tips and tricks? Check out our blog.

#2: Check out our YouTube Channel for all things Planning Center.

#3: Reach out to us directly if you have questions or want us to write on a particular topic. info@threefold.solutions