Planning Center
Planning Center is a comprehensive church management software suite providing modular tools for attendance tracking, donation processing, volunteer scheduling, and worship service coordination to help ministries stay organized.
ShelbyNext Financials
ShelbyNext Financials is a cloud-based church accounting software designed to help ministry leaders manage multi-fund accounting, payroll, and financial reporting with specialized compliance tools for non-profit organizations.
Quick Comparison
| Feature | Planning Center | ShelbyNext Financials |
|---|---|---|
| Website | planningcenter.com | shelbysystems.com |
| Pricing Model | Freemium | Custom |
| Starting Price | Free | Custom Pricing |
| FREE Trial | ✓ 30 days free trial | ✘ No free trial |
| Free Plan | ✓ Has free plan | ✘ No free plan |
| Product Demo | ✓ Request demo here | ✓ Request demo here |
| Deployment | ||
| Integrations | ||
| Target Users | ||
| Target Industries | ||
| Customer Count | 0 | 0 |
| Founded Year | 2006 | 1976 |
| Headquarters | Carlsbad, USA | Florence, USA |
Overview
Planning Center
Planning Center is a modular software suite designed to help you manage every aspect of your church's daily operations. Instead of a rigid, all-in-one system, you can choose specific applications for check-ins, giving, registrations, and worship planning. This flexibility allows you to build a custom toolkit that fits your ministry's unique size and specific workflow requirements without paying for features you don't use.
You can track member engagement, coordinate complex volunteer schedules, and process digital donations through a unified interface. The platform simplifies communication with your congregation through automated emails and a dedicated mobile app. Whether you are a small plant or a multi-site campus, you can scale your tools as your community grows while keeping your data synchronized across all departments.
ShelbyNext Financials
ShelbyNext Financials gives you a dedicated accounting suite built specifically for the unique needs of churches and ministries. You can move away from generic business tools and manage your mission with true fund-based accounting that tracks every dollar across multiple departments or campuses. The platform ensures your ministry stays compliant with non-profit regulations while providing clear visibility into your financial health through automated reporting and real-time data syncing.
You can streamline your entire back-office operation by integrating your accounting directly with your giving and membership data. This eliminates manual data entry and reduces errors in your ledger. Whether you are managing a single local parish or a large multi-site ministry, you can customize the chart of accounts to fit your specific structure and generate the exact reports your board or elders need to see.
Overview
Planning Center Features
- Services & Scheduling Plan your worship sets and schedule volunteers with automated requests so your weekend services run without a hitch.
- People Database Organize your member information in one central hub and track engagement levels to ensure no one falls through the cracks.
- Online Giving Accept donations via credit card, ACH, or text-to-give and automatically generate year-end tax statements for your donors.
- Secure Check-Ins Keep your children's ministry safe with fast label printing and secure pickup codes that give parents peace of mind.
- Event Registrations Create custom sign-up forms for camps or conferences and process payments directly through your church website.
- Church Center App Give your congregation a mobile home where they can join groups, register for events, and manage their own profiles.
ShelbyNext Financials Features
- True Fund Accounting. Manage multiple restricted and unrestricted funds with ease to ensure every donation is used exactly as intended.
- General Ledger. Maintain a flexible chart of accounts that mirrors your church structure for precise tracking of income and expenses.
- Payroll Management. Process staff salaries and housing allowances correctly while staying compliant with unique clergy tax laws and regulations.
- Accounts Payable. Automate your bill payments and track vendor history to keep your ministry operations running smoothly and on time.
- Bank Reconciliation. Connect your bank accounts to automatically import transactions and reconcile your books with just a few clicks.
- Financial Reporting. Generate professional statements of activities and financial position to share with your board or congregation instantly.
- Accounts Receivable. Track miscellaneous income and manage invoices for church-run schools, daycares, or facility rentals in one place.
- Fixed Assets. Track your ministry's physical property and equipment while automatically calculating depreciation for more accurate financial statements.
Pricing Comparison
Planning Center Pricing
- Free versions of all apps
- Up to 5 Service members
- Up to 15 Check-ins/month
- Up to 10 Registration signups
- Unlimited People profiles
- Community support access
- Everything in Free, plus:
- Up to 25 Service members
- Unlimited service plans
- File storage for charts
- Volunteer scheduling tools
- Rehearsal pack integration
ShelbyNext Financials Pricing
Pros & Cons
Planning Center
Pros
- Modular approach lets you pay only for needed features
- Highly intuitive interface requires very little staff training
- Excellent mobile app for both staff and congregation
- Seamless data syncing between different ministry modules
- Regular feature updates based on direct user feedback
Cons
- Costs can add up quickly when using multiple modules
- Limited customization for some automated email templates
- Reporting features can be basic for complex data needs
ShelbyNext Financials
Pros
- Excellent compliance with specific non-profit and clergy tax laws
- Robust multi-fund tracking that generic software often lacks
- Seamless integration with ShelbyNext Membership and Giving modules
- Highly detailed audit trails for superior financial accountability
- Reliable cloud access for remote staff and treasurers
Cons
- Steep learning curve for users without accounting backgrounds
- Interface feels dated compared to modern consumer apps
- Initial setup and implementation can be time-consuming