The status of the Parish Data Systems rollout to all parishes in the Diocese of Erie

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PDS Project

Documents from the Diocese

Frequently Asked Questions
Got a question about PDS? Ask other parishes on our bbs (bulletin board)

How-to Documents

Updating the PDS software
Doing the Sync.
How to keep data in PDS consistent and accurate
How to mark a record when someone passes away.
Instructions for dealing with payments that exceed the original pledge.
Update your records using PDS Census Reports
How to Handle Anonymous Contributions
How to Unsubscribe a Family from Faith Magazine
Should I open the CSA fund for all parishioners?
Convert addresses from "ALL CAPS" to "Title Case".
Instructions for entering pledges, setting up the fund
and exporting to the diocese can be found in the CSA handbook .
Updating Church Office

Resources

Installing the newest CSA Export reports
Installing the Formation Reports - Formation Office users only
Installing the Parish LYBUNT Letter
Installing the Parish SYBUNT Letter
Installing the Non Giver Letter

Interested in buying other PDS software?

Please note that the diocesan agreement with PDS gives parishes that purchase PDS modules other than Church Office Management (COM) a discount of 50% off the list price if they enroll that product in the Preferred Client Program (PCP) and a 25% discount if they do not enroll that product in the PCP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can I contact at the Diocese about this project
If you have questions about the software, please call PDS at 800-892-5202
If you have general questions about the Diocese of Erie PDS project contact

Tom Burik, Director of Parish Financial Services - 814-824-1180
Joe Hoag, Director of Stewardship/Development - 814-824-1180
Kathy Papalia, St. Mark Catholic Center Network Administrator - 814-824-1184
How often will I be expected to do census synchronization?
You can do a sync as often as you would like. We would prefer you to do a sync on a weekly basis however we ask that you sync on the first business day of the month at a minimum.

Is the Diocese only interested in the active members, meaning the ones that are contributing and will participate in the CSA?
Faith magazine is interested in all active parish members and some people you may be currently marking as "inactive". It seems that the definition of "inactive" varies from parish to parish. As we work our way through this project, we will be able to better answer this question.
How do we handle families who are not registered members but made pledges on Commitment Sunday?
If they have filled out a pledge card and are indicating that they want to set up an on-going pledge, set the family up in PDS and post their pledge and payment using the Catholic Services Appeal fund you have set up.

If they are making a one-time payment, you can create a family with an id of "Loose" and name of "Loose" to record contributions not attributed to any specific family.

Getting help from Kathy: (Call 814-824-1184 and then click on this link.)

Getting help from Joe: (Call 814-824-1192 and then click on this link.)

Getting help option 2: (Call either Joe or Kathy and then click on this link.)


This text gets replaced by the swf file if the user has Flash installed.	PDS Project Documents from the Diocese Frequently Asked Questions Got a question about PDS? Ask other parishes on our bbs (bulletin board) How-to Documents Updating the PDS software Doing the Sync. How to keep data in PDS consistent and accurate How to mark a record when someone passes away. Instructions for dealing with payments that exceed the original pledge. Update your records using PDS Census Reports How to Handle Anonymous Contributions How to Unsubscribe a Family from Faith Magazine Should I open the CSA fund for all parishioners? Convert addresses from "ALL CAPS" to "Title Case". Instructions for entering pledges, setting up the fund and exporting to the diocese can be found in the CSA handbook . Updating Church Office Resources Installing the newest CSA Export reports Installing the Formation Reports - Formation Office users only Installing the Parish LYBUNT Letter Installing the Parish SYBUNT Letter Installing the Non Giver Letter Interested in buying other PDS software? Please note that the diocesan agreement with PDS gives parishes that purchase PDS modules other than Church Office Management (COM) a discount of 50% off the list price if they enroll that product in the Preferred Client Program (PCP) and a 25% discount if they do not enroll that product in the PCP. Frequently Asked Questions Who can I contact at the Diocese about this project If you have questions about the software, please call PDS at 800-892-5202 If you have general questions about the Diocese of Erie PDS project contact Tom Burik, Director of Parish Financial Services - 814-824-1180 Joe Hoag, Director of Stewardship/Development - 814-824-1180 Kathy Papalia, St. Mark Catholic Center Network Administrator - 814-824-1184 How often will I be expected to do census synchronization? You can do a sync as often as you would like. We would prefer you to do a sync on a weekly basis however we ask that you sync on the first business day of the month at a minimum. Is the Diocese only interested in the active members, meaning the ones that are contributing and will participate in the CSA? Faith magazine is interested in all active parish members and some people you may be currently marking as "inactive". It seems that the definition of "inactive" varies from parish to parish. As we work our way through this project, we will be able to better answer this question. How do we handle families who are not registered members but made pledges on Commitment Sunday? If they have filled out a pledge card and are indicating that they want to set up an on-going pledge, set the family up in PDS and post their pledge and payment using the Catholic Services Appeal fund you have set up. If they are making a one-time payment, you can create a family with an id of "Loose" and name of "Loose" to record contributions not attributed to any specific family. Getting help from Kathy: (Call 814-824-1184 and then click on this link.) Getting help from Joe: (Call 814-824-1192 and then click on this link.) Getting help option 2: (Call either Joe or Kathy and then click on this link.)