IconCMO Reviews

Great Product! Excellent Support!

Comments: This software is affordable and produces quality results. It's easy to learn, intuitive and relevant. I recommend it to our congregations often.

Pros:

I have been working with this software since 1999, back when it was Revelations and through the migration to Icon CMO. I serve in a synod (district) office of our church, so our contributions are a bit different from those of a congregation, but IconCMO serves us well. I've also used the congregation version and it's equally as functional. What I love most is the support! Quick answers to questions both online and by phone (I love that I've talked to my executive for almost all of these years!) and the team is responsive to suggestions of improvements to the software that would allow me to do my job better.

Cons:

Some forms and reports are set up more from a congregational perspective than for a synod, but that's a minor inconvenience.

ICON-CMO

Pros:

Ease of use, great functionality, user friendly navigation

Cons:

Functionality for multi family levels, more than one main address.

improved but still needs more help

Comments: When I started working at St Stefanos GOC I was told I had to enter deposits into ICON and Qiuckbooks and I do. I get stewardship reports from ICON and also print reports for mailing.

Pros:

There are a large number of reports available and it is easy for us to mail out statements of to our stewards from the software.

Cons:

Some simple fixes are still not done. Many of our checks come from banks issued but the check number field will not accommodate the number of digits. I enter deposits twice, once in ICON and once in QuickBooks. The deposit in ICON takes much longer because I have to use a cursor to select a letter range before searching for a steward family name. In QuickBooks I just type one or two letters to find the name. Deposit batches that need to be edited are assigned a new batch number, which is out of sequence with when the original batch was done. It would be easier if the batch was just marked as "edited". Some fields do not accept characters like / so dates must be typed out.

2019 Review

Comments: availability of logical program reports that can be date specified.

Pros:

Able to run finances from one bank account with separate designated Fund accounts.

Cons:

nothing comes to mind in this area. Not sure why this keeps highlighting when I hit the submit button. Maybe response was not long enough!!

Treasurer, Spirit of Joy Church, Indianapolis, IN

Comments: As I am not an accountant, I find the customer support team to be superb! As a small church, less than 100 members, we find the cost to be very reasonable.

Pros:

As a non-accountant, I like the ability to gather data for my reports. Once setup, with Icon help, I'm able to write checks to my vendors without having to reenter the account and fund information by using the last six transactions drop down. This is very helpful when writing payroll checks, as we only have three employees and we do not use the Icon payroll module.

Cons:

When paying the credit card, the check number on the Credit Card Payment screen is the next number in sequence; however when returning to the check writing screen, the check number is not updated to account for the check written in the Credit Card Payment screen.

IconCMO

Comments: Our buisness has enjoyed our experience. Having one central location for all types of administrative/client information is helpful and that each person on staff can access that information is key.

Pros:

I like that this software is a hub for all of the things our business needs. It is easy to use because of the way each area is categorized. It is also easy to update information. Multiple log-ins allow each staff person access and I can take this software on the go, too, which is important in today's fast-paced world.

Cons:

It took some time to be come familiar with the layout and how to access the information you are looking for.

Works very well for our needs

Comments: I moved our church database from the PC-based software to the cloud-based system shortly after becoming the office manager. It solved nearly every problem that we were encountering and allowed remote data entry as well as allowing users real-time access to information rather than waiting on me to have time to compile it. I have found the technical service team to be very responsive to questions and suggestions.

Pros:

The membership database is useful to church leadership in several ways. I like the ability to customize accessibility levels for different users and the ability to design our own reports.

Cons:

I wish there were a way to change the color scheme.

Comprehensive and Modular!

Comments: We replaced a much clunker system when we switched to IconCMO, and so overall, from ease of use to contacting customer service, we have found IconCMO to be the perfect balance of meeting our needs in an affordable solution.

Pros:

IconCMO is very easy to use, with intuitive interfaces and appropriate help screens when you need a little nudge! I like the portability and ability to control various account access levels for users with different needs and levels of access.

Cons:

Actually, the software works exactly as described. Maybe the colors or smoothing of fonts would be an improvement.

Time Saving software

Comments: The capture of contributions is very important to my position as Church Financial Secretary. CMO makes my entry process very simple and fast. I love the distribution button so I can add one donation and then divide into the specified funds. The end of year statement process only takes a few seconds to generate statements. Great program.

Pros:

I love the ability to collect a vast amount of data and then be able to present that information in many ways to meet our church needs. I love the fact that the company is constantly improving the product and list to the users needs.

Cons:

There are many different reports but the location for different ones are found in different places. It would be great to have a general report tab and then a drop down menu showing categories then drop down showing the specific reports. I don't always remember where some reports are since I don't run all of them often.

Pros and Cons for our congregation

Comments: We are very satisfied with ICON. We are able to keep all our information in one program versus multiple. It is designed for churches, so the program has those items that a congregation uses. Limitation is only by the user. ICON is very receptive and offers updates to keep up with congregation needs are they arise.

Pros:

This program is excellent for for tracking Membership and Contributions. It offers a great variety of reports and functionality for keeping your information tracked and available. The program can easily be configured to meets a congregations needs and wants. We have been very satisfied.

Cons:

The only con that we have found is it would have been nice to view some examples of how other users use the program.

Using ICON for church membership

Comments: Overall it has been a good experience. The times that I have needed to call for help, I have had my questions answered. It is nice that it is cloud/internet based so that if I am off-site and need to do something/find something in the database, I am able to access it.

Pros:

With this software we are able to keep track of our members -- current and past. It is nice to be able to archive member information if they have passed away or transferred, it becomes a historical record. We are able to create reports and various groups based on our needs. For example, we have a group for those we mail bulletins to and for certain age groups for children. We are also able to create reports based on giving records; these records do not have to show personal information, the information can be data only.

Cons:

I find there are a couple fields in the member info that it seems like if I fill it out once, it should transfer to the smiliar field in another view, but it does not so we then need to fill it in/update it twice. For example, it would be nice if it would automatically pick up the 2 adult members from a household and make those the household name, but it does not, it only lists the name selected as "head of household." It is sometimes hard to find answers in the help section, it appears to be mainly questions others have asked, so sometimes the answers are out-of-date because parts of the software have changed/been updated.

Lukewarm

Comments: Very full-featured for managing membership, though not always intuitive. Report generating difficult, but support very helpful. I support it in-house, and do not use it as much as others, so we go around in circles a lot trying to figure things out. Our staff is pretty suave, but they still have difficulties. We are grateful that we only do contributions, and do not use the financial/accounting features (outsource our accounting).

Pros:

* Local company (in MN) * Cloud-based * Fabulous (local) support

Cons:

The way you sometimes feel like you are going in circles. It is not very intuitive. I think it is not as "full-featured" as some of the alternatives, and now simple things like text messaging, are out-sourced to third-party companies--that you have to pay additional for. The directory features are lacking, as is the member portal.

Excellent Tool for Churches

Pros:

I'm not very familiar with accounting, or most accounting programs, and so I was nervous about learning to use ICONCMO when I took on the role of financial secretary at the church where I work. However, once I learned a few basics, ICOMCMO has proven to be an extremely useful and efficient program for keeping track of contributions to the church. Being able to record weekly gifts, assign portions of that to specific funds, and generate a wide variety of reports on both funds and individual givers has been invaluable. We are especially thankful come tax season, where it is shockingly easy to generate giving/contribution reports for each person who has given to the church throughout the year. I've also been extremely pleased with both customer service and the online resources for "how-to" questions.

Cons:

As I said, I'm not familiar with accounting software, so I cannot compare it to other programs in this field. I do have trouble navigating the menus at times, as they don's seem intuitive to me- though again, as someone with limited exposure to programs like this, it may just be me. But as I mentioned above, a quick search in google or through the online manual answers my question 99% of the time. Ultimately, I think anyone could use this program.

Review From Gloria Dei Lutheran Church

Comments: During budget preparation, it is easy to fine what contributions have been made, how it relates to the pledges and who is behind. The contribution statements are great and I can send by email to those who have email addresses, then print out the statements that need to be snail-mailed. One of the best features I have found the working on the end of the year Congregational Report for the Synod. It makes this job a lot easier.

Pros:

This program helps keep all information about members of the congregation located in one location. Once signed on to ICONCMO, I can find all members of the family, important dates about each member, addresses, etc. I also like the Contribution section because I can access the pledges for the members if there is any question.

Cons:

There are times when I have to hunt for the records I need because I am not sure where to look. I have tried to use the user manual, but I don't think it is very user friendly.

Outstanding Product

Comments: I have used many church software programs, but IconCMO is the most user friendly. I initially began with the Revelations program, many years ago. The new IconCMO has so much more to offer in church record keeping. And with new features to track people for events and the ability to offer check-in for events will be an added plus when we plan to incorporate these programs. I think the key to having a good product is the technical and support staff, which is outstanding with IconCMO. I would highly recommend this church software program to anyone.

Pros:

The easy way to use this software it it's best feature. It's very easy to navigate, and little tutorial is actually needed. However, if you do need help, the support staff is outstanding. They are very familiar with the product and can usually answer the questions within minutes. They are professional and kind.

Cons:

Nothing really. IconCMO has so many features that I do not use. But to have the capability to enhance our record keeping, is nice to know.

A software system that works for all

Comments: As an employee who uses IconCMO frequently, I find it easy to understand and use. I am able to quickly access the information I need, make corrections and changes or updates without frustrations.

Pros:

The software system is organized. Easy to read and find information. Just run your mouse on what you are looking for and a quick click will send you into the category of your choice. Information is stored in a manner that is easy to input, read and understand. Updating information is easy as well.

Cons:

After making changes, additions or corrections on individuals you have to click the save button on each section and sometimes I have forgotten to do it and it doesn't save my changes. An auto save would be nice but also maybe just making one save button or not putting two categories that need to be saved separately together to avoid confusion.

An excellent value for an integrated web-babsed church management software program.

Comments: Better fund accounting module. Decentralization of the data allowing for multiple users to access via the web.

Pros:

* Web based. No software to install locally and maintain. No need to worry about your data getting lost. * FASB 117 compliant, allowing for true fund-based non-profit accounting. * Allows for unlimited number of users, each one's access customizable down to the individual menu level. * Able to signup for a free trial so I was able to see what the software was really like before I made the purchase decision. With other vendors, I'd have to rely on slick marketing promises that seem to promise the world and then you find out after you purchase it that it's not what you expected.

Cons:

* Payroll module seemed a bit difficult and clunky. However, this should not be hinderance since I highly recommend that everyone should use a payroll service and not do it yourself anyway.

I like it better than Revelations, and it's been relatively easy to transition; but there are issues

Comments: I can now work on it from home and in the office, including entering data or running a report. I can now email statements. I can search a little easier without having to use my mouse as much.

Pros:

It was an easy transition in terms of learning how to use it. It is online. I can email statements. I like that now I can start typing the fund name, and it will take me to that name; Revelations didn't have that function. I like that I can use contribution history when entering; that helps me catch an error sometimes if the amount is much different than normal.

Cons:

When I make a change to a household, save and close, then the household list closes & I have to reopen. The list should stay open, since I may be making multiple updates. I hated that I had to set up all the accounting links, since those should have already been set up in the Revelations file I sent. It took a while to do because we have a lot of funds, then I did it wrong and had to go back and redo them all. I wish that the export to QuickBooks would be automatic when I post, like it did in Revelations. Now I have an extra step. I don't like the date is automatically the day you enter when I am entering data, since I am usually doing an entry for the past week; and the system doesn't start there. It starts at the name, so I have to use my mouse to go back to the date and change it.

I've been impressed with the capabilities of ICON. Every day I use it I find new things.

Pros:

ICON has so many more modules than its predecessor, "Revelation." Some of the records that we used to keep in other programs (e.g., records of contributions on Excel spreadsheets) have been so much easier to accomplish on ICON. But, by far and away, the customer support is the best reason for using this product. When there is something I don't understand (e.g., the difference between deleting and archiving an individual) they are able to explain it quickly and easily. I am often talking to the software developer, not just another user, and rarely have to wait to have a phone call returned. The friendliness and efficiency of the support staff make it ICON worth every penny.

Cons:

Some of the help screens don't really answer the question I'm looking for, but the support staff is always there to straighten in out. Also, learning how to accomplish certain reports and functions that were done one way in Revelation, and a completely different way in ICON, has been difficult. ICON does everything I need, but finding out where it happens is not always straightforward.

I have been satisfied (fund accounting), but many of my co-workers aren't(membership/volunteers)

Comments: We use the fund accounting and membership modules. We do not use payroll nor general accounting.

Pros:

Customer Service is great. Regarding the module I use (contributions), it seems to offer a high level of sophistication. I haven't used other software, so difficult to say.

Cons:

It is not as intuitive or user friendly as I would like. Difficult to train and figure out. Also, I have to review & compare the reports to make sure I am receiving the information I think I am receiving. Contribution reports can be tricky as to which ones include certain data and which reports don't include specific data (ie prepaids). Connections between modules are not seamless.

IconCMO provides all the features needed to easily track and manage church life!

Comments: This is the most effective tool church staff can use to organize and track the many components of church life. There are many reasons why IconCMO is the best package on the market, but being web-based knocks it out of the park

Pros:

IconCMO is a well organized, web-based, data management package that provides a simple no-nonsense approach to tracking both people (visitors, prospects, active members, non-active members, etc) to contribtions and funding campaigns. The fact that it's web-based allows users to call up information, or send emails, or even global text messages from ANYWHERE you can access the web. It's been a life saver.

Cons:

Standard reports are not as flexible as one might hope for. But whenever I need a report that isn't standard I can export all member data or household data to create a report in a third-party product.

Great Resource for Church Financials and Membership Records

Pros:

This software is clearly made with churches in mind- it has all the features we use most frequently, such as detailed membership records (including spots for contact information, baptism, confirmation, and church transfers) and the ability to print directories a variety of ways. We also use it to record our members' weekly contributions and this makes printing year-end giving statements for our members easy and very convenient, with all the information they'll need if they want to compare with their own financial records.

Cons:

As office admin and financial secretary I primarily use the software for membership records and recording of contributions. Initially, it felt a bit overwhelming to learn how to access the menus and find what I needed- it's not the most user-friendly or intuitive interface I've used. BUT, it did not take long to learn, and now I find it simple and easy to use.

Good System but taking too long to fix annoying inconveniences.

Comments: Provides accounting and financial reporting.

Pros:

It works. Performance is good. Fairly easy to use. Designed for churches. Support is good. Love being able to do a backup before I try something I'm not sure about.

Cons:

Reports don't really meet our needs. We have to generate several reports in Excel for our monthly report and try to combine them on our own. Needs a good user report writer. There are a lot of annoying little things that would make the system easier to use that never seem to get addressed. We use Fellowship One for our membership functions because it is more flexible and has features like a better picture directory and more options for pledge statements.

Icon CMO Church Management Software

Comments: I feel neutral about my overall experience.

Pros:

I love the customer service ICON offers. I am always able to reach someone who is very helpful and friendly during office hours.

Cons:

The ease of use is lacking for me, I have had to call and ask for help multiple times due to the difficulty in finding what I need. I have also had a problem with the export of lists, sometimes names are missing and other times there is a lot of unnecessary information included.

Great value for most churches without crazy outside the box requirements.

Comments: Offsite hosted so we don't have to worry about servers, backups, etc. Save on stamps by emailing statements, access from anywhere.

Pros:

Price, ease of use. They recently put a "fresh coat of paint" on it that makes it look more modern. Has "enough" functionality and we don't need to pay for all the bells and whistles. Love being able to email statements and save on stamps.

Cons:

Nothing major, we have had a hard time getting people to use the parishioner self-service. Initially that was because it was difficult to use for the average person. They have made improvements there, but we still have not had a huge adoption. Would like more flexibility on how emails appear so they look better.