Objective
This article provides answers to common questions about the Faith Direct to ParishSOFT Giving Upgrade. By reviewing these FAQs, you’ll understand what’s changing, what to expect, and how to prepare your parish and donors for a seamless transition.
Why the Upgrade?
Faith Direct accounts are being upgraded to ParishSOFT Giving to enhance donor experience, provide better administrative tools, and simplify giving management—without changing your recurring gifts or increasing your cost.
General Overview
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What is happening with Faith Direct?
- Faith Direct is migrating to ParishSOFT Giving. This upgrade offers improved features, better reporting, and modern donor communication tools.
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When will the upgrade happen?
- Migrations will take place between mid-August and October 2025. Your parish will be notified in advance of your migration date.
Administrator Questions
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Do I need to do anything before the upgrade?
- Yes. Log into your ParishSOFT Giving account and complete the requested Account Information set up to ensure a smooth transition.
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Will I continue to work with my current Faith Direct support team?
- Yes. Your current support and Client relationship managers will continue assisting you through and after the upgrade.
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Will I need to update my website?
- Yes. While existing giving links will redirect automatically, it’s recommended that you update your site to reflect the new URLs and branding post-upgrade.
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Will our account pricing change?
- No. Your pricing and fees will remain the same after the migration.
Recurring Gifts & Donor Data
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Will our recurring gifts continue without disruption?
- Yes. All recurring gifts will continue processing on their usual schedule.
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Will donor data be retained?
- Yes. Donor names, contact information, payment sources, transaction history, and envelope numbers will all carry over via secure data transfer.
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What about test, support, or duplicate donors in our account?
- All data will be retained. Post-upgrade, we can work with you 1:1 for any data cleanup needs.
Forms & Contributions
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Will all of our current forms/appeals migrate over?
- All of your gift options, published events, and event templates will transfer into your upgraded account. Only active forms will migrate; forms that are unpublished or inactive will not be included in the upgrade.
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Will campaigns and appeals be preserved?
- Yes. Active appeals will migrate, though the way they are displayed (e.g., as funds or campaigns) may vary.
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Will all contributions and exports carry over?
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Yes. While some custom report fields may be excluded, all contributions will migrate.
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Donor Experience
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Do donors need to do anything before the upgrade?
- No. However, we recommend informing the donors that their giving page will look different after the upgrade.
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How will donors be notified about the change?
- To maintain donor trust and ensure a smooth upgrade to ParishSOFT, we recommend your administrative staff proactively communicate the change to your donors. Faith Direct will provide ready-to-use materials to support your outreach and can be found here: https://www.parishsoft.com/faith-direct-to-parishsoft
- Additionally, most donors will be informed of the upgrade to ParishSOFT through updated messaging in their Payment Reminder emails.
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Will printed Offertory Cards still be offered?
- A printable template can be provided from your Client Relations Manager, that you can share with donors if they still want to put Offertory Cards in the basket, but they will no longer be mailed from Faith Direct. Please email your Client Relations Manager, or managed.giving@ministrybrands.com for the template that you or your donors can print.
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Will the donor support phone number change?
- This is still being confirmed. If changes occur, we’ll notify you with the updated contact information.
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Can donors still call for help?
- Yes. While support agents can no longer log in as the donor due to updated security policies, they will continue assisting donors over the phone and can walk them through any necessary changes step-by-step.
Communication & Materials
- What is the recommended communication cadence for your admin staff to send information to your donors?
- We suggest the following flow:
- Coming Soon
- Coming Next Week
- Now Live
- Reminder (e.g., “Log in to view your holiday gifts”)
- We suggest the following flow:
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Will new promotional materials be available?
- Yes. Brochures, posters, and other resources can be distributed by request.
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Will our TTG (Text-to-Give) number stay the same?
- This is under review. We’ll share more as soon as it’s confirmed.
Reporting & Tax Statements
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Will my giving history reports be preserved?
- Yes, the new platform includes robust filtering and enhanced reporting tools.
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Will we still be able to generate End-of-Year statements?
- In your upgraded account, you have the option to export your giving data into an Excel file or email statements.
Security & Access
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Can I log in using my existing ParishSOFT MinistryID?
- Not yet. At this time, administrators will have separate logins. We are actively exploring options for unified access in the future.
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How do I log into my upgraded ParishSOFT Giving account?
- You’ll receive full login instructions (including screenshots and email steps) before your upgrade.
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How do donors log in?
- They can login through the giving page, where they donate.
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Will I need to create access for users who already had administrative access to Faith Direct?
- No. Anyone who previously had administrative access to Faith Direct will already have an access point created in ParishSOFT Giving.
Have Questions or Need Help?
We’re here to support you every step of the way:
- Client Support: Contact your Client Relations Manager or email managed.giving@ministrybrands.com
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