I originally wrote CV-Schedule to help with a scheduling need in my own church. Since 1999, I have also posted it on the Internet for other churches to use. The original program had an old DOS-style user interface, but it also worked with Windows Systems. But, because of compatibility issues with some Windows Vista systems, I have finally decided to upgrade the program to version 2, which has full Windows compatibility.
CV-Schedule (“Church Volunteer Scheduler”) provides a quick, easy way to automatically schedule ushers, greeters, choir, organist, musicians, Eucharistic Ministers, lectors or readers, altar servers, offertory family, nursery attendants, and any other ministries that are needed at Church Service or Mass.
It only takes CV-Schedule a few seconds to compile schedules that would take many hours of work by hand. It can coordinate family ministries, dual ministries, and other scheduling options that would be virtually impossible to manage with by-hand scheduling.
The scheduling is done using a flexible set of rules that can be customized to fit the requirements of your church and of individual volunteers. Scheduling options available for each volunteer and family include:
· Avoid splitting the family between 2 Services on any weekend
· Always serve together as a family ministry
· Serve together as a family ministry whenever convenient
· Baby-sitter option: husband and wife will not be scheduled together
· Serve every week
· Serve more or less often than normal
· Unavailable dates
· Must schedule dates
C-V Schedule can schedule volunteers for:
· Regular Saturday and Sunday Services
· Weekday Services
· Special Services such as Christmas Day, Ascension, etc.
· Any other events that occur on a regular weekly schedule or on a one-time basis
· Ministry sub-groups such as Lector I and Lector II, or Head Usher and Regular Usher
This program gives you Schedules and Sign-In Sheets which are ready to view and print using your word processor and computer printer. There is no need to transfer information by hand to a paper form.
CV-Schedule will work for Protestant and Catholic churches or other organizations which schedule volunteers. The names of your church meetings (Service, Mass, Liturgy, etc.) and ministry names can be fully customized.
A Database Manager is integrated with CV-Schedule to create and manage the four databases used: Ministry Database, Service Database, Personnel Database, and Formats Database.
Version 2.0 works the same way as Version 1, but it has the look and feel of a modern Windows program. If you are upgrading from an older version, you will be able to start using Version 2 immediately without having to learn anything new. Version 2 also includes several enhancements over previous versions:
· Compatible with Windows 95 or higher, including Windows Vista
· A scroll bar to rapidly scan through the Personnel Database
· Stores e-mail addresses for volunteers and ministry heads
· Click a button to send e-mail to any of the volunteers or ministry heads
· Click a button to dial the phone number of any of the volunteers or ministry heads (modem required; does not work on all systems)
· View and print Schedules, Sign-in Sheets and database files directly from the program
· View help files directly from the program
Use of CV-Schedule is free for religious organizations. Registration is not required. (See License in Chapter 16.)
You are also free (and encouraged!) to copy CV-Schedule and redistribute it on a not-for-profit basis to other churches for their evaluation.
I hope you will find CV-Schedule to be just what is needed at your church!
Cliff Leitch
September, 2008