Print Church Directories On Your Own Computer. Of the many time-saving and money-saving features built in to Working Church, our complete church management software solution, what may be the quickest payback for you lies in the ability to print photographic membership directories on your computer.
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Hello,I have been asked to create a pictorial directory for a volunteer organization using Excel or WORD.Our membership directory is in EXCEL, and changes frequently, so it needs to be fairly dynamic. The member's picture is a jpg.
What we are looking for is a picture of the person with their name below their picture. Based on the pictures I've been given,the page would be a 3x4 grid (3 people per 'line' and 4 'lines'/page.)The previous directory was created in Publisher, but most of our members don't have Publisher and the previous author manually created a new document every time there was a change and distributed a pdf. TOO time consuming for me!I looked for free templates on Microsoft and couldn't find any. What you are doing is generally known as creating a 'photo album' or just 'album'.So, you have to make sure the member name is in full as the picture file name, last name first if that is how you want to sort it.Then use PowerPoint to create an album.
It only allows for up to 4 pictures per slide. You can create an album in less than a minute! Here is a short how to videoHow to create a presentation of photos quickly and easily using the Photo Album feature of PowerPoint(2:22)Here is the MS article on doing PPT albums:includes information about sharing the result as a video or emailed link.This article is about doing subsequent updates, but I think it would be simpler to just recreate the album every time.a look at this addin for Word:Photo Gallery Add-In for Word 2007/2010Photo Gallery Add-In is intended make image gallery presentations in your documents as easy as typing text! The gallery images are automatically captioned with their filenames (excluding the extension) with the option of adding prefix numberingand text.It allows up to 6 pictures across the page and allows you to automatically apply much of the photo / image editing options that are available.I did find a bunch of photo album templates at MS for both PPT and Word. But I don't think any of them are what you are looking foris a search of the template site for photo albums, it generates different results than previous link. If you want to get artsy, you may want to try some of these templates:TopicThis article provides an interesting take on using Excel to create a pop-up photo album, or catalog.
But this is not what you are looking foractually said: “It is futile to do with more what can be done with fewer.” On the other hand, A theory is not “better” if it is simpler but it might well be more useful and that counts for more.
Church Photo DirectoriesA church directory can be a great ministry tool. A church directory helps clergy and other leaders to stay connected with the congregation year-round.Your photo directory should list the essentials such as names, addresses, and phone numbers, but imagine all the other possible information that could make your directory more helpful to members and staff. Maybe you can include areas in which someone serves, or hobbies or interests individuals have, or maybe you can provide links to their social media accounts.A photo directory is one of the best opportunities to connect members, especially in larger churches where it’s impossible to know everyone. To new as well as current members, directories offer a way to associate faces with names and to act as a source for contact information. Who hasn’t forgotten a name, but knows the face is familiar? Here’s the chance to review the picture of someone you have met at church—and make the connection.Don’t be pushed around.There are many photo portrait studios that will push for you to do a printed photo directory.
They usually do not charge, but have hard selling practices to encourage church members to purchase their portraits from the company and these sales cover the directory costs. This process can feel awkward and usually is.
Times have changed and families simply don’t have physical photos, nor want to be pushed with hard-sell techniques to purchase photos in exchange for being in a photo directory for their church. What’s the alternative?
You can do this in-house and it can be fun!Going digital.An online directory solves two concerns. Members can visit a website for the church’s online directory to view photos of members, the latest contacts and other biographical information. Online directories also are less expensive, and you can update them easily. Limit access to members only by requiring logins and passwords and use SSL encryption, or simply have a password protected PDF on your website. Allow members to opt in and out of the digital version.Work with a volunteer committee whose mission is to create or enhance your directory. Buy software, hire a photo studio or a skilled photographer in your congregation willing to donate services, or even consider doing a photo booth for a few Sundays to take your photos.
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Design the pages to send to your printer and/or post online. If someone wants a printed hard copy photobook, they can order it online at a print-on-demand online retailer and pay for it themselves, or you can order a handful of these printed books and keep them in your church office and sell them individually. You can print via, or among others. Utilize online templates from these online companies, or create your own layout. If you are an InDesign user, just search online for photo directory or yearbook templates. If you have a spreadsheet of church members and want a quick and easy way to create a directory using mail merge features in InDesign, here’s a tutorial:.You can also subscribe to an online directory service for a fee. Online directories also can make it easier for members to change personal information and add photos themselves.
Here are a few companies that offer directory software and related programs; each includes a free trial:,. An important consideration in choosing any service provider or program is to find one that allows you to create both print and digital versions. ReviewsThe Rev. Robert Beazley, from, reports: ' looks outdated and not worth it. I was very hesitant to invest time into it but it's been worth it.
If you signup for annual plans, it's only $6.65 a month. Members are able to download the app and have secured access to a digital directory. Administrators have the ability to download PDFs of the directory and easily have them printed. Mail-merge.csv are downloadable for easy mailings. Its simplicity is deceiving.' Suggest a resource for this page.
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