VBS/Church Database - I need help

[EllenM]

I'm interested in using a whiz-bang database for our VBS staff and student lists. Our staff and students come from our church, other churches in the area, and the community at large. Our student database is in Access and our staff list is in an Excel spreadsheet. I often find myself entering the same information many times, such as the same mailing address for several members of the same family. Many staff people perform more than one job. Students move from one class to the next each year, and then often become teen helpers and staff as they get older. I'd like to use a relational database that I can enter a name and address once, then link each individual to family, position, and class as needed.

I'm thinking that perhaps I can create a database that could be used all year for the entire church since so many members/attenders of our church are part of VBS.

What are other people using for their database? Is there something out there than I can modify for my purposes?

EllenM
Idaho

[Mari-Jo]

I just use excel. Nothing fancy. Then I copy and paste from page to page or row to row.

[TrinityJen]

I wish I understood Access better than I do, because I think it is the better program for tying families together. But I am not sure how.

Like you I enter the same info over and over. I also use Excel. I have 1 gigantic spread sheet -PM me if you would like to see it-. I have 1 page that has all the kids that came to our V B S for the past 5 years. I keep track of what year they enter 6th grade -graduate out- then I tie it to the current year and it automatically updates what grade they will be going into. his kid data base has everything from the registration form, grade, parents, address, if they attend our church, etc. New columns each year for attendance year, printed name tag, did they get an early CD, anything I might need to print a list for. I change the group listing every year, right now -the start of reg- I still have last years groups listed to help assign this years groups. Now we have grades that over lap, originally I had it set up to automatically look at the current grade then assign the group. OH - and I have it set up to 'filter' So I can have it only show me kids attending this year....that don't have name tags. Or only kids in the red group. OR only kids attending this year that attended last year or or have never attended before. I do a lot of sort by group, now sort buy age, then sort by name....That is the kids page.

The volunteers page....not as fancy but I have a column for each year and what they did that year, whether they are a teen or an adult, their address.

I also have a pie chart.....I drive everyone crazy with. I think I am the only one who likes it. But it lets me see at a glance how well balance the groups are.

I would also like to find something better, or even to make mine work better, maybe next year.



BTW - this message took forever for me to post - I ended up editing the message to add the lines 1 by 1 until I found the line it didn't like. rephrased it and it finally posted the whole thing....it is too late at night to be doing this!

[EllenM]

Thank you both for your responses! I might do more with the Excel spreadsheet.

Does anyone out there use a relational database for their student and volunteer lists? I'm interested in finding a few options that I can present to our church Pastor and Elders to purchase for our information and contact needs. Anyone? Anyone? Thanks!