Realm: Today & What’s Next
Realm: Today & What's Next
By Karen Harwell, Ministry Assistant for Faith Development
Need an email address for a church member (or need to put a face with a name)? Want to make sure you are on track with your contributions? Can’t find the Zoom link to SPdLU? Then go to Realm!
How We are Using Realm NOW
Last year Second-Ponce introduced Realm to the congregation as a tool for members to
Communicate with each other via email or chat
Look up contact information for members
Check giving records
Learn about upcoming events.
127 members have taken advantage of the system by creating an account (and over 45 have used it in the past week!). Two options are available for use: an online platform via a web address and the Realm Connect App (iPhone and Android).
But Realm is more than just the directory. Lay leaders and staff have used Realm to help with congregational care and learn about how Sunday School is growing. Our coffee team uses the system to help assign volunteers for various Sundays (coffee lovers rejoice!). "Sunday school leaders in several classes use the Realm Connect App to take attendance each week and last fall, we launched online contribution commitments (i.e., pledges)." By using the "dashboards" in Realm, we have been able to easily see how our attendance in worship has risen following COVID (our weekly average as increased by 40%!).
What’s Next?
This year, we plan to expand how we use Realm to make group communication easier and more robust, offer a new way to give online via the system and offer new ways to register for events (including online registration payments). The new initiatives are as follows:
Implement group one-way texting using the youth ministry’s members and parents as a test group with possible expansion to other groups
Accept online registration and payments for events & give online via Realm
Ask more teams of volunteers to try scheduling volunteers through Realm.
What Can You Do?
Make sure your contact information appears in Realm in the online directory. I recently had a member contact me who wanted to send cards to a few folks after a death in the family. She went onto Realm but could not find one of those individuals in the directory. Turns out, that person had not opted to be included. Likely not because she did not want to be, but because she didn’t realize that her information was still marked private. (You do NOT have to use Realm to be in the directory, but you must opt-in.)
Make sure you have a photo in Realm. You can email a simple informal headshot to me or stop by any Realm Help Desk to have your photo taken. Or, if you have an account, it’s a straightforward process to upload a photo. (Just make sure it’s you and ideally a headshot!)
Sign up for an Account. We have a closed Realm system to keep security high, so we only issue invitations to members (and very active attendees/guardians). You can update contact information, make choices regarding the privacy of information and register for events. You also have access to the online directory, giving, news links and the list of events.
Download the Realm Connect App. The app is the easiest way for most church members to take advantage of Realm. Set notifications when events are posted, email or call someone in the directory or your Sunday School class with one click and add events directly to your calendar. Some groups even have mobile check-in for their meetings.
To learn more, email me, Karen Harwell, at kharwell@spdl.org. I can answer any questions or send you a Realm invitation. We also plan to offer Realm Help Desk opportunities each month and a few Zoom tutorials this summer on selected topics of interest.