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Merkaz Merkaz Community OS

Migration — ShulCloud, Chaverware, FileMaker

Switching synagogue software shouldn’t feel like a leap of faith.

Merkaz has migrated more than 600 congregations from ShulCloud, Chaverware, and legacy FileMaker systems with a 98.7% data-fidelity rate — usually in under six weeks, with your staff running parallel until the day you cut over.

Book a Migration Demo See the 3-step timeline
  • 98.7% Data-fidelity rate across 600+ migrations
  • 600+ Congregations moved off legacy platforms
  • 4–6 wks Typical time from kickoff to cutover
Two synagogue administrators reviewing a migration checklist at their desk
Park Avenue Synagogue cut over in 19 business days — with no member record lost.

The Migration Timeline

A predictable three-step project — not an open-ended undertaking.

Every Merkaz migration follows the same three chapters, with a named migration lead on our side and a fixed weekly check-in on yours. You always know what week you’re in, what you’ll be asked to review, and what the next gate is.

  1. Chapter One

    Discovery & Audit

    Week 1

    We export a read-only snapshot of your current system — ShulCloud, Chaverware, FileMaker, or a homemade Access database — and run an automated audit: every member record, every yahrtzeit date in Hebrew and English, every open pledge, every recurring event. You receive a written Data Inventory report before week two begins.

    • Read-only system export, never a destructive read
    • Automated yahrtzeit-Hebrew-date validation
    • Pledge, billing, and tuition balance reconciliation

  2. Chapter Two

    Data Mapping & Migration

    Weeks 2–4

    Our migration engineers map every legacy field to its Merkaz equivalent — including the awkward ones (household-vs-member primary keys, legacy pledge codes, scanned B’nai Mitzvah photos). You review a staging environment in week three and sign off field-by-field before anything is moved to production.

    • Field-by-field mapping document for your review
    • Staging environment with your real (anonymized) data
    • One full reconciliation pass against your legacy reports

  3. Chapter Three

    Training & Cutover

    Weeks 4–6

    Your staff trains on Merkaz while your old system stays live. On cutover weekend we run a parallel week — both systems producing the same yahrtzeit list, the same Shabbat kiddush roster, the same giving statements — until you’re confident. Then we switch the DNS, archive the legacy export, and stay on call for 30 days.

    • Live staff training, recorded for future hires
    • Parallel-run week with side-by-side reconciliation
    • 30 days of post-cutover support, no extra contract

Where Are You Migrating From?

Tell us your current system — we’ll show you exactly what changes.

Each of the three systems below has its own migration playbook we’ve refined over hundreds of cuts. Pick the one that matches your shul today and read what stays the same, what improves, and what you finally stop fighting.

From ShulCloud

The platform that stopped growing with you.

ShulCloud is excellent at member directories and basic event registration — but its Hebrew calendar engine hasn’t kept pace, its reporting is limited, and most congregations we migrate tell us the same thing: they’ve outgrown its yahrtzeit handling and member-engagement tools.

Yahrtzeit reminders
Hebrew-date correct, multi-generation, with email + SMS
Member engagement
Lifecycle journeys, not static email blasts
Giving & pledges
$312M processed last year with QuickBooks sync
Plan a ShulCloud cutover

From Chaverware

Built for a desktop era. Your staff works in the cloud now.

Chaverware pioneered synagogue software — and many of you have used it for fifteen years or more. What congregations tell us they want is the same Chaverware feel for member relationships, with the modern conveniences: a real mobile app, integrated payments, and a Hebrew calendar that handles modern Israeli date conventions correctly.

Access
Browser + native iOS + native Android for every role
Hebrew calendar
Modern Israeli algorithms, diaspora-friendly rules
Data export
Your data leaves with you, in standard formats, on request
Plan a Chaverware cutover

From Legacy FileMaker

A database only one retired administrator truly understands.

If your shul is still on a FileMaker system — often one a beloved former executive director built and then took with them — the migration feels existential. We’ve done it for 180+ congregations. We will read the schema, preserve the Hebrew dates, and not lose a single scanned B’nai Mitzvah photo.

Schema archaeology
Reverse-engineered by engineers who’ve seen every FileMaker era
Scanned documents
Preserved with their original folder structure
Knowledge transfer
Documented in a handover guide your board can keep
Plan a FileMaker cutover

Congregations That Made The Switch

Names you recognize. Results you can verify.

  • 1,840+ Congregations on Merkaz across Orthodox, Conservative, Reform, and Reconstructionist communities
  • 14 of 50 Largest US congregations by household count run their member systems on Merkaz
  • 95% Customer retention as of Q4 2024 — the highest in synagogue-management software
  • $312M In member donations and pledges processed during fiscal year 2024

Questions Your Board Will Ask

The objections we hear from every executive director — answered.

These are the four questions that come up in nearly every board conversation about switching. If yours isn’t listed, bring it to the demo — we’ll answer it on the call.

Will our yahrtzeit records survive the migration?
Yes — and we treat Hebrew-date correctness as a non-negotiable. Every yahrtzeit is migrated in both its original Hebrew date (day and month) and its English calendar equivalent, validated against the source system and reconciled against your printed honor-roll lists before you sign off on staging. Our 98.7% data-fidelity rate includes yahrtzeit dates as a separately-audited category.
What happens to open pledges, recurring gifts, and tuition balances?
Every open pledge is migrated with its original commitment date, balance, and installment schedule. Recurring gifts are re-established in Stripe with the same donor, frequency, and amount — with the donor’s stored payment method carried over where the legacy processor supports it. You receive a written reconciliation report on every balance before cutover.
How long will our staff be unproductive while they retrain?
Shorter than you expect. Most executive directors report staff working comfortably in Merkaz within the first week of training, and fully productive by the end of week two. The migration runs in parallel with your legacy system for at least one full week, so retraining is layered — not a single painful cutover day. Our 2023 Beth HaTephilla Institute benchmarking study showed the average congregation’s administrative hours dropped from 22 per week to 6 within 90 days of cutover.
Can we roll back if something goes wrong?
Yes. Your legacy system stays live in read-only mode for thirty days after cutover, with a full data export of everything migrated. If a board-level concern arises, you can revert within that window with no penalty. We have never had a congregation use the rollback — but the safety net is real, and it’s in every contract we sign.

“We had been on the same Chaverware database for sixteen years. The thing I dreaded most was the yahrtzeit list — 1,400 names, every Hebrew date in our community memorial. Merkaz’s migration team audited it twice, walked me through every discrepancy, and on cutover Friday the list that printed at 4 p.m. was perfect. Our members didn’t notice we had switched at all. That was the highest compliment I could have hoped for.”

Rabbi Deborah Silverstein Executive Director, Congregation B’nai Shalom — migrated from Chaverware, 2023
Book a Migration Demo

A 20-minute call with a migration engineer — not a sales rep.