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EVENTU GREEN™ REVOLUTIONIZES CHURCH ENERGY SAVINGS

MEMPHIS, TN., June 23, 2009—At a time when all churches are looking for ways to reduce costs and many are looking for ways to become more environmentally sound, ServiceU Corporation introduces EventU Green™ , an add-on component to its EventU™ online event management software for churches that integrates a church’s HVAC heating and cooling system together with its online events calendar bookings.

“EventU Green is radical because it interfaces directly with a church’s HVAC heating and cooling systems to modify the thermostat settings,” explains Tim Whitehorn, CEO of ServiceU. “This means that the HVAC controls will be adjusted automatically as the event schedule changes, thereby saving churches thousands of dollars per year.”

One church that has seen this significant savings already is Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, California, home to a 2,500-member congregation and Christian school. Vineyard members and students are blessed to meet at their 250,000 square foot facility on 25 acres—not  your typical church; however, their concerns about energy costs and ways to become more “green” were typical to almost every church in America.

Vineyard Anaheim’s facilities manager Dave Paolozzi notes, “We were using far too much energy, and we needed to get a hold of what to do about it. In addition, our energy costs were on the rise and we needed a way to cut back and conserve more. With EventU Green, we’re able to automatically control our building, reduce energy output, and cut costs significantly.” Now, Vineyard Christian is able to schedule events and control their HVAC system online, 24/7.

ServiceU estimates that churches can easily save 10 percent to 20 percent of their current heating and cooling bill per year using EventU Green automation for their facilities. Vineyard Anaheim has already experienced a 25% reduction in energy costs this year alone.

If your HVAC system is compatible, your facility can be up and running in two weeks or less. ServiceU provides a series of questionnaires to churches in order to determine the layout of their HVAC system and inputs this information in EventU Green to set everything up correctly.

Benefits include:
• Reduction in energy consumption for heating and cooling of up to an estimated 10-20 percent or more
• More money to spend on ministry due to savings on utility costs
• Free up valuable labor time currently spent manually managing HVAC controls
• Higher “user satisfaction” since room temperature will be automatically controlled

Capabilities include:
• A single calendar system for managing events, rooms, resources, and HVAC
• Real-time control of all air conditioning and heating zones for an entire campus
• Changes to events automatically result in corresponding changes to HVAC controls
• High-availability architecture continues HVAC control even if Internet is down

Pricing is based on the size of the facility and number of HVAC zones. The cost of EventU Green is a fraction of the anticipated savings on utility bills, not to mention the savings of staff time and resources. In addition, organizations that are increasingly concerned with energy usage and becoming more “green” can know that creating a more efficient HVAC management system will put them on the right path. Churches must also be using EventU software to implement EventU Green.

For more information, churches can call (866) 709-7421 or go online http://www.EventUGreen.com to get started.

About ServiceU Corporation
ServiceU Corporation provides online event management software designed for organizations such as churches, nonprofits, schools, universities, festivals, and theaters. ServiceU offers three core products that get people involved. EventU: event, resource, and facility management that utilizes calendar scheduling software. TransactU: secure donations, payments and event registrations. TicketU: ticket sales, box office management and theater software. Founded in 1997, ServiceU is a trusted provider of online event management software to the nonprofit market. For more information, visit the ServiceU website at http://www.ServiceU.com or the company’s blog.

If you’d like to get the scoop on how to reduce energy consumption and cut costs at the same time, look to Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, California. Their recent implementation of EventU Green™ is a wonderful example of how to turn your church into a “green” church in a matter of weeks.

Vineyard Anaheim’s 2,500 member congregation and Christian school meet at a 250,000 square foot facility on 25 acres. This is not your typical church; however, their concerns about energy consumption and costs are typical to almost every church in America.

Dave Paolozzi, the facilities manager for the church recollects, “When I came on staff about two years ago, I noticed that the HVAC system controls were set for 6am-10pm, almost everyday, whether people were in the zone or not. No one was able to track functionality enough to keep up on it. We were using far too much energy, and we needed to get a hold of what to do about it. In addition, our energy costs were on the rise and we needed a way to cut back and conserve more.”

The church was already successfully using our EventU™ product to manage their facility, resources, and events. Vineyard Anaheim researched HVAC control systems to see if there would be some way to connect EventU data with their HVAC units, but discovered no vendors seemed to offer a solution for connecting online event data to the HVAC controls. “We would have had to enter in all our events a second time into the HVAC system in order to make it work how we wanted,” adds Paolozzi.

Vineyard Anaheim’s Executive Pastor, Dan Mahon, began talking with ServiceU’s CEO, Tim Whitehorn, and found that a solution was already in development. This solution was the EventU add-on component EventU Green™.

Mahon said that they “wanted a solution that would be intuitive and work with our events calendaring system, not work independently.” EventU Green™. was built to automate a facilities’ HVAC system based on the information scheduled in EventU. Now, Vineyard Christian is able to schedule events and control their HVAC system online, 24/7.

Now any organization using EventU can also use EventU Green™ to control their HVAC systems online remotely as events are scheduled.

“EventU Green™is radical because it interfaces directly with a church’s HVAC heating and cooling systems to modify the thermostat settings,” Whitehorn explains. “This means that the HVAC controls will be adjusted automatically as the event schedule changes, thereby saving churches thousands of dollars per year.”

ServiceU estimates that churches can easily save 10-20% of their current heating and cooling bill per year using EventU Green™ automation for their facilities.

If your HVAC system is compatible (check with ServiceU), your facility can be up and running in two weeks or less. ServiceU provides a series of questionnaires to the church in order to determine the layout of their HVAC system and input this info in EventU Green™to set everything up correctly.

Pricing is based on the size of the facility and number of HVAC zones. The cost of EventU Green™ is a fraction of the anticipated savings on utility bills, not to mention the savings of staff time and resources. In addition, organizations that are increasingly concerned with energy usage and becoming more “green” can know that creating a more efficient HVAC management system will put them on the right path.

Since it is necessary for a church to have EventU to schedule and manage events at their facility in order to implement EventU Green™, ServiceU is offering special pricing, for a limited time, for new customers when the two modules are purchased at the same time. Call 1.866.709.7421 or visit http://www.EventUGreen.com to get started.

Dear Friends,
ServiceU is sizzling with good news for summer. While it  may be getting hot outside, we can help you keep the rooms of your church chilled to the perfect temperature for all your summer time events!

It’s hot outside, but not in your facilities

I am pleased to share with you that we had a very successful launch of EventU Green™  at WFX in mid-May. We demonstrated the product to many of our current clients and many who we met for the first time. As you may know, EventU Green,™ is an add-on package to EventU™  Many of you have experienced the convenience of online event, facility and resource scheduling with EventU. Now, with EventU Green™ , you’ll be able to coordinate your heating and air conditioning online based on your EventU™ event schedule.  Learn more about EventU Green and read how our friends at Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Anaheim, California have successfully implemented EventU Green™ and are already seeing tremendous savings on their utility bill and labor costs.

And the winner is…

A few months ago, I shared with you that ServiceU was selected as a finalist in the Memphis Business Journal’s Small Business Award. While we were not selected as the winner in our category, we are truly grateful for the recognition of being selected as a finalist. As a finalist, we received a lot of exciting publicity about our company that I would like to share with you.

• Read the Memphis Business Journal article
• Watch the ServiceU video

I share these exciting stories with you not as a way to “toot our own horn,” but as an opportunity to once again thank you for selecting ServiceU as a business partner. We are truly honored and humbled by our recent recognitions, but we know they are meaningless if you, our valued clients and friends, are not satisfied with our service.  I thank you for your loyalty to ServiceU.

Sincerely,
Tim

P.S. Don’t forget to sign up for our Advanced Training Seminar.

EventU: New User Training
Thursday, February 12, 2009 2:00 PM - 3:00 PM CST

We’ll cover online scheduling software basics for new users.
Topics include:
• Creating new events
• Calendars and online scheduling
• Running reports

TransactU: Creating Registration Forms
Thursday, Feb. 19, 2009, 2:00-3:00 p.m. CST
Learn how to set up your registration forms with the information you need.

As people conduct more of their banking and business transactions online, many churches and organizations are offering online giving as a convenience to their members.

“These days, people are accustomed to being able to take care of financial business online,” says Christina Knight, treasurer for Central Church of the Nazarene, a church located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, that began accepting online donations in February 2008. “Many people pay all their bills online. Some no longer carry a checkbook. We needed to make it easy for those people to give to the church.”

While the “convenience factor” is an important reason for offering online giving to your members, there are many other benefits that you may not have considered. 

Five Additional Benefits of Online Giving with TransactU:

1. Increase Consistency: Unfortunately, everyone misses a Sunday or forgets their checkbook; however, not everyone remembers to make up their planned contribution the next week. By scheduling their gifts online, your donors are more likely to continue giving, even when they can’t make it on Sunday. 

2. Give Donors Control: Give donors the ability to manage how often they give, how much they give and to which fund they give to….all from your organization’s website. Online givers simply go to their organization’s website, log into their account, and determine these settings. Their preferences can be changed at anytime.

3. Safety and Security: With TransactU, your member’s data is protected at the highest level. ServiceU is certified by Visa and MasterCard as a Level 1 Service Provider that is in compliance with the Payment Card Industry (PCI) Data Security Standards (DSS). We are one of the few online payment and registration companies who meet these rigorous standards. We take care of all the details, worry and liability…so you don’t have to.

4. Save Time: TransactU offers extensive reporting that makes it possible for staff member to reconcile the deposits quickly and easily. Without such reporting, you could waste many hours trying to reconcile these transactions.

5. Receive Funds Directly: ServiceU helps you set up your own merchant account so that funds deposit directly into your bank account, and you receive funds right away. No more waiting for checks to clear.

These are just a few of the ways in which online giving could benefit your church or organization. Visit our website to learn more about the benefits of online giving and about how easy it is to get started. Or, give us a call at 1.866.709.7238