Over the past 13 years I have worked with several designers to create logos for my church, internal church ministries, outreach ministries and for two of my own companies.  We worked with a designer, went through revisions and chose our favorite.  One time we didn’t like anything that the designer created and it was just money down the drain.  We didn’t pay him the entire fee, but we did lose our deposit.  The beauty of what 99designs.com offers is the number of designs from which you can choose.  Designers from all over the world submit designs based on your ministry or business criteria.  You select the design you like best and only pay the pre-determined prize fee.

Here’s How It Works

• You run what they call a design contest for your ministry’s logo
• Give a description of what you need designed
• Pay a fee of $39 to launch your contest
• Set your prize fee between $50 and $500
• Rate the designs that are submitted
• Choose your favorite design
• Pay the Prize offered to the winning designer

Rachel King from Fast Company wrote:

The main thing that 99designs.com is about is choice,’ says Matt Mickiewicz, the U.S. office representative for 99designs, ‘It’s a fantastic model that eliminates risk for small business owners and puts designers on equal footing.’ Designers can be of any age, background or level of experience to post designs on the site, making the site a great lead-generator. ‘It doesn’t matter if you’re 15 or 60. It’s completely based on merit.’ Most participants are students and freelancers . . .

Vishal  Sharma of VS Consulting group said:

[99designs] connects thousand of designers from around the world with clients who need design tasks completed fast, and without the usual high cost and limited choice you get from most traditional design firms

I am already working with someone to design a logo or header for this blog, so I can’t say that I have tried 99designs.com.  Otherwise, I would be willing to give them a try.

Also, this post focuses on logos but 99design.com’s designers offer a wide range of services.  Check them out, come back here a leave a comment with your thoughts.

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There are many ways for Pastors and ministry leaders to stay connected and keep up with their schedules and information management.  Three popular methods come to mind:

1. The Paper Method that could include a pocket calendar, desk calendar or a day runner type calendar; a rolodex or address book and various sorts or ledgers.
2. Microsoft Outlook that comes standard with Microsoft Office
3. The PDA (Personal Digital Assistant)

The paper method works but I think it’s a little inefficient.  With this method I would have to keep track of too many different things.  I would also have my information in too many different places.  When I used this method, many years ago, I also had a tendency to make notes on pieces of scrap paper.  Sometimes the piece of paper would get misplaced before I could write it in the calendar.

Microsoft Outlook (or similar programs) is a good method but it is not portable if used as a stand alone system.  It can be used in conjunction with a PDA by purchasing a software program such as PDA Assistant.

The PDA is my choice for time and information management.  A PDA is actually a hand held computer that can manage many tasks:  calendars, phone numbers and addresses, access the internet, make calculations and manage to do lists.  Some will allow you to input documents and store additional data.  You can purchase a stand alone PDA or one that is part of a cell phone.

I have used a PDA for about nine years.  In my opinion, two of its best features are its portability and its backup system that stores your data on your computer.  Another unique feature and one that’s very, very convenient is beaming.  If you need contact information that I have on my PDA, I can beam it to your PDA.  Just aim, tap a command and my information transfers to your PDA.

For eight years, I used a PDA and a separate cell phone.  I wanted to combine the two but could not find one that was small enough and fit in my budget.  Last year, I found a PDA cell phone that was the right size and the right price and I love it.  On the rare occasion that I leave home without my PDA, I feel naked.

Some of the features on my PDA are:

When I have my PDA, most of my necessary information is at my fingertips.  Did you notice that I have the Bible on my PDA?  That’s a plus for ministry workers.  No big Bible to lug around.  I can also download documents, books and music.  I can carry it in my purse, a brief case or in my pocket.

I’m not an expert on technology but I love gadgets and I try to keep up with advances in technology.  From time to time I will share information about something that I use and believe in and hope that it will benefit someone else.

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