Fundraising often poses significant challenges for faith-based organizations. With the traditional reliance on cash and checks, today's churches are on the lookout for more progressive and convenient ways to raise funds.
Jimmy Salas, Executive Pastor of development at Abundant Church, reflects on the church's transformative experience with Overflow and how the platform catalyzed a revolution in its fundraising endeavors.
Charting the Journey of Abundant Church
For over twenty years, Jimmy has been an integral part of Abundant Church. He is responsible for ensuring the smooth operation of church programs and effectively implementing initiatives like Overflow.
Before embracing Overflow, Abundant Church was steeped in traditional methods of gathering donations: cash and checks in envelopes, along with digital contributions via Kindred. However, a chance encounter at an event set the course for a significant change.
The Inception of Overflow in Abundant Church
The lead pastor, Jared Nieman of Abundant Church, chanced upon Overflow at an event and was instantly impressed by its potential. He entrusted Jimmy with the responsibility of integrating Overflow into their donation process, a task Jimmy efficiently undertook.
Abundant Church started its journey with Overflow a little over a year ago. Although initially skeptical, the church decided to persevere with Overflow. This decision led to outcomes that exceeded their wildest expectations.
Overflow: A Catalyst for Change
Reflecting on the impact of Overflow on the church's fundraising and donation landscape, Jimmy recounted, “In less than a month after that conversation, we received the first of three six-figure donations. Such generous contributions would have only been possible with a platform like Overflow."
These significant donations came from a diverse donor base. Some were regular attendees and consistent donors, while others were sporadic in their church attendance and donation patterns. However, the capacity to make stock donations through Overflow appealed to all donors, regardless of their previous giving patterns.
Seamless Donating
Overflow is designed to help churches tackle common challenges, particularly the arduous task of managing and promoting consistent financial contributions. Many churches struggle with outdated systems, complex donation processes, and low engagement levels, all of which can dissuade potential donors.
By modernizing and digitizing donation systems, Overflow creates an inviting and user-friendly giving experience that encourages consistent contributions. It provides tools to engage and communicate with donors, promoting a sense of community and connection that is often vital for continual support.
This approach not only ensures necessary funding for maintaining operations but also equips churches with the resources to widen their influence, augmenting their impact in both local and global communities. For nonprofits and kingdom builders, this can usher in an essential influx of funding, empowering them to carry out life-altering work in the communities they serve.
The Power of Partnership
The partnership between Overflow and Abundant Church has proved to be mutually beneficial. Overflow has gained invaluable insights and constructive feedback from this collaboration, serving as a valuable case study that will significantly influence the future trajectory of the platform.
Conversely, Abundant Church discovered an innovative way to accept donations, revealing a deep-seated generosity within its congregation that was previously untapped. "The way for people to be generous is obviously changing. It's very evident that the landscape has changed. And Overflow provides us the opportunity to, in a sense, stay ahead of the curve,” said Jimmy.
Abundant Church is an excellent example of how an institution can integrate new technological solutions to benefit its community. By offering a seamless onboarding process and unique features like stock donations, Overflow provides churches with a state-of-the-art and efficient fundraising methodology.
This not only broadens their donation horizons but also sets new growth benchmarks. Clearly, this groundbreaking approach to church giving is not just sustaining existing operations, but also empowering these institutions to dream big and manifest a dynamic future.
