It's a win-win for all involved when technology can assist organizations in working well together for a common good. Such a thing has been accomplished by Simon Solutions, a software firm in Florence, Alabama. Built to reduce and eliminate duplicating resources to people and agencies in need, both by accident or fraud, the software they created called CharityTracker enables churches, nonprofits, and relief agencies to share resources and work together online.
For many years, the firm has helped the United Way of Charleston, South Carolina to successfully bring together 300 organizations, including 900 agents, that are using data-driven decision-making to combat poverty and hunger in their city. Charleston is one of over 1,000 cities where Simon Solutions technology is at work.
We interviewed Mike Simon, founder of Simon Solutions and CharityTracker, to get a better sense of how the company serves churches and nonprofits:
How many nonprofits, churches and ministries are you currently serving?
How many states are using your software – can it work between multiple states, or is it best for a smaller geographic region?
enforcement officials and nonprofits in Alabama and Tennessee to develop a “national care network” for the victims of human trafficking.
What are the key advantages to using Charity Tracker?
CharityTracker makes it easier for all helping agencies to…
- Track assistance/referrals in real-time – creating a stronger safety net
- Monitor outcomes – tracking progress from crisis to self-sustainability
- Reduce duplication – saving organizations 18% annually, on average
- Manage state/federal programs and generate accurate reports
- Instantly broadcast area-wide bulletins and alerts – 24/7
- Quickly find and mobilize local resources and volunteers
How can churches benefit from using this software to interact with nonprofits and relief organizations?
Perhaps the main reason a lot of churches use CT is to reduce duplication of services, saving time and money. Many are realizing that helping those in need can be very complex; and at times, too much for any one church to handle on their own. This reality is encouraging churches to work together with other helping agencies to coordinate resources in a more efficient and effective way. This way, everyone has “peace of mind” that the right resources are getting into the right hands at the right time.
Who pays for the software and how is it licensed?
There are different ways helping agencies pay for our software. A few agencies pay for an annual subscription and use CT as a “stand-alone” version to manage their own charitable programs. Most agencies are connected to a “network” which is licensed to add as many agencies as they want. These networks ask agencies to pay for their subscriptions on their own or collectively apply for a grant to pay for the entire network each year.
Overall, our technology solutions will continue to be enhanced and will continue to be customized for the current and future needs of all helping agencies.
We are so thankful how the Lord has blessed us with enormous opportunities to serve helping
agencies across the country. His guidance and support have empowered us to create technology tools that
are truly making a difference for helping agencies and the people they serve.
Simon Solutions is doing something that no one in America is doing; that is, they have discovered a simple way to get churches, nonprofits, and government agencies to work together at grassroots levels,” said Terri Hasdorff, Former Director Whitehouse Office of Faith Based and Community Initiatives
U.S. Aid Department Washington, D.C.
[Editor's Note: Many years ago I had the pleasure of working with Mike's team at Simon Solutions as a consultant. In addition to being wonderful to work with, they helped me birth the idea of starting ChurchTechToday and were very encouraging to me. I'm grateful to them for the role they played in the building of this site.]
