CityHill Church was started over 9 years ago after sensing the need for a gospel community in their neighborhood. Since the founding, they have launched a new campus roughly every two years. Now with five campuses in the Pacific Northwest, CityHill is passionate about raising up leaders to reach more people in the region with the message of Christ.

“We as a church believe technology is really important, so we knew if we were going to reach our region we would have to be present online.” -Russell Korets, founding pastor

With an emphasis on technology and its importance for the church, CityHill found that the Subsplash Platform could provide everything they needed to help fulfill their mission. As a multi-campus church, they found it crucial to have every campus utilize their custom app, digital giving, media, and website to streamline and simplify their processes.

“We’re not having to go to multiple websites with different usernames and passwords to remember. It’s all in one place and easy to access the information as quickly as we need it,” noted Jamie Teschlog, administrative assistant at CityHill Northshore. Now when someone new joins, CityHill directs them to the app to get all the information they need on a specific campus or the church as a whole.

“The Subsplash Platform makes it really easy for me as a user and as a pastor.” -Alex Kulibaba, campus pastor

CityHill continues to grow and engage their community, and technology has effectively amplified their mission for multi-campus ministry. As they continue to plant more campuses, CityHill already has the tools they need to scale.

Are you ready to join churches like CityHill in partnering with Subsplash for maximum engagement? Let’s chat!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on February 14, 2020.

Client Spotlight: CityHill Church was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 2009 we built the first church app. Since then we’ve continued to focus on what matters most- fueling the mission of churches and ministries around the world and helping them keep more of their donations where they count.

On top of offering the best rates in the industry with no monthly or hidden fees, in 2016 we introduced GrowCurve™ as a new feature of Subsplash Giving. GrowCurve automatically lowers rates as donations increase. This is another step to ensure churches are able to get the best rates without having to haggle or negotiate their rate ever again.

We are delighted to announce that in 2019 we gave back a record $645,000 to churches and ministries through GrowCurve. Additionally, Subsplash Giving holistically saved churches over $4.3 million by offering the industry’s best processing rates and helping increase digital donations.

“We’ve always been passionate about seeing more donations go to churches so that they can reinvest more of their resources into what’s truly important-sharing the gospel and making more disciples. We created GrowCurve as a way to give back to and fuel the mission of churches using Subsplash Giving.” — Tim Turner, Founder & CEO

We also added new Subsplash Giving features in 2019 to continue delighting people on the Subsplash Platform. Donor-Covered Fees give your donors the opportunity to cover processing fees when submitting a gift. When they choose this option on your mobile app or website, your church keeps 100% of their donations! Donors can now include notes with their gifts by using Donor Memos. Additionally, we’ve improved integrations with other widely-used church software solutions.

Our heart is to help Fuel Your Mission™, and GrowCurve is just one more way Subsplash is partnering with you to maximize your ministry’s resources for kingdom work. Connect with us to learn more!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on February 7, 2020.

Giving back with GrowCurve was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

It takes a diverse team of unique stories, skills, and backgrounds all focused on the same mission to create a truly innovative platform. As the Subsplash Platform continues to grow so is our company. We are delighted to announce the addition of two stellar individuals to our executive team — Lara Rickard as Chief Financial Officer and Thomas Osborn as Chief Operations Officer.

As an accomplished financial and operational leader, Lara brings more than 20 years of experience in high-growth, entrepreneurial environments with a deep knowledge of the technology industry. As CFO, she will oversee and mentor the finance, risk/compliance, and legal teams to help bridge financial management with operational excellence.

“This is a great opportunity for Subsplash to continue its growth. Having Lara join our team is already helping us level up in new ways.” — Tim Turner, Founder & CEO

Thomas brings 20+ years of experience in church tech, banking/financial services, and management consulting. At Subsplash he will oversee and guide various teams including People Operations, Project Management, and Platform Support with expertise in operations, strategy, and technology leadership.

“By combining his experience with his genuine care for people and passion for serving the church, Thomas is the type of leader who will make a big impact at Subsplash.” — Tim Turner

Expanding our executive team is another step in supporting our commitment and vision to Equip Every Church™ around the world with The Ultimate Engagement Platform™. Our team works together to shape and innovate the future of mobile technology and equip thousands of churches and ministries to share meaningful content and effectively connect with their audiences around the world.

To learn more about joining our team and career opportunities at Subsplash, check out our open roles!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on January 31, 2020.

We’re growing with you was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

In 2012, Reach Church was founded in a small living room with a big mission: Be the Church, Reach the City. Now meeting weekly at a local high school, they’ve planted three churches from their main campus in the Seattle suburb of Kirkland.

“Something I love about our church is that it’s really a community where you don’t have to perform, but you can be yourself.” -Stephen Garcia, communications and media

With a heart for their community and a passion to help them overcome the hurry of everyday life, Reach leadership looked for ways to simplify their processes through technology-and we’ve partnered with them ever since. From day one, the Reach mobile app on the Subsplash Platform has been a home for their congregation, connecting people through media, events, giving, and discipleship opportunities.

In fact, their app was integrated into how they do everything from the very beginning, becoming a key part of the strategy to fulfill their mission. “We didn’t realize how crucial technology would be,” noted Brian McCormack, lead pastor at Reach.

Opting into Subsplash in their early years has had a big impact: “People see the app as a home,” added Stephen Garcia, who oversees the church’s communications and media. Having an app from the start has been instrumental in fostering community in a digital age, where everyday interactions take place largely on mobile devices.

“We opted in when we were young, when resources were low-and as we’ve grown, Subsplash’s support has grown with us. It’s been an amplifier of the things God has been doing, and we’re thankful.” -Brian McCormack

Seeing how good technology can be such an effective amplifier for their ministry, Reach continues to engage their community with mobile apps, digital giving, media, and more. And as they grow and plant more communities, they already have the tools they need to start strong.

Are you ready to join churches like Reach in partnering with Subsplash for maximum engagement? Let’s chat!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on January 16, 2020.

Client Spotlight: Reach Church was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

From opening a new office in Austin, TX to celebrating 14 years of business, we’ve been hard at work serving 12,000+ churches, ministries, and businesses in over 40 countries.

We also added over 50 stellar new individuals to our team, welcomed 11 Subsplash babies into the world, and won multiple best workplace awards, and not to mention our team downing over 750 pounds of coffee.

Here are a few more highlights from 2019

SUBSPLASH MESSAGING

In 2019 we introduced Subsplash Messaging to make meaningful communication simpler and more effective than ever before. Since launching Subsplash Messaging, we have been so excited and encouraged to see churches on the Subsplash Platform building connections and supporting their communities along the discipleship journey.

EQUIP & ENGAGE

This year we launched Equip & Engage, a podcast by Subsplash. With 10 episodes under our belt so far and more to come in 2020, we’ve been exploring what it looks like to equip the church to engage the world with the truth of Jesus. Now available on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, and Spotify.

DONOR-COVERED FEES

By adding Donor-Covered Fees to Subsplash Giving, your donors now have the opportunity to cover processing fees when submitting a gift, thus deepening their partnership with you. Our heart is to help Fuel Your Mission™, and Donor-Covered Fees is just one more way to maximize your ministry’s resources for kingdom work.

THAT’S NOT ALL!

We couldn’t stop there! We continually strive towards creating products that delight people through the Subsplash Platform. In 2019 The Church App began featuring an innovative collection of videos from The Bible Project! This year we also released Donor Memos, editable Recurring Gifts, and made improvements to the Subsplash Dashboards on top of building a new offline app experience. Lastly, we announced our first annual conference, The Current, that we look forward to in 2020.

STAY HUMBLE. WORK HARD. MAKE WAVES.

This year our team, spread across nine states, worked hard to release incredible new enhancements to the Subsplash Platform, all while fulfilling our mission and having fun doing it! Over the last year we welcomed Custom Church Apps to the Subsplash family, hired 53 people, and opened a new office in Austin, TX. Our new team members participated in our third annual “challenge course” day, which consisted of team-building activities designed to develop communication, planning, and implementation skills in the workplace. In addition, we were able to promote more employees than ever to help reach their career path goals. As we strived to delight our employees and clients, we were awarded the Puget Sound Business Journal Best Workplaces award, Seattle Business Magazine’s 100 Best Companies to Work For award, and jumped up 29 spaces on the GeekWire 200 list. This year was full of working hard, staying humble, and innovating to make even more waves.

THAT’S A WRAP!

As we ring in the new year, we reflect on all the delight that was delivered to millions of people around the world on the Subsplash Platform. We have so much to be thankful for, and all of this is possible because of the work you, our clients, and our team do to make the truth of Jesus incredibly accessible. We’re honored to work alongside you, and we love hearing how the Subsplash Platform is helping you reach more people and increase engagement in order to fuel your mission. We can’t wait to share more about what 2020 holds, and we wish you a happy New Year!

Looking back on 2019 was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

With the holidays just around the corner, have you considered joining the Giving Tuesday movement?

Giving Tuesday is a global movement that encourages acts of generosity-time, money, goods, and so much more! It takes place the Tuesday after Thanksgiving (this year it’s December 3) as a direct response to the consumerism that can often characterize Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

Many churches and ministries disregard Giving Tuesday because it is not solely a church-specific movement. However in 2018, faith-based organizations received the largest percentage of online donations with the average gift of $106.

Giving Tuesday can be a great addition to your current holiday strategy to help drive more engagement, increase end-of-year giving, inform your community of holiday-specific fundraisers, and Fuel Your Mission™.

Here are a few tips on how to incorporate Giving Tuesday this season.

DEFINE YOUR FOCUS

What’s the purpose of your Giving Tuesday campaign? Maybe it’s donations to a local food bank that serves the community during the holidays, or perhaps it’s distributing winter coats for those in need.

Defining the purpose of your fundraising campaign paints a clear picture of your mission to meet the needs of your community.

SET A GOAL

Now that you have identified the purpose of your campaign, it’s time to set a goal.

This is a season to help rally your church in order to meet a pressing need in your community. Setting quantifiable goals motivates your community and gives them the opportunity to engage in change and make a lasting impact.

Remember to keep your community updated on the progress of the campaign in order to reach your goal.

MAKE IT KNOWN

Informed communities are generous communities. One of the most vital parts of any giving campaign is getting people on board.

Announce your Giving Tuesday campaign and goals during a service. Taking the time to make this announcement conveys the heart behind the campaign and the value of your community helping one another. It sets the tone for this season of giving.

Another great tool for this is push notifications. Push notifications are an efficient, immediate, and accessible way to reach and inform your audience. Here’s some examples of how to use push notifications to engage your community:

• “Help us feed 200 families this Christmas. Learn more and donate today #GivingTuesday”
• “We’re collecting new toys this Giving Tuesday! No time to shop? Donate here”
• “We’re 70% towards our Giving Tuesday goal. Help us get to 100%!”

Whether through live announcements, social media posts, or push notifications from your app, cross-channel communication is key in getting your message out and reaching your community.

MAKE GIVING EASY

Charitable donations see a significant uptick during the holidays. That’s exactly why it’s so important to have a digital giving solution that is an easy, seamless experience for donors.

Giving Tuesday is an ideal time to set up funds and sub-funds using Subsplash Giving. Funds and sub-funds allow donors to choose where they would like a donation to go. You can easily set up a fund specifically designated for this campaign. (Subsplash clients, here’s where you can learn about funds and sub-funds in our Knowledge Center!)

This is also a nice opportunity to introduce text-to-give, which allows donors to set up a gift using a simple SMS text code. Text-to-give is especially effective for first-time users, who may be eager to give but have yet to download your app. To get started, simply create your text-to-give code in your dashboard, or learn more about Subsplash Giving!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on November 19, 2019.

Consider Giving Tuesday this holiday season was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Since building the first in-app giving experience back in 2009, we’ve always focused on what matters most: fueling the mission of churches and organizations around the world and helping you keep more of your donations where they count. (That’s why Subsplash Giving offers you the best rates in the industry with no monthly fees!)

In 2016, we were focused on creating a way to ensure your church gets the best rates in the industry without having to haggle or negotiate with giving providers. As a result, we introduced GrowCurve™ as a new feature that continues to lower your rates as your donations increase.

Check out these fantastic benefits from our latest Subsplash Giving product update, Donor-Covered Fees:

Keep More of Your Donations

Donor-Covered Fees gives your donors the opportunity to cover processing fees when submitting a gift. When they choose this option on your mobile app or website, your church keeps 100% of their donations! This means your effective rate is 0%!

Learn more about how to calculate your effective rate here.

Donor-Covered Fees & Recurring Gifts

Donor-Covered Fees works seamlessly with recurring gifts, as well as one-time donations. Recurring gifts play an important role in your church, as they bring financial stability and facilitate budget planning. Now your donors can simply check a box to cover processing fees for their existing recurring gift!

Easily Track Fees Covered by Donors

Now you can know at a glance which online giving transaction fees are being paid by your donors right in your Subsplash Giving Dashboard. The total fees can also be summarized as a report. While we think the benefits are clear, churches can easily disable or enable this option in their Subsplash Giving Dashboard.

Your donors can see when they’ve covered the fees on their receipts and donor history. For recurring givers, their covered fees will also appear on their receipts.

Our heart is to help fuel your mission, and Donor-Covered Fees is just one more way Subsplash is partnering with you to maximize your ministry’s resources for kingdom work. Please contact us to learn more or get started today!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on November 14, 2019.

How Donor-Covered Fees Help Fuel Your Mission™ was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

The team at Anthem Ventura is passionate about building a culture that feels like family. “It’s not just lingo for us,” says Lead Pastor Bert Alcorn. “We actually see people taking care of each other.”

Even though their beach town has a highly transient population-young professionals, sun-seekers, Patagonia-clad adventurers-Bert talks about some of the methods Anthem uses to “turbocharge” relationships to make the most of the short time they may have with a new church member.

What does it look like to care for people in this context? In their experience, it’s all about communication.

“Having good communication is every church leader’s problem.”
-Bert Alcorn, Lead Pastor

Bert and Sherry Alcorn planted Anthem in Downtown Ventura, California in 2015. Part of the Anthem family of churches, they love their city, and they’re passionate about their mission to help people find their way back to God.

Good communication is one of their top priorities as leaders. “For us, communication is not just a strategy,” says Bert. “It has more to do with our vision for church as a family. Communication equals care.”

But like many church leaders, the team at Anthem Ventura has faced challenges surrounding email fatigue and social media overload when it comes to communication. As they searched for a new way to reach their church with effective communication, a powerful solution presented itself on the Subsplash Platform.

Subsplash Messaging enables real, personal engagement in a church’s custom mobile app. Unlimited group messaging, photo and GIF sharing, user management, and simple invites via email or SMS are all included to equip communities to experience effortless communication like never before.

With the Anthem community already engaged with their media and events through their Subsplash app, adding Subsplash Messaging doesn’t require educating their community to download another app and helps people start communicating with one another right away. Small groups, service teams, leaders, and others can be connected in the Anthem app on the Subsplash Platform through Subsplash Messaging, and Anthem’s content is at the forefront of everyone’s engagement.

“We’re really excited about having one less tool that our church uses and to simplify things, because we genuinely want people’s lives to be easier and not more complicated by communication.” -Sherry Alcorn, Pastoral Care

Bert, Sherry, and the leadership team at Anthem Ventura are leveraging Subsplash Messaging and the Subsplash Platform to see real, tangible impact in their community-specifically, to form a church that feels like a family.

With Subsplash Messaging, we’re creating a place where people can get connected, grow in discipleship, and be equipped to share the gospel; a place where church leaders can get a deeper understanding of the health of their communities and know how to better shepherd the church.

Are you ready to join churches like Anthem Ventura in building more authentic community? Let’s chat! You can also learn more about the power of Subsplash Messaging, and how effortless communication can create meaningful connections.

Subsplash Messaging is now available for all Subsplash clients! To get started with Subsplash Messaging, contact your Client Success Manager or sign up today!

“I see Subsplash Messaging being crucial for any church-any size, any type of culture. Good communication transcends culture, transcends size.” -Bert Alcorn

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on October 30, 2019.

Client Spotlight: Anthem Ventura | Subsplash was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

October is Pastor Appreciation Month! During this season of thanks, we want to extend gratitude to all of those involved in ministry. You’re the reason we do what we do, and we’re so thankful for your central role in making disciples, engaging your community, and making known the truth of Jesus.

We are delighted to have several ministry leaders on our team here at Subsplash. Here are just a few that serve not only our clients but their local community as well.

WE APPRECIATE YOU AND THE PASTORS THAT SERVE ON OUR STAFF!

Community Pastor, Thread Church

WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE IN MINISTRY?

After spending time pastoring in Los Angeles and Brooklyn, my wife and I felt God leading us back home to Seattle to plant a church. We saw God move in incredible ways to open up doors in Capitol Hill, a neighborhood in the heart of the city. Since planting Thread Church 18 months ago, our desire has been to continually partner with the people and the spaces in our neighborhood where God is and has been moving.

WHAT DO YOU LOVE ABOUT BEING IN MINISTRY?

I absolutely love seeing the Holy Spirit at work in people as they take steps forward in their pursuit of following Jesus. It’s an honor to have a relationship and a front row seat in people’s lives, while getting to share those “a-ha moments” of revelation and truth, freedom from addiction, acts of compassion, and the fruit of the Spirit on a full, brilliant display. I never take for granted the trust and relationships formed when walking with people through the deeply personal journey of discipleship.

Connect Pastor, Ballard Church

WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE IN MINISTRY?

My husband and I were serving on staff at a church in nearby Puyallup, WA for almost 7 years when our friends shared that they were taking over roles as lead pastors at a church in the Ballard neighborhood of Seattle. We prayed about it and were inspired to join them, so we transitioned out of our jobs, sold our house, and moved our family up to Seattle.

IS THERE A SCRIPTURE PASSAGE THAT DRIVES YOUR PASSION FOR MINISTRY?

I like how Matthew 11:28–30 (MSG) talks about being weary and burnt out on religion but continues with an invitation to find rest in Jesus. I think that weariness is very prevalent in our culture today as people find themselves burnt out on the idea of trying to achieve “perfection” in religion. I hope that through my life and ministry I communicate and reflect a life of freedom and joy found in Jesus.

Lead Pastor, CityHill

WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE IN MINISTRY?

My grandfather was a prisoner in a Soviet concentration camp for being a pastor. Because of that, I’ve always known ministry as being sacrificial. But by seeing considerable life changes in individuals and families through knowing and growing in Christ, I did not want to give my life to anything else but ministry.

HOW DO YOUR MINISTRY AND WORK (AND LIFE OUTSIDE THESE AREAS) SUPPORT EACH OTHER?

I like technology, but I love great technology. To see it done with excellence while equipping the Church to do its best work — sign me up! My passion and experience in ministry enables me to help churches expand their reach and do their work more effectively, which ultimately marries well with my firsthand knowledge of the Subsplash Platform.

College & Youth Pastor, View Church

WHAT LED YOU TO YOUR CURRENT ROLE IN MINISTRY?

When I was 18, I had a life-changing encounter at a youth camp where the pastor asked if anyone felt called to go into ministry and to be a pastor. In that moment I felt compelled for the first time to give my life to serving and building God’s Church. Since then, I’ve served in a variety of capacities and have partnered with churches in inspiring and life-giving ways. I truly believe there is no greater honor and privilege than shepherding and caring for the local church.

WHAT’S SPECIAL ABOUT THE CONTEXT IN WHICH YOU DO MINISTRY?

I get to serve alongside my husband, who is on staff at our church full-time as the Youth Pastor and View College Director. During the week, I’m blessed to do work that I love for a company that’s mission is to glorify God and equip the global church. Outside of those hours, I pour my heart and soul into pastoring the next generation so that they may know and encounter Jesus in an authentic way. Whether we’re having students over to our home, discovering new and innovative ways to engage the younger generation, or creating avenues for meaningful relationships and discipleship, I feel incredibly humbled by the context in which I get to do ministry.

As Pastor Appreciation Month comes to an end, we want to extend a thank you to all those involved in ministry. Know that you are loved, your work matters, and our team here at Subsplash is so grateful for you! Happy Pastor Appreciation Month!

Appreciating pastors this month & beyond! was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.

Introducing Subsplash Messaging, one central location to build more authentic community, streamline communication, and better equip your church leaders.

Subsplash Messaging engages your audience in a way they already understand and in the app they’re already using, all for the purpose of creating more meaningful connections within your community.

IT’S MORE THAN JUST MESSAGES

Whether you need a place to share a private prayer request, coordinate a meal or rally your community group, simply create a new message and send it directly to your channel. Members within the channel will be able to see everything in one place and together create real, relational experiences as a community.

ENGAGEMENT WITHOUT LIMITATIONS

We know that communication happens in so many different ways, and we believe there shouldn’t be a limit on engagement within your community. With Subsplash Messaging, users can create dedicated channels for small groups, service teams, or other discussions. It’s easy to invite people and get them started right away, and users can create a new channel or message at any time — no limits whatsoever.

BEAUTIFULLY SIMPLE

Getting your community on board with better communication should be simple, and that’s why we’ve made Subsplash Messaging beautifully simple to get started. Leaders can easily send invitations by email or text, reaching new members where they‘re at. It takes just two steps to get your community plugged in and ready to start connecting!

“One of the hardest things to do as a church plant is to keep people connected. Subsplash Messaging, to me, is a complete and total game-changer.”
 — Jevon Washington, Lead Pastor at Flourish Church

TOTAL IN-APP ENGAGEMENT

You shouldn’t have to worry about managing multiple tools and utilizing dozens of software solutions. Keep your audience in one place with all your content at their fingertips. Subsplash Messaging integrates right into your app and allows your community to stay connected, while keeping your content at the forefront of their engagement.

“Other communication tools are just another app for someone to download. My dream for communication is one place for everyone to go to. If you solve this, I’d be your customer forever.”
 — Bert Alcorn, Lead Pastor at Anthem Ventura

“We tried another app to boost communication, and it didn’t work. But, having it as part of our Subsplash app, and then getting people used to opening it up and using everything all in one place, is really incredible.”
 — Jeffry LeBlanc, Community Pastor at Evergreen Church

Get started with building more authentic community

It’s time to give your community the gift of effortless communication that builds connections and supports them along the discipleship journey.

Ready to learn how your organization can create more meaningful connections with Subsplash Messaging? Let’s chat! Want to learn more about Subsplash Messaging? Check it out!

Subsplash Messaging is available for all Subsplash clients on our latest app packages. To get started with Subsplash Messaging, contact your Client Success Manager or sign up today!

Originally published at https://www.subsplash.com on October 17, 2019.

Authentic communication starts here-Introducing Subsplash Messaging! was originally published in The Subsplash Blog on Medium, where people are continuing the conversation by highlighting and responding to this story.