Florida United Methodist Foundation works to empower churches and
individuals to do the most good with the resources available. The way
treasurer Margaret Cox sees it, the obstacles have never been greater—but
neither has the potential.

“The challenges that the United Methodist Church is facing are similar to what other churches are facing,” she said. “We have a declining membership. By having Blackbaud and the technology that Blackbaud brings to the table, it keeps us abreast of what’s going on in the churches so that we can hopefully change that trend.”

Florida United Methodist Foundation links strategic financial planning to success for the greater ministry through services such as loans and grants for churches and gift annuities and scholarships for individuals. A comprehensive cloud solution designed specifically with faith communities in mind provides accurate and accessible reporting to keep Cox and her colleagues agile. “We use Blackbaud solutions across our whole organization,” she said.

Blackbaud’s flagship accounting solution manages day-to-day activities, including loan payments, investment deposits, and cash receipts, while Blackbaud’s flagship fundraising and relationship management solution streamlines touchpoints and event registrations. Cox said the resulting reports are both easier to run and easier to read.

“In terms of transparency, it allows our board to see up-to-the-minute information and ask questions where they need to,” Cox said. “By having a financial system that integrates with our database, it provides us with information at the tip of our fingers to provide reports to whomever needs that information.”

That means data-driven education, consulting, and financial services—and the potential for the ministry to achieve more.

“Blackbaud products have saved us time, which saves us money,” Cox said. “And being a religious nonprofit, that’s critical to our mission. We need to be able to do the most good we can with the least amount possible.”