April 12, 2022

Why We Chose Engiven. An Interview With FGC

Friends of The Great Commission and Engiven sit down to discuss their partnership.

Engiven sat down with Sean Furlong, the General Manager of Friends of the Great Commission Foundation on why he chose Engiven for crypto donations. Friends of the Great Commission Foundation (FGC) is a team of skilled administrative and accounting personnel dedicated to simplifying ministry and mission by providing donor, administrative, and compliance expertise.Supporting over 160 non-profit organizations worldwide. FGC wanted a seamless solution for all of the organizations to begin accepting crypto donations.

Tell us about FGC's crypto donations journey.

Sean: We received an inquiry about donations in crypto at the end of 2021. It was the first time our organization had someone who wanted to give crypto. We were able to work out a different way for them to donate, after that however, it started me researching. More organizations than I realized are talking about crypto. There are a few organizations similar to ours already accepting crypto donations. I thought “why aren’t we offering this to our partners?” I decided that this was not a one-time donation but something that we should to pursue and set up for the foundation.

How did you get connected to Engiven?

Sean: Firstly, I did an online search. Engiven was one of the companies that came up. Secondly, I spent a few months researching and discussing the products with those companies. Taking my time to make the right choice. I compared companies, what do they do and not do? What was offered? And how much will offering a platform for crypto donations cost us?

In the end you chose Engiven, why?

Sean: Engiven made more sense for how FGC is built. For instance, Engiven offered unlimited giving widgets or one price vs paying for each one separately. One organization charged up to $2000 per widget, which is not attainable for a nonprofit organization that potentially could need hundreds of widgets. The tax forms solidified it for us. When I chose Engiven it was the only organization that offered the 8282 and 8283 to their customers and donors. That is a huge benefit to an organization like ours. Engiven is the only one-stop-shop for a better rate than others and provides more services. Therefore, Even the basic plan is beneficial.Overall, I loved that most of the Engiven staff have worked in a nonprofit at some point. That, for me, changes the dynamic from a business that works for charities to a charity that works for charities. It felt similarly aligned with our work and values at FGC. There is a bigger reason behind what Engiven is doing. It's not just a company, there is an understanding of mission and its importance.

What happened next?

Sean: The entire process was great. For instance, everyone I worked with was humble, genuine, and highly professional. From the inquiry to onboarding,

Tell us a bit more about Friends of the Great Commission.

Sean: We do two things: As a service-orientated ministry, we serve with donor processing for charities all over the world. We process the donations and grant those funds to their organization overseas. As a sponsor for unregistered charities - they become partners to process their donations, payroll, and expense reporting. Rolled into one, we become the donor processor and accounting department for them. Often nonprofits are good at what they do, the mission, but not good at administration and finance. We become that for them. They can focus on the work and not the administration and finance, at a cost that is a great savings for them running their charity.Find out more about the work that Friends of the Great Commission and their partners are doing worldwide here.