Uplifting Grace

Develop Carolina Umbrella Project

So we've reached the conclusion of week 4 in our Develop Carolina's curriculum and as a part of that curriculum, we have been tasked with developing an umbrella project. I understood an umbrella project from the concept of a final project or Capstone project from my days in academia and from my recent bootcamp experience from Fullstack Academy. The difference between a final(capstone) project and an umbrella project is that our umbrella project is being designed, programmed, and refined throughout the course of the fellowship until a final, polished application can be pitched and presented. This brief article will explain my umbrella project, my inspiration for the umbrella project, and my mission/vision for the project once it has been completed.

My Umbrella Project

My umbrella project is codenamed "Uplifting Grace", whether that becomes the official name of the web application is currently up for debate. Uplifting Grace is a web platform that provides small churches the ability to organize and monitor their members. Initially, as a proof of concept, it will primarily check and monitor member charitable contributions to the religious organization. For example, Ben Sullivan is a member of Greater Faith Ebenezer Baptist Church. He works at Firestone International and pays his tithes faithfully. He also pays offering and made monetary donations to the church's building fund to get the church's roof repaired. As a user, Ben can view all of the contributions that he made throughout the year, which is especially useful during tax season. Another user, Margaret Kingsley, is the associate pastor and youth minister at Greater Faith Ebenezer Baptist Church. Her account allows her to enter in contributions made by the youth in her department, view yearly and year to date reports, organize events, and as an admin, check individual contributions (based on the level of authorization and based on the church's organizational structure.

My Inspiration

I live in a rural county in South Carolina. The county I live in doesn't have much industry. The biggest employers in the county are the prison and the school system. Jobs are scarce. People tend to work and purchase goods and services from outside of the county. The most populous structure in my county are churches. Many of the churches are small and familial. There's a prior relationship that has been built through generations of people attending the same churches that their parents and grandparents attended. But they are plentiful. The church I attend is small as well. Membership, dues, charitable contributions are often still tracked by hand or Excel spreadsheet. At the church I attend, prior to COVID, those contribution notices were handwritten and delivered in person. Now, they are typed and mailed. But I noticed that there had to be a better way to solve this program. Thus the impetus for Uplifting Grace was formed.

My Mission and Vision Statement for Uplifting Grace

My mission for Uplifting Grace is that it will be a resource for small churches to help them organize and track their members. I want to make it easier for churches to transition to 21st century tools and better position themselves for growth.

My vision for Uplifting Grace is that it will be a comprehensive software solution and providing a complete CRM solution tailored specifically to this vertical.

Conclusion

This umbrella project is something that is near and dear to my heart and will allow me to express myself through code. It will provide a solution that is useful for small religious organizations who need a solution that is simple and easy to use and is cost effective. Develop Carolina has provided me with the opportunity to build this solution and pitch it to my fellow cohort members. I look forward to learning more about their projects and see their demoes once Demo Day arrives. Until then, I will keep you all posted on the progress of Uplifting Grace.