Five Things I’ve Learned in Five Years at Givelify

Givelify recently celebrated its fifth birthday, and just after that, I celebrated my fifth anniversary as a member of the team. It’s such an honor for me, and I’m humbled to work with such a diverse team of brilliant people, who all come together for a common cause: to help people share joy and put good into the world.

I’ve learned a great deal over the last five years—about business, people, the world, and most importantly myself. It would probably take five years to write it all, and just as long to read it. So, in honor of five years for myself and the company, here are my top five.

People are surprised—even shocked—at good customer support from a tech company.

Few things are as frustrating as having a problem with technology—especially when your money is involved—and if after countless attempts to figure it out yourself, in the end you have no one to help you. From day one, we’ve always prided ourselves on the fact that when you call us or submit a support request, you get a REAL person who is glad to help. And that tends to blow people’s minds.

Doing things the way you know is right isn’t always easy, but it’s the only true way.

It’s tempting at times to cut corners, or to put in the bare minimum when you think no one is watching. But as the old saying goes, if it’s worth doing, it’s worth doing right. People trust us because they know we’ll do our best to do the right thing, every time. Sticking by this principle, even if it means making things difficult, is the only path to lasting success.

Even in the world of technology, word of mouth rules.

We all read online reviews of products, companies, and service providers when making choices. Even with all the app reviews and whatnot, our biggest champions are the pastors, church members, and charitable donors who genuinely love what our product has done for them. The fact of the matter is, people trust us enough with their donations that they’re excited to share Givelify with others—and that is humbling.

People want to deal with people, not businesses.

For the last five years, Givelify members have gotten their weekly email newsletter from “Matt at Givelify.” From blog posts to how-to videos, and even as the voice of our phone system, our oldest members have seen my face, heard my voice, and read my name. Often, they’ll ask for me when they call for support, or reply to a newsletter and ask me questions. It’s about more than a company having a “face of the franchise.” It’s about the trust your members and customers have in your company, their happiness at knowing they have a real relationship with you.

People are astoundingly generous.

In this day and age, it’s easy to get cynical about people in general. Too much screen time, too much division, too much selfishness. But from what I’ve seen over the last five years, giving is still vitally important to people. Even when presented with a technology that may be a radical change in how you give, you all haven’t just adopted our app; you’ve embraced it, and it shows in the number of donations made to date.

And finally…

There’s still so much to learn, and so much more good to do. I can’t be sure of exactly what the next five years will bring, but as I like to say, “It’s going to be great. You’re going to love it.”