eCatholic Year in Review 2019: Major steps for the movement

I am excited to share our 2019 eCatholic Year in Review. It's a blessing to see how each step forward for eCatholic helps the Catholic Church fulfill her mission. Thank you for being part of our movement to communicate and evangelize more effectively as Catholics.

Websites: "More than an online bulletin board"

eCatholic has been blessed to provide easy-to-use, beautiful Catholic websites for more than a decade. And in 2019 we launched Sections Layouts, a game-changing feature that helps Catholics create a website that is more than an online bulletin board.

Check out our new video (below) to see our trusty catch-all bulletin board (and what is has to do with your website):

Here are some 2019 highlights for our websites product:

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Sections Layouts - A new way to edit your website

The drag-and-drop Sections Layouts feature paved new ground, making it easier than ever to build a beautiful, modern Catholic website. We've been excited to see so many of our customers join in the campaign against cluttered, overwhelming Catholic homepages by implementing a Sections Layout on their homepage.

Whether it was by way of a DIY Homepage Makeover or our (new!) affordable Homepage Makeover design service, Catholics are communicating and evangelizing more effectively online in 2020. No more endless columns of non-essential information scattered on your homepage. With this tool, the most-sought information can be prominently and attractively designed into digestible chunks of information.

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Navigation revamp - Improved tools for site navigation

We were also excited to unveil the improved Site Map Editor plus a new mobile nav menu. These updates make it more convenient for admins to add, remove, and preview pages, while bringing a more intuitive experience to your mobile site visitors.

Did you see it? This year we published a new 10-minute Intro to eCatholic Beginner's Guide video. Check it out to make sure you and your team are taking advantage of the most powerful tools at your fingertips!

Payments: "No more clunky stewardship tools"

When it comes to online payment and donation tools, you've got a lot of options. Many vendors offer online giving solutions, but in 2019 we asked: How can we make online giving easier — for both payment admins and those looking to make a donation on your website?

People are generous, but many tools introduce unnecessary roadblocks that make it difficult for visitors to make a donation online. What kind of message are we sending to those who are willing to be generous?

It's time to leave your clunky stewardship tools behind and start inspiring generosity. This was the inspiration behind our 2019 eCatholic Payments product updates.

Check out our new video (below) to see how easy online giving can be. In fact, online donations and payments should be a "piece of cake." :)

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Powerful online giving features that save time and money

In 2019 we launched additional payment reporting features, enhanced automatic email notifications, and created an animated campaign progress bar. We also built a library of online giving launch resources, including a step-by-step guide to generate greater participation in your online offertory.

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See the eCatholic Payments difference

As you can see from the features listed above, we’ve worked hard to make sure you spend less time managing donations. In 2019 we created a second online giving video to show how eCatholic Payments can help you eliminate roadblocks, increase conversions, and unleash generosity.

Did you see it? This year we published a new 6-minute Intro to eCatholic Payments Beginner's Guide video to help you focus on the most important online giving features.

Under the hood: Faster, more reliable technology

Before we can release new features and tools, it's important to constantly ensure the infrastructure "under the hood" is solid, secure, and reliable.
 

At the beginning of the year we concluded a complete transformation of our CMS file system and upgraded our entire infrastructure to Amazon Web Services (AWS). These two updates have improved the performance, speed, and reliability of all eCatholic-powered websites and tools. In addition, we continue to provide SSL security certificates to all eCatholic website customers at no additional cost.

Our talented development team is passionate about building great technology... and using digital tools to evangelize. We're hard at work on several more behind-the-scenes improvements, so stay tuned in 2020! In the meantime, rest easy knowing we've got your back. :)

15 years later...

Mid-2020 marks the 15-year anniversary of when I experienced a pivotal "Peter moment" that lead to the creation of eCatholic. I continue to give thanks for our customers who have joined us on the amazing journey, and our team prays for Christ's guidance throughout the next decade.