Why I Built Shepherd.giving

I grew up in church. Not the kind where you show up on Easter and Christmas — the kind where you’re there every Sunday, every Wednesday night, every potluck, every volunteer day. Church was where I learned what community meant before I had a word for it.

So when I started building things with code, it was only a matter of time before those two worlds collided.

Shepherd.giving came from a pretty simple place. I watched the people I love — pastors, volunteers, the woman who somehow keeps track of every family in the congregation from memory — struggle with tools that clearly weren’t built with them in mind. Cold, complicated software that felt like it belonged in a corporate office, not a place where people come to be known.

That bothered me.

I wanted to build something that felt warm. Something that, when a church leader sat down to use it, didn’t make them feel like they needed a tech degree first. I spent weeks just on the colors and the fonts — not because I’m obsessive (okay, maybe a little), but because I think the way something looks tells you whether it was made with care. I didn’t want the typical blue-and-gray dashboard. I wanted it to feel like walking into a space that was designed for you. Warm tones. A serif font with some character. Little details that say someone thought about this.

The giving piece was personal too. I’ve seen churches pass around offering plates and then spend hours reconciling spreadsheets. I’ve seen people want to give but get tripped up by clunky donation pages. I wanted that experience to be simple and dignified — for the person giving and for the team keeping the lights on.

And honestly, a lot of the decisions I’m proudest of are things most people will never notice. The way signing up doesn’t ask you for more than it needs to. The way a pastor sees exactly what’s relevant to them without being overwhelmed by everything else. The way a multi-campus church can share one home without things getting tangled. Those aren’t flashy features. They’re just respect for people’s time and attention.

I’m not going to pretend it’s finished. It’s not. There are nights I stare at my screen thinking about everything I still want to add, everything I want to make better. But there’s something on the other side of that feeling — this deep sense that what’s here already matters. That the foundation is real and it came from a real place.

I built Shepherd.giving because I think churches deserve something made with the same love they pour into their communities. Not a product. Not a pitch. Just a tool that gets out of the way and lets people do what they do best — take care of each other.

If that resonates with you, I’m glad you’re here.

View my creation here.