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Past, Present, and Future of MTN
...on our 20th Anniversary

Where We've Been...

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Twenty years ago, it wasn't easy to describe what MTN did. There were no industries or labels for the apps we were building. Our only goal was to solve an apparent, longstanding issue - severe communication gaps between families in need and those who could help in cities across the country. As eBusiness consultants at that time, we were designing and developing online solutions to connect customers with products, but realized no one had yet leveraged the Internet to unite and mobilize churches and ministries to serve struggling families.

Because there were no precedents in the early 2000s, MTN had to determine requirements and build functionality "on the fly" with our partners. Little did we know at the time, but MTN was inventing collaborative Volunteer Management, Event Management, and Case Management. Each of those eventually became crowded, thriving marketplaces over a decade later after for-profit vendors saw the opportunity to monetize them.

MTN's Volunteer, Event, and Shared Case Management applications have enabled tens of thousands of churches and charities to work together to bless millions of families that might not have ever received help.

Where We Are Now...

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Seeing the impact those platforms were having (as they still do today), national networks working in hunger relief, homelessness, foster care, and other causes started asking us in 2013 to customize our systems to connect their partners and expand their reach. Since then, Meet The Need has completed more than 25 cause-specific projects. We thank the Lord for opening doors to making a difference in ways we never envisioned. Our work continues on many of those groundbreaking initiatives, including:

building and enhancing a platform Feeding America's food banks and hunger relief affiliates have used to rescue 3 billion pounds of food that would have otherwise gone to waste
customizing an app foster care networks like Orphan Care Alliance in 7 states use to help families before children are removed and after they've been placed into foster homes
developing a system enabling ministries like Unite Indy to provide job training and employment opportunities for ex-offenders in order to lower recidivism
creating a Homeless Management Information System that collects and analyzes data from other HMIS providers, improving outcomes for the homeless in several states

...and as thought leaders in the poverty alleviation space, MTN writes and speaks extensively, sharing our learnings over the past 20 years, not only about the importance of Christ-followers serving the poor but doing so in effective, dignifying ways.

Where We're Going...

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Meet The Need will continue to support our legacy and cause-based platforms. However, a few years ago we realized it was time once again to lead the way in revolutionizing compassion. The types of tools MTN invented long ago - Volunteer, Event, and Case Management - are ubiquitous now yet often misused in ways that demean families and actually perpetuate poverty.

For the past 4 years, MTN has been working with partners like The Chalmers Center and Restoring Hope Roanoke to digitize a far more relational, respectful approach to serving the poor. Rather than enabling "transactional", seasonal assistance (i.e. handouts) that create dependence, our new Artificial Intelligence platform empowers families to plot their own course to a brighter future (i.e. a hand up):

builds circles of sustainable support around those living in isolation
takes an asset-based approach, emphasizing strengths and capabilities
adopts the biblical model for helping people get back on their feet, with family as the first resource, then churches, and eventually local service providers as necessary
provides tools and content designed to help restore or establish stronger relationships with God, "self", and others
recognizes short-term assistance is often needed but prioritizes long-term personal growth

After years of planning and development, MTN's new AI platform is now in the beta test stage. We plan a live launch to multiple partners and cities in 2023, praying it will make churches and ministries rethink "check the box" approaches to "helping" that may do more harm than good.