Introducing Ministry Partner Development by Epistle!


Summary of Webinar


Transition Overview 


  • Partner Essentials (license of MPDX) is transitioning to Epistle as the next evolution of MPD tools.
  • Solertiae evaluated the future of Partner Essentials and determined Epistle was the right partner to enhance and scale MPD capabilities. 

 


What is Epistle? 


  • Mission: Help missionaries “stay connected and funded” through simplified tools. 
  • Originated from Frankie’s time in Russia and evolved over years while church planting in Mexico. 
  • Focuses on two core functions: 
  • Connection: Share updates with ministry partners via photos, videos, and newsletters. 
  • Funding (MPD): Track goals, manage tasks, and use AI coaching to guide users through the MPD process. 



New MPD Features (with AI Coaching) 


  • AI-Powered Task Management: Create tasks like “Call John Tuesday at 3PM” and 
  • Epistle handles linking, scheduling, and assigning. 
  • MPD Workflow Automation: 
  • Define support goals (monthly/one-time). 
  • Move contacts through simple MPD stages (e.g. pending → meeting → follow-up → pledged → complete). 
  • Coach provides guidance for calls, meetings, and thank-you follow-up. 
  • Data Integration: 
  • Syncs with Partner Essentials and DonorHub. 
  • Manual CSV or TNT Data Sync import is supported with smart deduplication. 
  • Support for future integrations (Virtuous, Salesforce, Blackbaud, etc.). 
  • AI Suggestions: Suggests next contacts to follow up with, detects giving trends, recommends asks. 

 


User Interface & Experience 


  • Fully mobile-responsive web app + dedicated mobile app. 
  • Real-time notifications for giving events (e.g. large donations). 
  • Visual donor engagement data: view giving history and newsletter engagement in one place. 

 


Coming Soon 


  • Task categories & tagging for contacts. 
  • Customizable MPD step workflows. 
  • Google/Outlook calendar integration. 
  • Real-time human coaching (targeted for end of August). 

 


Pricing & Migration 


  • Free through 2025 for Partner Essentials users. 
  • Starting Jan 2026, pricing options: 
  • Epistle Lite – for Partner Essentials users who want MPD features only. 
  • Epistle Full – includes MPD + communication tools. 
  • No overlap in billing: Partner Essentials billing ends when Epistle begins. 
  • Self-paced migration—users can switch individually without needing a bulk cutover. 

 


Migration Process 


  • Easy setup via OAuth: log in to Partner Essentials and data begins syncing. 
  • Data includes donors, donations, tasks, notes, etc. 
  • Data export options available if not migrating to Epistle. 

 


Engagement Insights 


  • Epistle uses a double opt-in model for higher-quality engagement (vs bulk newsletters 
  • like Mailchimp). 
  • While subscriber numbers may drop, engagement and giving tend to increase. 
  • Average increase of $5,000/year for users who switch to Epistle for 1+ years. 

 


Next Steps 


  • Sign up: epistle.org/solertiae 
  • Expect a follow-up email mid-August summarizing available features, feature-flag status, and timelines.