Methodist Church of Côte d'Ivoire · Toupah District
Every contribution,
tracked from church to district.
A web platform that replaces paper and hand-copied Excel files: local churches declare their payments from a phone, the district treasurer validates them, and dashboards, reminders, PDF statements and the district's Excel file update on their own.
XXXFigures are masked (XXX): the real amounts stay confidential.
The need
Before the platform, contributions were followed on paper and in Excel files, with totals copied by hand from one sheet to another.
- Paper and scattered files
Each church, circuit and district kept its own version. Nobody had the same figures at the same moment.
- Errors that cost
In a single budget file: XXX XXX FCFA missing from a total, and X inconsistencies found between sheets.
- Late, by design
Totals were known weeks after the payments, often too late to remind a church in time.
The life of a payment
Four steps, the same for every church.
- Declare
The local church enters the heading, the amount, the date and the payment method (cash, Orange Money, Wave, MTN, Moov, bank), with a photo of the receipt.
- Validate
The district treasurer opens the receipt full screen, then validates or rejects. A validation without a receipt is recorded under their name.
- Follow
Dashboards show, heading by heading, the target, the amount paid, what is left and a status: Settled, In progress or Nothing paid.
- Report
PDF statements with the EMCI logo and the district Excel file, filled in the official layout, come out in one click.
Four levels, one source of truth
Consults the consolidated view of the district.
Validates payments, adjusts targets, issues statements.
Follow their churches in real time.
Declare their payments and see what is left to pay.
A look inside
What the platform does
- Adjustable targets
The district adjusts each church target, heading by heading. Totals, reminders and reports recalculate at once.
- Excel generator by link
A public page, no account: pick a church, enter target and paid amounts, download the filled district file.
- Excel import
An existing church budget file is read, differences are shown, then saved in one click.
- WhatsApp access links
Each church receives its entry link on WhatsApp, the channel everyone already uses.
- Installable app
The platform installs on the home screen like an app, on Android, iPhone and computer.
- A log of every action
Every validation, rejection and target change is written in a journal: who, what, when.
What changes
- Transparency
Everyone sees the same figures, at the same time, with the reason for every change.
- Time saved
No more totals copied by hand: the district statement is ready when the last payment is validated.
- Fewer errors
Every amount is entered once, checked once, and recalculated everywhere.
- Zero cost for churches
Built on free tiers: no subscription, nothing charged to the churches.
The roadmap
One district, Toupah, with its circuits and local churches.
A film and a deck presented to the circuit, district and Conference authorities.
If the pilot holds, the platform moves to the Conference domain and IT team, and opens to other districts.
An initiative #MrDNEJ
Built in Abidjan, with my buddy Claude
I design and run the platform as its IT administrator during the pilot, until handover to the Conference. Built with Vercel and Firebase.
A similar need in your church or organisation?
Let us talk about it: the approach works for any network of contributors who report to a centre.