Who is Moving to MPDX?

Any person that raises support for their work with Cru or CCCI will need to move all of their ministry partner information to MPDX.

What does this Mean for Me?

We will be providing training and asking all staff to set aside time to make the move to MPDX in late April or the first week of May. Pay close attention to your email. Please don’t move to MPDX before then. We are working to make the process much smoother and easier for you, but aren’t quite done yet.

If you currently use MPDX:

You may be called upon to help your fellow staff make the move to MPDX. You will also have opportunities for advanced training in MPDX, helping you get the most out of the tool.

If you currently use a third party tool, including TntConnect:

You will need to move all of your ministry partner information to MPDX and begin using it as your primary MPD tool. (The ability to sync your Cru donation information to TNT Connect will be discontinued late summer or early fall.) We will provide the instructions on how to move your database over. Go here for additional FAQs specifically about making the change from TntConnect.

If you currently use other tools like spreadsheets, notes, docs, etc.:

You will need to move all of this information to MPDX and begin using it as your primary MPD tool. We will provide all the instructions on how to move your database into MPDX before you make the move.

If you do not use an MPD tool:

We invite you to take this opportunity to learn and greatly improve your ability to build and cultivate a team of ministry partners by beginning to use MPDX. MPDX will help you get your database up and running in no time.

Other Questions

Why can't I continue using my own spreadsheets?

Spreadsheets on unencrypted laptops create a significant security risk for the ministry. The majority of our staff have unprotected laptops. We want to better protect information about the people who support our ministry. This also significantly reduces our legal risk, which keeps the reputation of Cru solid, allows us to stay around for the long haul, and helps all of us raise support better. While we understand that making this change may cause some initial inconveniences and is not ideal for some, it is very important for the protection of our ministry.

Additionally, we desire that you are equipped well for the task of ministry partner development and have the best tools for the job. A spreadsheet might feel more comfortable and familiar, but it is like using a spoon to dig a tunnel. It is just not the right tool for the job, and will cause you to spend a lot more time that could be used more effectively elsewhere. We desire that all staff would embrace the tools and technology they need to be most effective at their job.

In addition, a huge win for productivity in any organization is to have everyone using the same tools in the same place. When all staff can help each other learn to use the same tool, productivity and proficiency increase. Surveys show that this can increase the productivity of an organization by 20-30%. It doesn't matter so much what the tools are, just that everyone is using the same ones. Can you imagine if our ministry was 20-30% more productive in MPD?

I am really comfortable with my current MPD tool (generally TntConnect). Why can’t I just keep using it?

Our desire is to be as flexible as we can and allow people to use whatever tools necessary to do their job. However, comprehensive databases with ministry partner information on unencrypted laptops create a significant security risk for the ministry. The majority of our staff have unprotected laptops.

We want to better protect information about the people who support our ministry. Protecting this information also significantly reduces our legal risk, which keeps the reputation of Cru solid, allows us to stay around for the long haul, and helps all of us raise support better. While we understand that making this change may cause some initial inconveniences and is not ideal for some, it is very important for the protection of our ministry.

MPDX has over 5,000 active users. For the vast majority of people, MPDX will easily meet all of your needs. We believe that after you go through the training and allow for a little learning time, you will be even more productive than you were on former tools.

In addition, a huge win for productivity in any organization is to have everyone using the same tools in the same place. When all staff can help each other learn to use the same tool, productivity and proficiency increase. Surveys show that this can increase the productivity of an organization by 20-30%. It doesn't matter so much what the tools are, just that everyone is using the same ones. Can you imagine if our ministry was 20-30% more productive in MPD?

Can I access MPDX on my mobile device?

MPDX currently has a mobile app that many people use and love. You can find it in the App Store or Google Play store. We are currently working with a top mobile app development company to create a full-featured mobile app. We are confident that this app will be a game changer in how MPD is done. It will allow you to focus on the most important MPD tasks weaved throughout your daily life. This app will be released before Cru 17.

Can I use MPDX offline?

We are currently building a comprehensive offline mobile app to be released before Cru 17. This offline app will do all MPD tasks, activities, and information that you would want or need in an offline scenario. Trust us, we have thought through it all in order to best meet your needs!

In our years of research with Cru staff, one of the most frustrating things they experienced was out of sync databases, when one spouse makes changes, but they don’t get saved correctly in their spouse’s copy. Many staff lamented to us about the frustration of trying to do MPD in this scenario. MPDX web eliminates this frustration, but an offline app has the potential to bring it right back.

Allowing staff to have four plus offline copies of their database (two offline desktop, two offline mobile apps) sets up a reality for a tangled web of confusion and frustration like we have never seen before. Taking this all into consideration, we have decided to go with only an offline mobile app at this time. We really believe this will meet almost all offline needs. And as phones are more often synced back up to the web than any other device, we think this is the best solution. If it isn’t, we are open to exploring other solutions in the future.