What Aware3 does

Aware3 was a Kansas City-based SaaS company founded in 2011 that built a cloud-based engagement and giving platform for membership-based communities, primarily churches, schools, and nonprofits. The platform enabled these organizations to reach their audiences, manage member engagement, and facilitate donations and tithing through two core product lines: an Engagement Platform and Giving Solutions. The company operated on a recurring subscription revenue model with a sales-led B2B go-to-market, combining a self-service web portal (aware3.net) for existing customers with direct enterprise sales through a Contact Sales funnel. As of March 1, 2024, aware3 was acquired by FACTS, a Nelnet company, and has since been rebranded under the FACTS brand. The legal operating entity is Nelnet Business Solutions, Inc., headquartered at 121 S. 13th Street, Suite 301, Lincoln, Nebraska, making aware3 a product line within the Nelnet corporate family (NYSE: NNI) rather than a standalone entity. Under FACTS, the engagement and giving solutions are integrated into a broader portfolio serving membership-based communities, with no service disruption for existing customers; support continues through the Zendesk in-app portal and [email protected].

The company employed 11-50 people and was co-founded by Tony Caudill (CEO) and Joe Terry (CTO), with Anthony Caudill in a managerial role. Prior to the acquisition, aware3 raised a single disclosed funding round of $1,000,000 from Nelnet on March 4, 2015 — an early strategic relationship that laid the groundwork for the eventual 2024 acquisition. Pricing was not publicly disclosed and required contacting sales for enterprise inquiries. The platform operated exclusively in the United States with no disclosed international footprint, no mobile app, and no public API or SDK integrations, suggesting a closed product surface accessed primarily through the web portal.

Name

Aware3

Legal name

Nelnet Business Solutions, Inc.

Website

https://aware3.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Acquired

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Aware3 (now FACTS) is a cloud-based SaaS platform that helps churches, schools, and nonprofits manage member engagement and donations. Founded in 2011 and acquired by Nelnet's FACTS division in March 2024, it operates as a subscription-based B2B service for membership-based communities in the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Kansas City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Software

Cost components

Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Subscription Platform Fees: Recurring subscription fees for access to the engagement and giving platform for membership-based communities. No disruption in service for existing customers post-acquisition by FACTS.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Aware3 (now FACTS) provides a cloud-based B2B SaaS engagement and giving platform for membership-based communities such as churches, schools, and nonprofits. The platform combines an engagement module for mobile outreach, audience communication, and member connection with a giving module for tithes, donations, and fundraising management, sold via recurring subscriptions with self-serve and direct sales motions.

Product overview

FACTS (formerly aware3) is a unified platform offering engagement and giving solutions for membership-based communities. The product portfolio consists of two core integrated offerings: the FACTS Engagement Platform for community outreach and communication, and FACTS Giving Solutions for donation and fundraising management. These products work together to help organizations reach their audiences and support their missions.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• FACTS Engagement Platform A cloud-based engagement platform that enables membership-based communities (churches, schools, associations, nonprofits) to reach their audiences, communicate with members, and support their missions through mobile outreach and member engagement tooling.
• FACTS Giving Solutions Giving and donation management module integrated within the FACTS platform that helps membership-based communities manage tithing, donations, and fundraising initiatives to support their organizational missions.

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed Yes

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• FACTS (Nelnet Company)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 March 2024Aware3 joined the FACTS family of products and services as of March 1, 2024. FACTS is a Nelnet Company specializing in membership-based community solutions. The acquisition combines aware3's engagement and giving solutions with FACTS' comprehensive product portfolio, offering customers a more comprehensive set of solutions to promote their missions.

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Blackbaud: Blackbaud is a large incumbent provider of fundraising, CRM, and engagement software specifically to the nonprofit and education sectors — a broader but overlapping market participant.
• HubSpot: HubSpot's CRM and Marketing Hub serve membership and nonprofit communities for engagement, email, and basic giving workflows, providing a horizontal incumbent alternative to Aware3's specialized platform.
• Ministry Brands: Ministry Brands is a large, diversified provider of church and faith-based software (giving, church management, communications, websites) — overlaps Aware3 broadly but serves a much wider portfolio.
• ACS Technologies: ACS Technologies offers an established suite of church management and faith-based software (including Realm and IconCMO), overlapping with Aware3's engagement and giving functionality.

Direct peers

• Tithe.ly: Tithe.ly provides online giving, tithing, and church engagement tools specifically targeted at churches and faith communities, overlapping with Aware3's Giving Solutions product.
• Pushpay: Pushpay is a leading B2B SaaS platform providing church engagement, giving, and mobile app solutions to faith-based organizations — the closest direct overlap with Aware3's engagement + giving stack.
• Planning Center: Planning Center offers a suite of church management tools (People, Giving, Services, etc.) serving tens of thousands of churches — a direct vertical peer on both engagement and giving.
• MemberPlanet: MemberPlanet delivers membership management, communication, and fundraising tools to clubs, associations, and nonprofits — directly comparable to Aware3's member-engagement and giving capabilities.
• Subsplash: Subsplash offers a mobile-first engagement platform for churches and ministries including giving, communication, and media apps — directly comparable to Aware3's mobile engagement offering.
• WildApricot: WildApricot provides membership-management software for associations, clubs, and nonprofits with engagement, events, and payment features — a comparable membership-based community platform.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/awarethree
• Facebookfacebook.com/awarethree
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/aware3

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds1 record

Investors1 record

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Aware3