WatersEdge

What WatersEdge does

WatersEdge is a faith-based financial services organization founded in 1946 and headquartered in Oklahoma City that serves Southern Baptist churches, ministries, individuals, and families. The organization operates across two customer segments: (1) churches and ministries, which it supports with Kingdom-based church/ministry loans, full-service ministry accounting, asset management, online giving infrastructure, and access to Kingdom Investments; and (2) individuals and families, which it serves through estate planning, donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, endowments, IRA charitable rollovers, single charity funds, trust administration, and beneficiary designations. Its product suite spans approximately fifteen offerings unified by a faith-aligned financial planning thesis.

The underlying technology is described as a financial services platform supporting ministry accounting, donor management, and church loan processing; no proprietary AI/ML or advanced technical components are disclosed. Distribution is relationship-led, delivered through a direct website and 800-number consultation channel, a network of at least seven state Baptist foundation partners (Indiana, Ohio, Alabama, Virginia, Arkansas, Oklahoma, Rocky Mountain), event-based acquisition via the annual Church Finance Conference and on-site estate planning seminars, and content marketing through Generosity Magazine and a resource library.

WatersEdge monetizes across six revenue streams: interest income on church loans, professional services fees for trust and estate administration, management fees on endowment accounts, fees on donor-advised funds and charitable giving vehicles, ministry accounting fees, and management fees on Kingdom Investments. Interest income is reportedly reinvested into churches and ministries, creating a cycle of mission-aligned capital deployment. The organization holds ECFA accreditation and reports impact metrics of 6,440 families with signed estate plans, 2,000+ churches and ministries served, and $349.7M distributed to ministry since 2013. Headcount is in the 11-50 range; the organization is privately held with no disclosed parent, investors, or external funding.

Name

WatersEdge

Legal name

WatersEdge

Website

https://watersedgeservices.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1946

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

WatersEdge is a faith-based financial services organization that provides church loans, ministry accounting, estate planning, and charitable giving vehicles to Southern Baptist churches, ministries, and individuals, distributing funds through state Baptist foundation partnerships nationwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Financial Services

NAICS

Grantmaking and Giving Services (81321), Trusts, Estates, and Agency Accounts (52592), Religious Organizations (8131)

akta.pro primary industry

Charitable Giving & Philanthropic Trust Advisory (FSAEAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Philanthropy & Foundations Advisory (Donor-Advised Funds, Endowments) (FSAAABAH), Philanthropic & Charitable Trust Services (FSAAANAI)

Keywords

• Ministry financial services
• Church lending
• Charitable estate planning
• Donor-advised funds
• Ministry accounting

Headquarters

HQ city

Oklahoma City

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Church Loans Interest: Interest income from ministry loans provided to churches for building projects and capital needs. Interest is reinvested into churches and ministries.
2. Trust and Estate Administration: Fees for managing charitable trusts, estate plans, and trust administration services for individuals and families.
3. Endowment Management: Management fees for administering endowment accounts for churches and ministries, providing predictable distributions.
4. Donor-Advised Fund and Charitable Giving Solutions: Fees and investment growth from donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and other charitable giving vehicles.
5. Ministry Accounting Services: Church accounting and financial management services for Southern Baptist churches.
6. Kingdom Investments: Investment opportunities for ministry-minded individuals, with returns reinvested to support church lending.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

WatersEdge is a nonprofit, faith-based financial services organization that provides estate planning, charitable giving solutions (donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, charitable remainder trusts, endowments, IRA charitable rollovers), Kingdom Investments, and trust administration for ministry-minded individuals and families. For churches and ministries, it provides church/ministry loans, full-service ministry accounting, an online giving platform, asset management, and tax and legal guidance. Interest income from ministry loans is reinvested back into churches and ministries, with services delivered primarily through personalized consultation and partnerships with state Baptist foundations.

Product overview

WatersEdge is a ministry-focused financial services company offering a comprehensive suite of charitable giving, investment, and church finance solutions. The portfolio consists of individual/family services (Estate Planning, Kingdom Investments, Donor-Advised Fund, Charitable Gift Annuity, Endowment, Charitable Remainder Trust, IRA Charitable Rollover, Single Charity Fund, Trust Administration, Beneficiary Designation) and church/ministry services (Church Loans/Ministry Loans, Ministry Accounting, Online Giving Platform, Asset Management). The offerings are unified by a shared mission to help individuals and churches grow Kingdom resources through biblically-based financial planning, with interest from loans reinvested into supporting churches nationwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Estate Planning

Quantifiable outcome

• 6,440 families have signed estate plans that advance ministry
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and flagship.

• Baptist Foundation of IndianacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Baptist foundation offering WatersEdge services to Indiana churches and individuals as a powered-by partnership.
• Ohio Baptist FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Baptist foundation partner providing WatersEdge ministry financial services to Ohio churches.
• Rocky Mountain Baptist FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorRegional foundation partner serving Baptist churches in the Rocky Mountain region.
• Baptist Foundation of AlabamacoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Baptist foundation partner providing WatersEdge services to Alabama churches and individuals.
• Oklahoma BaptistscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState convention partner for WatersEdge services serving Oklahoma Baptist churches.
• SBC Virginia FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Baptist foundation partner for Virginia providing WatersEdge ministry services.
• Arkansas Baptist FoundationcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorState Baptist foundation partner serving Arkansas Baptist churches with WatersEdge financial services.
• Oklahoma Baptist UniversityflagshipStrategic or Co-development PartnerOBU partnership with WatersEdge facilitates donor giving and gift management, advancing OBU's mission. WatersEdge manages endowment accounts providing dependable returns and predictable scholarship distributions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Thrivent Financial: A faith-based financial services company offering financial planning, investments, insurance, and a charitable giving arm. Broad incumbent in faith-aligned financial services with overlapping donor base.
• Fidelity Charitable: The largest U.S. donor-advised fund sponsor and secular incumbent in the DAF market. Competes with WatersEdge for charitable giving dollars but serves a mass-market, non-denominational audience with deeper investment menus.
• National Philanthropic Trust: One of the largest independent DAF sponsors in the U.S., providing donor-advised funds and philanthropic advisory services. A secular, broad incumbent comparable in product scope but operating at much greater scale than WatersEdge.
• Schwab Charitable: A major secular DAF sponsor backed by Charles Schwab, offering donor-advised funds and charitable investment accounts. Relevant broad incumbent competing for the same pool of charitable dollars across all faiths.

Direct peers

• Barnabas Foundation: A Christian charitable giving organization offering donor-advised funds, charitable gift annuities, and estate planning services to faith-aligned donors. Highly comparable product mix and donor segment to WatersEdge.
• National Christian Foundation: The largest Christian donor-advised fund sponsor in the U.S., offering faith-aligned DAFs, gift planning, and estate services to donors nationwide. Directly comparable to WatersEdge in mission, products, and target donor base, though at significantly greater scale.
• The Signatry: A faith-based donor-advised fund provider that channels giving to ministries globally, with comparable DAF, endowment, and kingdom-focused giving vehicles. Closely mirrors WatersEdge's product set and mission-aligned donor acquisition approach.
• Baptist Foundation of Texas: A Texas Baptist state foundation offering ministry lending, endowment management, and charitable estate planning to Texas Baptist churches — a direct state-level analog to WatersEdge's model.

Others

• Evangelical Council for Financial Accountability: The accrediting body that has granted WatersEdge its ECFA accreditation. Relevant ecosystem/regulatory participant in the evangelical nonprofit financial services space and a credibility signal for WatersEdge's donor base.
• National Association of Charitable Gift Planners: The leading industry association for charitable gift planning professionals. Ecosystem participant whose members are the professional counterparts to WatersEdge's trust and estate services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/WatersEdgeAdvisors

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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 WatersEdge