SERVANTS In Faith & Technology

What SERVANTS In Faith & Technology does

SERVANTS In Faith & Technology (SIFAT), legally the Southern Institute for Appropriate Technology, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 with an initial budget of $12,000 and headquartered at 2944 County Road 113 in Lineville, Alabama. The organization provides Christian experiential learning, appropriate-technology training, and short-term international mission programming for youth groups, university students, church mission teams, and international community leaders across the Americas and Africa. Core programmatic offerings include the Practicum and Field Study curricula, the Learn & Serve campus retreat program built around the on-site Global Village simulation, and international mission trips to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Uganda, supplemented by a Graduate Projects Committee that funds alumni-led water, agricultural, and community-development projects.

The underlying 'appropriate technology' curriculum centers on practical, low-resource solutions—bio-sand water filters, fuel-efficient cookstoves and rocket stoves, solar cookers, non-electric evaporative refrigerators, leaf-drying equipment, and mountain-microbe/organic fertilizer techniques—and is delivered hands-on at the Alabama campus and at a Central American Training Center in Costa Rica. An internship pipeline, a University of Alabama at Birmingham credit-bearing Field Study collaboration (May Field Study 2023 drew 48 participants from 14 countries), and the recurring Glimpses podcast extend reach among youth, students, and faith-based teams.

Revenue is donation-driven. Sources include individual and organizational gifts (some routed through The Advance of UMC Global Ministries or PayPal Giving Fund so 100% passes through), a tiered SHARE monthly recurring giving program ($10–$500/month), planned giving and stock/IRA donations, and secondary program fees of roughly $280 per participant for the Summer Experience. Distribution is community-led: the Alabama campus, the Costa Rica training academy, Ecuadoran and other international mission sites, and seasonal outreach events such as Worship on the Water at Allen's Lakeside Marina on Lake Wedowee. Formal annual revenue is not publicly disclosed; GivingTuesday campaign goals have run $200,000 (2024) to $210,000 (2025) with $70,000 in matching funds.

Name

SERVANTS In Faith & Technology

Legal name

Southern Institute for Appropriate Technology

Website

https://sifat.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1979

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

SIFAT is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in 1979 in Lineville, Alabama that trains international community leaders in appropriate technology and runs Learn & Serve retreats, short-term mission teams, and graduate-funded development projects across the Americas and Africa.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Faith-Based Community Development and Mission Services

NAICS

Civic and Social Organizations (813410), Educational Support Services (611710)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Community Foundations (BPAGAKAB)

akta.pro secondary industry

STEM, Digital Skills & Innovation Partnerships (EDADALAJ)

Keywords

• Appropriate technology training
• International mission programs
• Community development training
• Experiential learning retreats
• Poverty alleviation services

Headquarters

HQ city

Lineville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices4 records

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. Donations and Contributions: SIFAT relies primarily on charitable donations from individuals and organizations. The organization runs annual GivingTuesday campaigns with matching funds (e.g., $70,000 matching in 2025, goal of $210,000). Donations can be made online via PayPal, through The Advance (UMC Global Ministries), or by check.
2. SHARE Monthly Giving Program: Monthly recurring donation program where supporters commit to regular contributions. Options range from $10 to $500 per month with automatic bank draft or credit card payment options.
3. Planned Giving and Stock Donations: The organization accepts planned gifts, stock donations, and IRA transfers as part of legacy giving strategies for donors.
4. Program Fees: Learn & Serve retreats and summer experiences charge participation fees ($280 per person for Summer Experience 2023), though this is secondary to donation revenue.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels9 records

Core offering

SIFAT is a faith-based nonprofit that trains community leaders, students, and church teams in appropriate technology and community development. Its offerings include multi-week Practicum and Field Study training, campus-based Learn & Serve retreats with the Global Village simulation, short-term international mission teams to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Uganda, and supporting funding mechanisms for alumni-led poverty-alleviation projects.

Product overview

SIFAT operates as a nonprofit religious organization offering a portfolio of programs unified around the mission of 'Sharing God's Love in Practical Ways.' The core offerings include: Training Programs (Practicum, Field Study, Appropriate Technology training), Learn & Serve campus retreats and summer experiences featuring the Global Village simulation, International Missions teams to Ecuador, Bolivia, and Uganda, and the Worship on the Water community outreach program. Supporting infrastructure includes the Graduate Projects Committee for funding alumni-led community development, the SHARE monthly giving program, and the Glimpses podcast. The organization functions primarily as a service-based ministry rather than a technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Training Programs
• Learn & Serve Campus Retreats
• International Missions Program
• Worship on the Water (WOW)

Quantifiable outcome

• 250+ families lifted from starvation to food sufficiency in Haiti
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Allen’s Lakeside MarinacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAllen’s Lakeside Marina provides the weekly venue for SIFAT’s Worship on the Water (WOW) services at Lake Wedowee, including their parking lot for attendees and porch for rainy day services. This partnership is essential to SIFAT’s community outreach program.
• Lake Wedowee DocksminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLake Wedowee Docks clears their work area and moves docks each week to accommodate WOW services on the water.
• The Advance (UMC Global Ministries)coreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorThe Advance of Global Ministries of the United Methodist Church enables donors to give to SIFAT with 100% of donations received without transaction fees. Donors can also give credit to their local UMC congregation through this channel.
• PayPal / PayPal Giving FundcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPayPal processes online donations to SIFAT with transaction fees deducted. The PayPal Giving Fund covers transaction fees allowing SIFAT to receive 100% of donations, though with 15-45 day delay.
• University of Alabama at BirminghamminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerUAB students earned college credit through participation in SIFAT’s May Field Study on World Hunger and Malnutrition, representing 14 countries.
• Louino Robillard / Future Generations HaitiminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLouino Robillard, who grew up in a Haitian slum and founded Future Generations Haiti, shared life experiences during a simulation in SIFAT’s urban slum exhibit, contributing to training programs.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Engineering Ministries International (EMI): Christian organization that mobilizes engineers and technical volunteers to serve missions and developing communities. Closely comparable to SIFAT in combining technical/practical skills training with Christian mission deployment.
• A Rocha: Christ-centered conservation and community development network active across multiple countries. Closely comparable to SIFAT in combining Christian mission with environmental stewardship and grassroots community development practice.
• ECHO (Educational Concerns for Hunger Organization): Faith-rooted nonprofit that trains missionaries and development workers in appropriate technology and tropical agriculture — a near-direct functional overlap with SIFAT's Practicum, Field Study, and Appropriate Technology training curriculum.
• Engineering for Change: Community of engineers, technologists, and development practitioners designing solutions for underserved communities. Overlaps SIFAT's appropriate-technology focus on water, energy, and food security challenges.

Broad incumbents

• Habitat for Humanity: Large faith-affiliated nonprofit specializing in housing and community development with active short-term mission team (Global Village) programming — directly comparable to SIFAT's Global Village simulation and Learn & Serve retreats.
• Samaritan's Purse: Large evangelical relief and development organization running international projects and short-term mission trips. Operates in adjacent faith-based international development space with much larger donor pipeline and program breadth.
• ADRA (Adventist Development and Relief Agency): Faith-based international development organization delivering community development, food security, and disaster response. Comparable to SIFAT on international scope and integrated spiritual/practical development model.
• Compassion International: Faith-based child sponsorship and international development organization with a similar recurring-donor revenue model (monthly sponsorship). Compares to SIFAT on donor engagement and international Christian development mission.
• Food for the Hungry: Christian relief and development organization focused on community transformation in countries such as Haiti, Bolivia, and Uganda where SIFAT also operates. Comparable on international faith-based development and donor-supported model.
• World Vision: Major Christian humanitarian organization running sponsorship, community development, and disaster response in countries where SIFAT also works (Haiti, Venezuela, parts of Africa). Overlaps on faith-based community development donor model.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/sifattweets
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/SIFATTube
• Facebookfacebook.com/sifatbook

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles10 records

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 SERVANTS In Faith & Technology