Aware3 is a community engagement platform offering apps, online donations, donor management, and community engagement services for churches, schools, and non-profits. Before its acquisition by FACTS (a Nelnet company), the platform served as the connective tissue for member engagement across church networks nationwide.
As adoption scaled and user demand grew, Aware3 needed to modernize legacy systems and expand development capacity — starting with their online appeals product — without the delays of traditional hiring.
Aware3 needed external resources to upgrade their online appeals platform. The existing codebase needed modernization to current development standards while continuing to serve thousands of active users.
Internal hiring wasn't viable on the timeline required. Scott Connerly, Director of Engineering, found Active Logic through local contacts and LinkedIn. Being a local Kansas City company was important — and Active Logic was ultimately the best fit for what they needed.
Three requirements guided the engagement:
Active Logic provided three developers to augment Aware3's staff, working alongside their in-house team using JavaScript, PHP, and MySQL. Engineers were added directly to Aware3's Jira and Slack — no separate project management layers. They functioned as part of the in-house team from day one.
Active Logic consistently fulfilled unique and abstract requests that other vendors couldn't accommodate. The team adapted to shifting priorities without scope renegotiation or contractual friction — engineers moved between workstreams based on business need, not rigid SOWs.
Beyond execution, Active Logic's engineering leadership maintained direct communication with Aware3's leadership through regular strategic planning sessions. These covered technical roadmap, architectural decisions, and delivery sequencing — not just sprint status.
By deliberately operating without a separate project manager, Active Logic eliminated the communication layers that slow down augmented teams. Engineers communicated directly with Aware3's leadership and internal developers, reducing friction and accelerating decision-making.
Active Logic delivered 20+ web applications across 40,000+ development hours — driving a 300% improvement in development efficiency. The developers performed at the level Aware3 expected, keeping pace with internal resources in speed and proficiency. What began as an embedded team arrangement evolved into a long-term strategic partnership that ultimately supported Nelnet's acquisition of the product line.
Scott Connerly Director of Engineering, Aware3"They've integrated well with us, working as part of our own team rather than as outside vendors. We have a robust relationship with Active Logic, rather than a purely transactional one."
Talk to us about how Active Logic's senior engineers can integrate with your team and start delivering in the first sprint.
