IT Services for Non-Profit
The Context Non-profits are always challenged with small budgets and designated funds for services and programs, making IT a lower priority.
The Client Child, Family & Community Services provides education and family support services to over 3000 low-income families.
The Problem Like all non-profits, there were limited resources for technology development and only a handful of the staff were familiar with technological solutions as opposed to cumbersome paperwork and keeping “real time” data.
The Choice All Covered listened to CFCS’ needs, avoided techno-speak when discussing options and included employees in every step of the technology implementation.
The
Results With All Covered’s help,
CFCS has a reliable network, remote access and secure email so employee productivity and communication has greatly increased.
All Covered Delivers IT Services for Non-Profits in a Cost-Sensitive Manner
Case Study: Child, Family & Community Services, Inc.
The Context
Historically, non-profit organizations have been behind their corporate counterparts in adopting information technology (IT). Usually lacking the budgets to invest in the latest and greatest systems and software tools, these organizations have made a habit of “making do,” managing a patchwork of old and new elements that often don’t work well together. At the same time, dependence on these networks to manage information, communicate with staff and volunteers, perform accounting, and handle various other tasks continues to grow. The reason to move ahead is clear – the cost-savings and productivity advantages of secure, reliable, and high-performing IT networks are simply too great to ignore.
The Client
Child, Family & Community Services, Inc. (CFCS) is a non-profit organization providing education and family support services to low-income families living in California’s southern Alameda County. They began with one location in 1965 and have now grown to seventeen locations throughout the area while providing their services to over 3000 families each year. CFCS is always adapting and adding to their programs to provide more educational opportunities, child care services, and fill the community needs. For the working parent, Child, Family & Community Services also offers an excellent child care program for children ages newborn to five years old.
The Problem
The staff and management at CFCS were constantly frustrated by the inability of the current system to meet their needs. Every day the network was going down; there were two different computer systems running independently of each other; data was getting lost; and employees could not enter or access data remotely, leaving only a paper trail for crucial data.
In order to move towards the goal of becoming a multi-functioning agency and expanding their services, they decided to adopt a new structure that was able to maximize the vast technological advances available as well as support their caring and motivating environment. Part of achieving that goal included ensuring that their information technology was current and would keep up with their growth and organization goals.
The Choice
When Child, Family & Community Services made the decision to use a professional IT services company, they interviewed a few organizations.
What made All Covered stand out from the rest?
With most consulting firms, you’re told what to do. All Covered delivered options based on what CFCS wanted to accomplish. We listened to their needs, presented our value clearly, left out the technology jargon no one understands (except tech industry people), and respected the goals they wanted to achieve.
Enter All Covered
The first task to be completed was to combine the two different networks into one cohesive network, which consolidated their servers down from 11 to seven. Old computers were replaced as the budget allowed -- not the “latest and greatest,” but the best fit for the expected and needed outcome.
The most significant change for employees came when All Covered set up the Virtual Private Network (VPN) which gave direct access to the main network from a remote location, which saved time, increased productivity, and allowed employees to communicate with each other electronically. Along the way, there were many decisions to be made.
All Covered’s team of professional technical consultants worked with CFCS employees to strategically plan the next steps, give options, listen and fully understand the expectations of technology before a decision was ever made.
The Results
Before All Covered, many employees, understandably, felt that technology created more work for them. Now that a fully functioning network is in place with regular maintenance, employees see the value that technology brings to their jobs. Communication and productivity has significantly improved for CFCS’s 150 employees and with secure email, reports and notifications that can be sent out instantaneously.
Child, Family, and Community Services is looking forward to a bright future. Long term goals include linking to university database systems to strengthen their informational resources, setting up a national training center where employees’ skills can be shared and taught to others, community interaction with the aid of technology, and adding more locations as needed.
“All Covered’s team of consultants has allowed CFCS to enter the 21st century in technology and communication. Having inter- and intra- email communication with our 17 sites has proved to be both a boost to our overall productiveness and a tremendous tool for sharing needed information. They are professional in their approach and turn “techie” talk into plain English. Our primary consultant has been an invaluable part of my senior management team.”
Karen Blinstrub
Chief Executive Officer
