Skilled volunteer Ross Feldman, of CCP Tech, delivered Tech Therapy to Apparo to help structure and streamline their G.A.I.N. Technology Plan process, increasing their capacity to amplify nonprofit impact.
Realizing they could improve efficiencies in the G.A.I.N. Technology Plan process with the help of a consultant, Apparo reached out to skilled volunteer Ross Feldman, of CCP Tech, for Tech Therapy and mentorship for their tech plan process. The Apparo team had tech plan guidelines in place, but knew they needed another skilled voice in the conversation to add a higher level of structure to the process.
Apparo is a on a mission to amplify nonprofit impact through technology and process improvement. Apparo’s G.AI.N. (Growth, Agility and Innovation for Nonprofits) Grant Program provides nonprofit participants with the tools, training, and other support they need to implement and sustain their technology and process improvements. G.A.I.N. delivers a journey of technology and process improvement to a cohort of nonprofits to help them overcome their technology challenges and amplify their nonprofit impact. By improving the G.A.I.N. Technology Plan process, Apparo can help nonprofits and skilled volunteers think more strategically about what solutions will create the greatest impact.
We checked in with Allison Grant, Project Manager at Apparo, to learn more about the significance of this work and the anticipated impact on the organization and community. Allison explains, “When we ran our G.A.I.N. Technology Plans the first time, we had problems keeping every nonprofit on the same timeline in the two-year period. As we’re shortening the duration of the program to one year, we knew we needed a solution to help hold everyone accountable and stay on the same timeline to ensure quality, timely deliverables to our nonprofit partners.”
Ross and Allison worked together to update and improve the tech plan template, easing and adding clarity to the process for skilled volunteers. By coaching Allison through creating and documenting remediation ideas, Ross helped Apparo mitigate the risks that come with an untimely project, such as less available staff bandwidth. In their current G.A.I.N. cohort, Apparo is already experiencing the positive impacts of this work as teams have remained accountable to timelines.
Allison emphasizes, “Ross was an incredible mentor and instrumental in helping me rethink our approach to Technology Plan projects for the G.A.I.N. cohort. Because of the work he contributed, we anticipate all 6 of our G.A.I.N. cohort nonprofits will finish their Technology Plan projects on time, allowing them to move seamlessly to the next phase of their G.A.I.N. journey. In addition, the updated process, tools, and templates will be used for Technology Plan projects outside of G.A.I.N., ensuring a consistent, valuable deliverable that will impact many nonprofits to come.”
“Ross really went above and beyond by in coming to as many meetings as possible and working with each group. He is always willing to share forthright thoughts and opinions, which is what we needed. Ross’ technical skill set and willingness to coach us through was crucial in our ability to maximize efficiencies in our tech plan process. ”
As a result of a process with more structure and documented plans for remediation, the Apparo team can better support their G.A.I.N. cohorts and each nonprofit involved with a technology plan, greatly increasing Apparo’s capacity to amplify nonprofit impact.
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