Bank of America Skilled volunteers assessed processes with Charlotte Family Housing to streamline volunteer and donor data management
Sponsored by Bank of America
Charlotte Family Housing’s (CFH) mission is to empower working families experiencing homelessness to achieve life-long self-sufficiency through shelter, housing, supportive services, and advocacy. They understand the importance of obtaining support for our families in the public and private sectors; to build and strengthen our community one family at a time. CFH believes in the power of “we”. CFH works with various partners: nonprofit organizations, housing providers, and volunteers to provide information and access to resources for their families.
Charlotte Family Housing was considering transitioning from their previous donor management system and recently parted ways with their volunteer management system. The organization was looking for assistance identifying one solution that could manage both their donors and volunteers. Through this Apparo Community Impact Project, a Bank of America volunteer team diligently worked alongside CFH to assess their current donor and volunteer management business processes. Based on the findings of the assessment, the team created a business process and requirements document. Once this step was complete, the team conducted research, provided demonstrations, and assisted with selecting a data management system that best fits the business processes and requirements identified.
Diligent Volunteers Create Time-Saving Efficiencies and Improve Joy for Nonprofit Staff
When reflecting on the anticipated impacts of this work, the CFH team felt confident that through implementing recommendations for streamlining, they will save a significant amount of staff time. The previous donor management system was outdated and required many manual processes, consuming great amounts of staff time and leaving the team feeling unsure about the accuracy of their donor data. They knew there was room for improvement in their processes that would allow for stronger relationships and communication with donors and volunteers. Through implementing recommendations for improvements, CFH anticipates greatly reducing the risk of information loss and having an improved ability to fulfill their mission to provide needed services to our community. The team describes their new software solution as a game-changer for their data manager, who has struggled with their previous software. Alice Marleaux, Chief Engagement Officer at Charlotte Family Housing, adds, “A new program will greatly improve the joy of the team. We had a lot of distaste for the previous system so it will be really enjoyable to work with something new.”
CFH discussed how they had preconceived notions of potential software solutions, but the volunteer team revealed insights and guided the selection process to identify the optimal solution. Alice discusses how the volunteer team helped the organization slow down to truly understand their process and software needs, “We had hours of conversation discussing what we do daily… the volunteers were so detail-oriented, they asked so many questions. We often live in our own world… because they weren’t in our world, they were able to have a different understanding of what it is we do and offer a new perspective.”
In addition to creating operating efficiencies, the organization also looks forward to a reduced cost through merging data into one program with a reasonable implementation fee. With complete and accurate data, the organization anticipates developing more efficient fundraising strategies and ultimately increasing donor retention rates, an important goal for CFH. The team now has access to improved analytics, which will give them an enhanced perspective on where they are and help them identify opportunities for growth. They anticipate capitalizing on the ability to better familiarize with their donor and volunteer base. Executive Director Elizabeth Kurtz shares that she will genuinely miss weekly team meetings, adding, “We are so grateful for this partnership with Apparo and Bank of America. Two things that made this process so successful were the level of due diligence that the Bank of America Team brought into the project and the regularity of feedback and touchpoints between our teams.”
The impressive volunteer team, including those from Bank of America and one student volunteer, expressed similar sentiments of gratitude to be engaged with this project. Ronit Dey, the student volunteer on this team expressed, “I’ve been volunteering with Apparo for almost four years now and this has been one of my favorite projects. Working alongside Charlotte Family Housing and the Bank of America volunteer team was the best volunteer experience I’ve had. This was an amazing experience and I am so grateful.”
Bank of America volunteers reflect on their volunteer experiences, sharing:
- “The services Charlotte Family Housing provides to the community are so needed across the country and I am so grateful to have worked with this organization and with Bank of America teammates across teams. It was very eye-opening how much this background work supports what you all do in the community. Thank you Apparo and Charlotte Family Housing for all you do for our communities.” – Darnita Cistrunk
- “We were very grateful for the opportunity to work with Apparo and Charlotte Family Housing. Volunteering my professional skills outside of the workplace was a deeply rewarding experience. It allowed me to sharpen my communication and leadership skills while also contributing to a good cause. Having the opportunity to collaborate with a team like Charlotte Family Housing, who is dedicated to helping individuals within my own community, reaffirmed my belief in the power of connection and the importance of giving back.” – Monica Gale