CCP Tech Volunteer Assists with Data Management and Provides Training, Eliminating Manual Processes and Saving Hundreds of Staff Hours
G.A.I.N. – Powered by Lowe’s
OMITT Innovative Solutions (OMITT) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization that partners with businesses and other organizations to create opportunities for students of all ages for the highest quality vocational training and employment preparation. Through their Social Responsibility Program, community business partners, trade apprenticeships, and financial aid, OMITT Innovative Solutions seeks to meet the needs of students, the workforce, and employers for the success of all. OMITT welcomes students “as they are” in life’s journey. OMITT teaches trade skills with a human connection that inspires community involvement and economic growth.
Apparo’s G.A.I.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 one-year journey of technology and process improvement to a cohort of nonprofits to help them overcome their technology challenges and amplify their nonprofit impact. The G.A.I.N. program is generously powered by Lowe’s.
Before this Community Impact Project, the OMITT team was conducting many processes manually, including paper and pencil data entry and file storage in Word documents and spreadsheets. Each file was maintained and used by a single team member with no ability to collaborate or easily share files. These manual and unilateral processes made data sharing and reporting efforts difficult. OMITT entered the G.A.I.N. program hopeful for a volunteer to assist with creating consolidated files of data that can be stored in a shared space and used collaboratively by staff.
The organization was paired with skilled volunteer, Ross Feldman, from CCP Tech, who was prepared to take on OMITT’s data management challenges. Ross worked alongside the OMITT team to identify key information within their current files, develop collaborative files to store the needed data, migrate and consolidate current data, and finally, train staff on using and sharing the files. This work was featured on WFAE by Lisa Worf (Read/Listen here), where Ross shared, “Giving back is something I absolutely enjoy. And with technology, an hour of my time here is 10 times as helpful in the community, so it’s actually like I’m donating 10 times of my time, just being able to make groups like OMITT more efficient”.
With new data management processes, OMITT anticipates many increased efficiencies through eliminating manual efforts, ultimately saving 700+ hours of staff time annually. Additionally, with streamlined data management processes and more time available, OMITT also anticipates expanding their reach and increasing their revenue. Having easily accessible, collaborative, and organized files ensures the team has what they need when they apply for grants or are speaking with funders. Rose says it best as she shares, “We have already started clocking the hours we’re saving through these streamlined processes. Time is money and we’re saving so much through these automations. We’re building momentum and already identifying more opportunities to use this technology, so we anticipate even more time and money saved. The database is just the tip of the iceberg“.
*Photos by Lisa Worf, WFAE
