Skilled volunteers from Varo Bank and LiftOne conducted a business process assessment and created recommendations to improve efficiencies throughout Charlotte Film Society’s growing programs
The Charlotte Film Society (CFS) is a 501(c)(3) that creates communal experiences through cinema to inspire and celebrate what connects us as humans. Their commitment to this goal is exemplified by their operations at the Independent Picture House, including the annual Charlotte Film Festival, and throughout Charlotte area communities as they foster cultural connections through film. Founded in 1982, the Charlotte Film Society continues to serve as a non-profit organization dedicated to providing a choice in moviegoing experiences.
Due to recent growth in the organization through opening The Independent Picture House, Charlotte Film Society reached out to Apparo for assistance with developing new processes to support their new business model, which includes more people, more tasks, and a greater need for funding opportunities. Their goals for this Community Impact Project focused on learning if they were leveraging technology in the best ways and if not, how they could improve their processes to increase efficiencies organization-wide.
To address their needs, Apparo paired CFS with a team of skilled volunteers who first worked alongside CFS staff and Board to identify key areas within the organization that would serve as the focus of the business process assessment. The areas identified were accounting (daily and weekly), payroll processing, credit card reconciliation, volunteer management, movie programming, staff hiring, marketing, membership, and rentals. Over the next several weeks, the team focused on one area at a time to assess, document, and provide recommendations for current business processes within the organization, identifying potential risks and opportunities for improvements along the way. Skilled volunteer Sulakshana Chavar highlights her experience working with CFS, “It was a pleasure working with Charlotte Film Society and learning about the different processes to run a successful show!“
View Snapshot in separate window.
More than a Business Process Assessment
The CFS team is confident that the recommendations will create a domino effect of positive impact. Through having processes and roles properly documented and implementing the provided process and software recommendations, CFS anticipates reduced risks, increased efficiencies, and time savings, allowing them to better focus on the community they serve. The CFS Board of Directors looks forward to more time to attend events and connect with the community, which increases organizational awareness and fundraising potential. Amy Teats, CFS Board Member, shares her excitement and appreciation for this project, “We are excited to continue the momentum and conversations related to process improvements that were sparked through this project. We extend sincere appreciation to each of the volunteers for their efforts. We are thankful for their willingness to use their time and talents to make the Independent Picture House more efficient and effective“.
The project team spent an impressive combined 135 total hours on this work, creating a market value of $26,325. Change Agent Bob Louer expresses his satisfaction with the teamwork exhibited in this project, “I was very pleased with the level of project engagement exhibited by both Charlotte Film Society and the volunteers. Everyone worked together to discuss and document current processes and generate ideas for possible improvements”.
Impact Update: Continued Growth
One year after this Community Impact Project, the Apparo team met with Brad Ritter to discuss the impact of this nonprofit business process assessment.
Since the work wrapped up, Charlotte Film Society has:
- Expanded their programming to include a series around immigration
- Applied for additional grant funding
- Began expanding their space into a fourth auditorium, which will have a dual purpose as performance and classroom space
- Hired a Director of Development and Marketing
Brad reflects on one of the most significant wins from this work, “Having some of the work removed from my plate has been a huge relief and has created more time for me to meet with donors. There is a much better allocation of my time, which makes the process of expanding our space and programming smoother. We are in much better shape now that our business processes are improved.” In addition to these gains, the team has continued to grow their volunteer database and is hopeful about identifying ways to best leverage their support as they expand.
