Centric Consulting’s Jennifer Elliott helps nonprofits through Salesforce implementations and customizations.
Jennifer Elliott, Salesforce Lead of Centric Consulting, works very closely with TJ Felice, Apparo Board Member, who first helped her get involved with Apparo. A few years ago, TJ reached out to Jenn to see if she knew of anyone who wanted to help with a Salesforce project for Crisis Assistance Ministry of Gastonia (CAMG). He had a more junior resource who wanted to explore configuration work. Jenn felt this would be a good opportunity to become more involved in using her Salesforce skills to volunteer.
Jenn spent a lot of time listening to the staff at CAMG about how they functioned and what they would like to change. Before the project, the nonprofit used Google Forms and Google sheets to input information manually. For board reports, Kim Wheeler, Executive Director of CAMG, compiled all the data manually which would take about two weeks. One of the first projects Jenn worked on with CAMG was streamlining and automating their reports, reducing Kim’s process time to just a click of a button.
CAMG went from completely manual processes to automated processes. Through this project, Jenn and the Centric Consulting volunteers wanted to make sure the CAMG employees and volunteers felt comfortable using Salesforce. A major change in technology takes time for staff members to adjust to so Jenn focused on change management. “Because of this, we were able to help them become comfortable with using Salesforce. There were some bumps in the road, but it allowed them to weave through the noise and more efficiently process more applications.”
Jenn is motivated a sense of pride in her work. She also has a passion to share what Salesforce can do to help further nonprofits’ missions.
“I don’t want anyone ever to feel like they’re not deserving of technology, because of the context in which the technology is being used,” Jenn shared.
Jenn felt the CAMG project got her in the weeds, establishing her love for skilled volunteering. She could help a nonprofit use technology in the way it is truly meant to be used. It allowed her to be more creative and look at new items in Salesforce. “There’s no red tape, overhead, or political aspects that prevent you from solving for something that really matters and will help the nonprofit’s overall mission. It’s so fun and rewarding, and it gives me a new perspective and passion to continue working with Salesforce every day.”
After the CAMG project wrapped up, TJ Felice who is also on the board of Matthews Help Center, requested her help to build out volunteer processes and donor development processes within Salesforce for the nonprofit. Jenn was excited to come in and start building out those two areas. “We engaged with them, and at first there was some resistance to change. Using Salesforce every day was overwhelming to them, and so with my volunteer team, a lot of persistence, and handholding we were able to change the way they work. Now they can update records in Salesforce, run reports, and manipulate data – they have come so far!”
“The hardest thing for me as a volunteer is truly wrapping up and saying goodbye,” Jenn said. “I’m still involved in CAMG – I’m in it – they have me. I check in with them once a month for 20 minutes and help them out, because they’re in a stable place now. I look internally to tell myself I can’t keep them all! I don’t want our nonprofit clients to feel they are any different than our other clients. They deserve the same level of quality, delivery, and dedication that everyone else does.” We spoke to CAMG a year after the wrap up of their project, and they appreciated Jenn’s dedication and time which has allowed them to increase the number of applications by 138%, allowing them to help more people.
Before Jenn became a skilled volunteer with Apparo, she had been looking for a meaningful volunteer experience but always found barriers for entry.
Since she started volunteering, she has become an advocate, even doing an internal presentation for the Women’s Group at Centric informing them about how amazing skilled volunteering with Apparo is. She told them not to discount what they do everyday as something that couldn’t add value in a volunteer capacity.
“We’re helping communities. In my opinion, everyone should have a volunteer client.There’s so much learning done in this way. It’s an outlet, a creative means to upscale, and it’s more valuable than training. If someone on your team is intimidated, to say, using their skills to become an architect, participating in a volunteer project like the ones I’ve participated, can help them grow and flourish while also partnering with the nonprofits to help solve their problems. This will ultimately help them get to the next levels in their careers as well, creating a mutual benefit for both volunteer and nonprofit.”
Jennifer Elliott keeps volunteering and is now working on a Salesforce implementation and customization with Servant’s Heart of Mint Hill.
Her dedication has not gone unnoticed by the Apparo staff. In fact, her Centric Consulting team from her work with Matthews Help Center recently won the Apparo Volunteer Appreciation and Impact Award. Apparo’s Sarah Friday shared, “We are immensely grateful for the unwavering commitment and passion that Jennifer Elliott continues to bring to Apparo and the nonprofits we serve. Her dedication to serving nonprofits specifically through implementing Salesforce configurations and training staff on the optimizations goes above and beyond, inspiring all who have the privilege of witnessing her tireless efforts. Thank you, Jenn, for embodying the spirit of service and making a profound difference for the nonprofits in our community and the lives they serve.”
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