Salesforce Offers Your Human Services Agency Should Consider

Posted in: Blog

By: Eric Magnuson

Salesforce app makers and professional services organizations dedicated to the nonprofit sector are creating new ways to help their nonprofit clients adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic. Many Salesforce Independent Software Vendors (ISVs) are offering new licensing discounts on top of existing nonprofit discounts or extended trial periods, essentially providing your nonprofit with a free use period during this initial stage of COVID-19 pandemic response. In addition to our own offerings, we’ve informally compiled options from other Salesforce app vendors that we think would benefit nonprofits and human services organizations coping with the Coronavirus outbreak.

Before diving in, it’s important to keep in mind the implications for your organization don’t begin and and end with the click of an install button. At Exponent Partners, we regularly help our customers select and implement third party apps best suited to meet their needs—it’s a process involving people as well as products. For example, if your organization may not need the product or service after the trial period, you will need to manage the cancellation terms as well as the change process with your staff who have come to expect the product or service. If we can help you navigate app selection, user adoption, and change management during COVID-19, contact us to get started.

(Note: Covid-related offers in the Salesforce marketplace are rapidly evolving at a fast pace. We will strive to keep the information current and accurate. If you have an addition or revision to this blog that you’d like to share, email me.)

1. Digital Signature

Conga Sign

Conga makes a number of different apps that our nonprofit clients benefit from, including Conga Composer and Conga Grid. Anticipating nonprofits moving to a more virtual model of program work will benefit from an electronic signature capability, they are now offering Conga Sign for free use during a very long trial period. If you decide to use it beyond the extended trial period you will also find it is typically much less expensive than the more well known electronic signature options.

Extended Free Trial of Digital Signature app for Salesforce.org Nonprofits:

• For verified nonprofits, new to Conga Sign
• Get a free extended trial of Conga Sign for Salesforce
• Trial must be downloaded by 6/1/2020 and end 9/30/2020

Read the Conga Sign user documentation.to learn more about how the tool works and check out the Appexchange listing.

2. Text Messaging

When you are no longer able to meet in-person with the people you support, what are your choices for continuing to provide support? For nonprofits providing direct service to people the obvious adaptation for staying in touch is to move more interactions to text messaging. Fortunately, there are many options for adding text messaging to Salesforce.

Mogli SMS

When we decided to figure out how to get text messaging into the hands of our clients so they can continue their work we reached out to the folks at Mogli. Mogli SMS is a Salesforce-native text messaging app whose origins are in addressing the needs of nonprofits. They are now offering nonprofits heavily discounted introductory packages and extended trials. Email Mogli directly to get more information about their COVID-19 related packages.

Twilio

When you peel back the covers on most of the internet companies you will find Twilio being used somewhere. They provide backbone services for sending text messages and more to a lot of companies. They are also very committed to the nonprofit sector with some very generous allocations of free messages. In support of organizations responding to COVID-19 they are offering deeper discounds nad more product donations for eligible nonprofits. Visit the Twilio website to learn more.

3. Population Impact Assessment

Socialsuite

Socialsuite is a company that has built a Salesforce-native app for collecting and measuring impact data. In response to the global epidemic they leveraged Salesforce Communities to provide a standalone version of their app with an expert-informed survey for assessing the impact of COVID-19 on a client population over time. It is entirely free to use. Watch this video to get a sense for whether this tool would benefit your organization. Read more about Socialsuite’s COVID-19 Social Impact Assessment on their website.

Rapid Response Offerings for Nonprofits During COVID-19

Posted in: Blog

Nonprofit and human services organizations are at the front lines of both the impact and the response to this unprecedented COVID-19 crisis. You need support and increased capacity to cope with the spikes in demand as well as the impact of the virus on your teams and operations. Front-line social safety net organizations need enhanced systems and data in order to respond. We understand how to build solutions for your organization’s social impact. Leveraging the power of the Salesforce platform, we build systems, tools, and processes so that agencies and funders can transform their data into actionable insights. In that spirit, we are offering new services and resources for organizations that are at the forefront of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our goal is to provide you with on-demand Salesforce expertise that supports your organization’s program continuity and surge capabilities. Exponent Partners is committed to helping the nonprofit sector adapt rapidly to COVID-19. We’re now offering new rate information and consulting packages to help see you through this period of adjustment.

Lower Consulting Rates Now through June 30th

State by state, each community is undergoing its own response to COVID-19. Your region may be emerging from a period of social distancing and sheltering-in-place or experiencing other forms of disruption from daily routines. Nonprofits are feeling challenged in different ways. To provide some relief, Exponent Partners will roll back to 2019 hour rates across all roles and services. It is one small part we can play during this turbulent transition period.

Which Service Offering is Right for You?

We’ve heard for the nonprofit community that some of the most pressing needs right now may include:

• New dashboards and reports as your organization pivots
• Data cleaning and integrity to support decision-making
• Updates to your grant process to support faster processing
• Additions to your Exponent Case Management solution to support program changes or new funders
• System administrator support
• New user training and adoption
• Salesforce integration with new third party applications

To address these challenges, we are offering the following consulting packages to help your organization.

Expert Access Services

Get Specialized Consulting for Short-term Fixed Price Projects

The goal of this service offering is to dive-in and get started as quickly as possible after an initial discovery assessment and priority-setting sessions. You will work one-on-one with a dedicated consultant to tailor the engagement’s scope to your specific needs. Using a streamlined and collaborative implementation approach, your consultant will then design and implement solutions in a cost-effective and timely manner.

• Senior Consultant. We recommend you start with a Senior Consultant for the majority of your Salesforce needs. Whether you require new functionality to be implemented or tweaks to your existing system, our Senior Consultants can help you launch new efforts or adapt current services to COVID-19 related changes.
• Solutions Architect. If you are facing a new level of complexity across your agency and current system. You may benefit from the guidance of a Solutions Architect.
• Data Specialist. Many health and human services organizations now have a new layer of data to track related to a COVID-19 diagnosis or eligibility for a new COVID-19 related service. Consider working with one of our expert Data Specialists to design a process for new data importing, tracking, and reporting.

You will have access to one of our experts for a predefined number of Salesforce consulting hours to be used over a set period of time. These engagements are packaged as 40 hours over 4 weeks, 60 hours over 6 weeks, or 80 hours over 8 weeks. Contact us to determine which package is right for you.

Month-to-Month Managed Services

Benefit from a Virtual System Administrator and More

Some organizations cannot provide their users with access to an in-house system administrator when it may be most critical, especially due to COVID-19 impacts. Exponent Partners can provide your nonprofit with a flexible and affordable approach with this Virtual System Administrator offering.

You will benefit from 32 hours per week of a dedicated consultant at a reduced rate for a savings up to 15% from standard hourly costs. This offering is also based on a month-to-month commitment and designed to support your organization during the immediate or long term.

Virtual System Administration

• Security and user management
• Reports
• Conga templates
• Third-Party AppExchange solution evaluation and implementation
• Data quality control and duplicate management
• User training and support
• New data object and field creation
• Automation

Offer also includes:

• Dedicated staff resource
• Access to entire Exponent Partners team as needed
• Weekly status reports

If your organization would benefit from discounted system administration, contact us to get started.

Exponent Case Management Accelerators

Built on the Salesforce platform, Exponent Case Management (ECM) allows you to directly connect your program data to your impact with funder and performance reporting at your fingertips. Exponent Partners offers accelerators designed to enable organizations to implement ECM on a faster timeline.

Workforce Development Accelerator

Implement or Adapt Your Employment Programs Faster

The employment landscape has been forever changed by cataclysmic events related to COVID-19 self-quarantine and shelter-in-place requirements. As a record number of people are now facing temporary or long-term unemployment, your organization may be springing into action to adapt current workforce development programs or create new virtual service models.

The Workforce Development Accelerator is a pre-configured version of ECM that supports every stage of your employment program. It encourages best practices such as removing individual employment barriers to ensure job readiness, placement and retention services, and effective employer engagement. From intake and assessment to employment planning, service tracking, and reporting, the Workforce Development Accelerator has you covered.

Homelessness Services Accelerator

Standardize Your Housing Program Data for HMIS Compliance

The Homelessness Services Accelerator is intended to standardize the way that your program data is collected in ECM to meet Homeless Management Information Systems (HMIS) reporting requirements.

HMIS is a local information technology system used to collect client-level data for organizations to reduce and prevent homelessness ensure delivery of comprehensive, high-quality services to persons who are homeless, and create permanent housing opportunities for very low income and long-term homeless persons.

The Accelerator includes pre-built intake forms, Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and other program specific assessments, service plans, service entry, and bed nights.

Stay tuned for details on the Homelessness Services Accelerator webinar coming soon.

It’s Easy to Get Started

With a few clicks on your part, we will spring into action. Contact us about these new rapid response offerings and you’ll be contacted by your Account Executive within 1 business day to discuss details on pricing and timelines. Together, we can help your nonprofit emerge stronger than ever.

Now Offering Pro-Bono Salesforce Support due to COVID-19

Posted in: Blog

By: Damaris Eustice

In this time of uncertainty due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we want you to know that we are here to help in any way we can, including Salesforce support. Many of you are transitioning to remote work for the first time, cancelling events that provide needed funding, and working to find ways to continue serving your clients in the midst of the chaos. All of this is happening while you are also working to keep yourself and your family healthy and safe.

At Exponent Partners, we truly care about your success. We believe that the best way to get through a crisis is to pull together. For all customers with current Customer Success Support plans, we are extending your Unlimited ‘How-to’ Support contracts for six weeks at no additional cost. This is being handled automatically and there is no need for you to take any further steps to request the extension.

If your organization is not actively engaged with Exponent Partners for a Customer Success plan, we will provide eligible nonprofits with free Unlimited ‘How-To’ Support from now through April 30, 2020. To get started, please contact us to request to speak with your Account Executive.

What’s included with this Salesforce Support offer?

Unlimited ‘How-To’ Knowledge and Guidance

The foundation of all Customer Success plans, this offering is the first tier of technical support offered by Exponent Partners. You can submit an unlimited number of “how-to” requests over the web or via email and receive a personalized response within the same business day. Our team will craft customized answers to your questions in the form of step-by-step instructions on how to best complete a task, links to related resource articles in the Nonprofit Success Center, and/or short demonstration videos. Customer Success Specialists will also respond by web video conference to clarify an answer when needed.

We are offering qualifying organizations this Customer Success plan without charge between now and April 30, 2020 to help the nonprofit sector weather the COVID-19 crisis.

About Premium Customer Success Plans and Managed Services

Hands-on Enhancements with Premium Support

What if your request requires a complicated response and more time-intensive guidance? Then your needs have evolved to the Hands-On Enhancements tier of Premium Support. Billed in hours, this tier is ideal if you need Support Services Engineers to troubleshoot complex issues, configure new page layouts, create new formula fields, and/or design new reports for your program and leadership staff. This Customer Success plan includes quarterly check-in meetings, the help of Customer Success Specialists when you need them, and discounted access to Exponent Partners Consultants and Developers on other teams if required.

Customized Customer Success Trainings

In addition to all the benefits described above, Premium Support Customer Success plans also include regularly scheduled training webinars and demos that occur every other month (alternating with Exponent Case Manager User Group webinars). These Premium Support live demos and training webinars are designed and delivered by Exponent Partners Consultants on topics and themes specifically requested by customers like you. We regularly develop new curriculum that is most relevant to your needs. This approach helps customers like you evolve with the system and grow more self-sufficient over time.

Managed Services for Salesforce Administration

Our Customer Success team offers a managed services package that includes a dedicated staff member who provides up to 20 hours per week in system administration for your organization. For a flat fee, your nonprofit can enjoy the benefits of a fully-loaded Salesforce administrator without the risks. Rather than waste precious budget resources recruiting an internal hire, you’ll gain access to our firm’s full roster of Salesforce experts with niche skill sets in Einstein Analytics, Exponent Case Management, and other third party applications. Read more about Managed Services.

Note: Premium Support, Customer Success Trainings, and Managed Services are not included in this offer.

Contact us to learn more about which Customer Success support plan is right for your organization.

Remote Work Benefits and Tips Beyond COVID-19

Posted in: Blog

By: Mandy Kutschied

Most of us have heard about the general benefits of working remotely. A recent article by analytics and management consulting company Gallup states that remote work improves business outcomes and it is a benefit “that the most talented employees desire.” The Harvard Business Review also published research that working remotely can increase employee productivity, positively impact morale, and even decrease overhead costs for organizations. As the spread of the coronavirus (COVID-19) took a more serious turn in the United States, the benefits to a remote work environment in light of these public health concerns were amplified.

In recent weeks, many organizations that were not geared towards a remote work business model suddenly found themselves scrambling to put together remote work HR policies, set up virtual communication protocols, and assess IT systems. Once the concerns over COVID-19 subside, these organizations may return to the way they operated before—pulling employees back into the daily grind of commuting to a central, shared office.  But should they?  Exponent Partners believes that the benefits of working remotely stretch beyond addressing concerns like COVID-19.

We’re Here for You

Remote work has always been core to our DNA. Founded in 2005, Exponent Partners is a social enterprise that exclusively serves nonprofits with over fifty team members who work virtually from their home offices across the United States. We believe technology for social change can enable organizations to improve their performance and advance their mission. We want the organizations that nurture our communities, protect our planet, and safeguard our human rights to have access to the best possible tools and knowledge to help them make our world a better place.

Remote work saves our clients money and allows us to deliver our products and services more efficiently. Leveraging the best technology and online collaboration tools for our customers’ benefit is baked into our mission. As an early BCorporation we are proud to be part of a movement to improve how companies contribute to society. We believe that working remotely by default benefits our employees, clients, and communities.

 

Remote Work Benefits and Tips

The Forbes article  “Remote to the Rescue, How Virtual Jobs Are Saving the World” by Laurel Ferrar describes how working remotely has an immediate and positive impact on society in four key areas:

1. Economic Development. When employees are geographically dispersed so is their impact on communities, industry innovation and the global economy.
2. Environmental Sustainability. Remote jobs create less waste and shorter commutes, which means lighter carbon footprints. 
3. Diversity and Inclusion. Equal remote work earns equal opportunity. Period. 
4. Work-Life Satisfaction.  Flexible workforces are safer emotionally, socially, physically, and mentally. 

Ferrar states that “remote work isn’t about convenience, it’s about change. Virtual jobs aren’t indulging humanity, they’re allowing it to heal and thrive.”

These benefits align with our own core values at Exponent Partners. We believe that our remote work allows us to live our core values and positively impact our communities. As Talent Manager at Exponent Partners, I can testify that our virtual work model provides us with access to a wider pool of candidates that we would not necessarily have access to if our recruitment was tied to one geographic location. Plus, I personally appreciate not having to commute long distances as it provides me with more time to spend with my family.

However, remote work comes with its challenges.  To help employees and employers combat some of those challenges, we’ve come up with a list of tips that can assist everyone from the accidental remote worker to the skilled virtual employee.  Tips for effective remote work:

• Use video! Video chat tools like Zoom, GoToMeeting and Google Hangouts are a great way to hold video meetings and feel connected without losing the nonverbal, visual cues that can enhance a conversation.  Use video whenever possible. Video meetings are great to use when working through issues or problems as a team.
• Find and use the right tools for your team and your work. Technology has come a long way. Instant messaging such as Slack, Google Hangouts and Microsoft Teams allow for real-time conversation and can improve team communication. Likewise, document storage and creation tools like Dropbox, Google, Microsoft Office and project management tools like Basecamp, Jira and Teamwork all help teams come together for real-time collaboration. Use technology for personal learning as well- online courses or virtual lunch-and-learn meetings are great ways to engage virtual workers in professional development.
• Be prepared for hiccups.  Make sure you have contingency plans – if you lose internet connection can you use your phone as a hotspot? Or perhaps you have some of your work apps on your phone (Zoom, Slack, etc.) for those moments of outage.
• Don’t forget to connect as humans. Creating space not only for work talk but also for folks to be themselves and share photos of pets, kids and vacation pictures is important. Schedule virtual coffees to get to know your coworkers.

COVID-19 and Work Policy Adjustments

As the instances of COVID-19 continue to rise, all indicators point toward this being a longer-term public health effort to slow, contain, and hopefully ultimately eliminate it. We are fortunate in that our remote work environment allowed us to respond to this concern quickly, and with little impact on our daily operations.  However, we have a civic duty to take this threat seriously and respond with caution.

Exponent Partners CEO, Rem Hoffmann, states that “we as a company, as individuals, and as a community have real things that we can do to support that effort.” To that end, Exponent Partners has adjusted the following policies effective immediately:

• Long-distance travel. The goal is to dramatically curtail the chances of transmission that come with air, train, bus, or other long-distance travel. During this time, we will not be asking our team to travel long-distance for work.
• Group meetings and events. We will work to move any upcoming group meetings from in-person gatherings to virtual meetings. Collaborating via online meetings is standard operating procedure for Exponent Partners but we regularly travel to meet in person with our clients or contribute to conferences. This policy adjustment in response to COVID-19 applies to any type of meeting, whether it’s with our customers in the conduct of our work, marketing and sales meetings with potential clients, presenting at upcoming conferences, or meetings internal to Exponent Partners.

Dedicated to Our Community

We are making these policy choices in order to be responsible and prudent and to support all the efforts to protect our staff, our clients, and our communities. While these preparations are important on an individual level, we truly believe that the steps we take collectively will have a positive impact on our society. This is especially true for those communities and individuals who are more susceptible to infection and are counting on others to take appropriate action.

We know that other organizations are doing the same in light of these recent health concerns, but we urge other organizations and CEOs to think strategically about whether remote work is possible beyond COVID-19.  Maybe this isn’t a short-term solution to COVID-19, but the beginning of a change to the way companies operate that can have a huge, long-lasting, postive impact to our society.

If you’re interested in learning more about our values and joining our remote team, connect with me on LinkedIn.

Exponent Partners Proudly Sponsors First Supermums in the US

Posted in: Blog

By: Damaris Eustice

Founded as a social enterprise in 2016 by Heather Black, Supermums is passionate about helping parents harness the Salesforce ecosystem for career opportunities. Over 140 trainees have joined the Supermums workforce development program to find flexible, well-paid employment while parenting.  Exponent Partners is proud to sponsor the first cohort of Supermums trainees in the United States. Our Customer Success team will provide mentoring and first-hand experience serving nonprofits on the Salesforce platform.

A previous Vice President of Business Development at Exponent Partners, raised two sons as a working, single parent. She explained the value of workforce development programs with a supportive peer network, “As a super mom myself, I know how important it is to have work experience and when you do a program like this, you want to tell others.” As a premium Salesforce.org implementation partner in the United States, Exponent Partners provides a great launch pad for the trainees in the program. Susan added, “Our organization does about 200 Salesforce implementation projects a year so we’re really excited to have Supermums engaged with us. We can’t wait!”

Supermums Journey to a Salesforce Career Path

“Salesforce provides endless career progression and flexibility,” said Heather. “Thanks to my Salesforce skills, I was able to keep working while travelling around the world for four months and to relocate to start a family. I wanted to shout out and make mums aware of the flexible working opportunities and well-paid careers that are available within the Salesforce ecosystem.”

The program includes multiple training courses and leverages the Salesforce online training platform, Trailhead. Supermums offers a unique blend of instruction, self-study, mentorship, and more.

Social Enterprises United for the Sector

Founded in 2005, Exponent Partners shares roots with Supermums as a social enterprise. As one of the first certified B Corps in the State of Californiam, Exponent Partners has an established, mission-driven business model. Our social mission to amplify nonprofit impact is powered by our belief that the right technology can transform an organization’s relationship to their data. We are committed to developing the tools needed to support successful outcomes in the social sector such as our Exponent Case Management Workforce Development Accelerator, designed for implementing programs like Supermums using Salesforce.

Beginning this spring, ten new Supermums will begin their journey with Exponent Partners towards confidence, skills and work experience. Our team will be providing instruction and imparting best practices. We are excited to support these Supermums as they apply what they have learned to a new career as Salesforce administrators or consultants.

Join the Online Community

Interested in joining Supermums as a volunteer, mentor, or trainee? Check out the growing network online. Supermums has internationally diverse trainees and engaged volunteers from over 9 different countries. Since the program’s founding, more than 100 companies have engaged by volunteering, recruiting, or sponsoring Supermums. The program has a global following across our social media platforms. We invite you to join the Facebook Group and follow them on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

 

Photos courtesy of Supermums.org

Multi-source Data Imports at Human Services Organizations

Posted in: Blog

By: Kat Evers, Peter Bender

For large multi-service nonprofits, one of the benefits of using an agency-wide system is the ability to see and analyze all of your program data in one place. Beyond a count of unique participants served, an agency-wide database helps you track longitudinal data and change over time. With a whole agency platform like Salesforce, you can see how entire families interact with your organization and the services you provide, giving you a better sense of your organization’s true impact in a community. But importing large quantities of data from multiple sources into Salesforce in a traditional way can be challenging and time-consuming.

The Challenge

You’ve made the decision to implement Salesforce across all programs in your organization. The problem is, many programs in your organization use funder mandated databases; others have no database at all. You don’t want to burden staff with double data entry, but not all funder mandated databases allow integration with other systems. You are concerned about the adoption of Salesforce and data quality if information remains siloed in different systems, especially if Salesforce is not the single source of truth for your participant data. So how do you get data from funder mandated databases into Salesforce?

The process usually involves extracting data from the source, cleaning and deduplicating it, aligning all fields with what you have in Salesforce, matching participants in your data source to existing participants, importing the data into multiple objects in Salesforce, and finally auditing the incoming data to check for duplicates. Not to mention that funder mandated databases are often updated, changing the format of any data you extract. From our personal experience, we know that this traditional import process could take weeks, if not months.

The Solution

To tackle this issue, Exponent Partners created a custom, scalable data import solution that processes incoming data from different sources. There are three major steps:

1. Export/Acquire data from sources into CSV files. This will differ for each source. Some may have pre-formatted reports you can easily run anytime, while for others you may have to request a file from the system owner. This solution is source-agnostic, giving you the flexibility to get around the sometimes intractable issues of systems outside of your control.
2. Import the data to Salesforce. Using whatever data loader with which you are comfortable, import all records into a single custom “staging” object. We used the free Jitterbit Data Loader for Salesforce and created reusable mappings of fields for our customer’s typical file formats. But this is really just a matter of matching up the source and destination fields, which can be as easy as dragging & dropping the “First Name” field from one place to the other. The import itself should be painless and quick.
3. Process the data. This is where the magic happens! Up until this point, it really has just been moving data into a common location as easily as possible, without worrying about data quality or different types of data in your data sources. Now that all the data is there, it takes just a few clicks to say “GO” and automation will do the rest!

Here are some of the best features of the processing system:

• Asynchronous – You don’t need to hang around. The system will notify you when processing has completed.
• User-Friendly – If any particular record produced an error, that will be logged for your review. If it is a simple data problem, like “Ethnicity” has an unexpected value, just fix it and click to continue processing the record when you are ready. No data corruption or loss! In addition, you can process data as often as you like, without fear of creating bad data, because the system keeps track of where you were in the process and can recognize duplicates.
• Configurable Options – We created a way for a non-technical, non-admin staff member to configure options telling the system how to process each kind of record. Maybe clients from a particular source need to have open cases for different programs based on some field specific to that system, or some should be ignored and not processed at all. No problem!
• Data Cleansing – Every system has its own way of tracking demographics or programs. The processing step has one place you can look at for translating all of those “Ethnicity” values from the various source system values to the actual ones you want to use consistently in your reporting across all systems. Importing the same people from two separate source systems? No problem! This solution finds matching records in a variety of ways to prevent duplication, letting you get a reliable count of unique clients, households, and cases. We even plugged in an address verification solution to standardize messy addresses, making them more reliable, more likely to match each other, and even USPS compliant.
• Clicks-Not-Code Customizable – This system uses only platform native declarative features, such as Flow and Process Builder, and no apex code. That means an experienced admin can make fixes or adjustments without hiring a software developer, lowering your TCO. The operations are “componentized”, so that individual pieces can be updated and tested separately, with version numbers and comments.

With this solution, your organization will now have access to data from multiple sources all right in Salesforce, giving you the ability to create the reports and dashboards you need to measure impact.

Contact Exponent Partners today to learn more about this custom data import solution and register for the next webinar featuring Exponent Case Management (ECM). Designed for large human services agencies and nonprofits, ECM is ideal for case workers, program managers, and agency leaders, the application is a fully-featured, customizable solution with intake, assessment, service tracking, case records, outcomes reporting, referral tracking, and more.

Introducing the ECM Workforce Development Module

Posted in: Blog

By: Josie Alleman

Whether your organization’s entire mission is workforce development, or only one program your organization offers, finding the right data collection method can be a challenge. Exponent Case Management (ECM) now includes a Workforce Development Module designed to meet your specific needs. The Workforce Development Module is a well-researched, pre-configured version of ECM that supports every stage of your employment program.

During day-to-day operations, case managers, job developers, and course instructors need a system to support their many data tracking needs. Your case managers have to juggle important tasks: multiple reporting mandates, ongoing employer engagement, employment verifications, and more. They work hard to help job seekers gain needed credentials, remove employment barriers, and find the best qualified workforce for participating employers. Using a data system like ECM that can manage all aspects of your workforce development programming is a game changer.

What is the Workforce Development Module?

The Workforce Development Module is a pre-configured ECM template that ensures your programs are implemented using sector-wide standards. Common reports for operational efficiency and funder requirements—such as the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (WIOA) performance measures—are included with the module. The module benefits staff at every level of the organization from career coaches and business developers to program managers and executives. The module includes the following:

Job Coaching and Case Management

The Workforce Development Module supports every aspect—from program intake to becoming job search ready. Job coaches understand the participant’s journey to ensure the right services are being provided at the right time. The module provides a complete WIOA-friendly intake including basic demographics, employment history, education history, job interests, skills, credentials, employment barriers, and income assessment.

Pre-configured service plans are available to address all the employment barriers identified in the needs assessment. Individual and group service entries are captured to not only document each service and class, but also record case notes, billing information, and credentials attained. Additional assessments are included to ensure job readiness addressing both soft and technical skills.

Job Placement and Retention

The Workforce Development Module allows your program to collect job orders, search for job matches, and record placement and retention data with minimal system administrator set-up. We know that different funders have different definitions of successful placement milestones, so the module includes ECM’s flexible placement milestone functionality. Users can choose the milestone definition per placement and ECM does the rest – scheduling future retention checks. Additionally, the module provides comprehensive retention check data collection including wage verification, advancement information, and job satisfaction.

Employer Engagement

Strong employment programs not only focus on removing barriers to employment for individuals, but also on being a partner with the local business community. Building lasting relationships with employers is crucial to ensuring your program participant success. Your organization needs the ability to easily track referrals and ensure participants are qualified and properly matched with required skills and credentials. You can manage employer leads and partnerships with ECM’s Workforce Development Module to seamlessly integrate participant services with employer services. The template provides key employer information including industry codes, employer engagement scales, and basic relationship management fields so that your job development staff can ramp up quickly.

Dashboards and Reports

In addition to data entry, the module provides several out of the box dashboards and reports helping organizations with funder requirements, such as WIOA performance measures, as well as day to day operations. Dashboards for program managers, job developers, and job coaches are included, focusing on upcoming tasks, employer engagement levels, and placement and retention rates. Individual participant reports are available as well including assessment scores over time for job search readiness, work readiness, aptitude scores, and more.

See the Workforce Development Module in Action

Watch a pre-recorded webinar on demand to explore:

• Relevant features and capabilities of ECM’s Workforce Development Module
• How ECM’s Workforce Development Module can inspire programmatic improvements
• What to expect when moving your agency to ECM and using the Workforce Development Module

Interested in a general demonstration of ECM? We host a webinar every other week. Sign-up for the general ECM demo today!

TAG: Technology, Data, and Knowledge Management in Philanthropy

Posted in: Blog

The Technology Affinity Group (TAG) is a non-profit membership organization that promotes the power of technology to advance the goals of the philanthropic sector. The annual TAG conference is the premiere networking and learning event in #PhilanthropyTech. TAG2019 will explore strategies for navigating the unexpected and work to strengthen our resiliency as a sector from November 18-21, 2019 in Miami.

TAG Conference Exhibitor Hall and Tool Demo

Visit the Exponent Partners booth in the Exhibitor Hall to meet with philanthropy experts Pamela Fitch and Lisa Alworth. As an Account Executive with deep experience in the sector, Pamela is excited how the Salesforce aquisition of foundationConnect earlier this year will benefit grantmakers. Read Pamela’s blog about what the future holds for grants management. As Salesforce Solution Architect, Lisa will be participating in TAG2019’s Lunch  & Learn Tool Demo session on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 from 12-1:15pm ET. Lisa’s demo will explore how the scholarship portal that Exponent Partners implemented for The Ford Family Foundation helps ensure their grantees’ success.

Insight Talk featuring California Human Development

When the devastating North Bay Wildfires erupted on October 9, 2017, the already vulnerable immigrant community in the region was displaced at a scale never seen before in Northern California. How did technology enable response teams to navigate the unexpected? Kai Harris, Director of Programs at California Human Development will describe how technology enabled their organization to respond to disaster.

When Disaster Strikes: How One Nonprofit Turned Data into Action During a Wildfire Disaster
Insight Talk
Tuesday, November 19, 2019 | 11:00 am–11:45 am

​This insight talk explores how new technology enabled California Human Development (CHD) to successfully navigate the unexpected disaster, launch a new one-stop emergency response program within days of the tragedy, and distribute disaster relief funds from the State to fire survivors. This session offers universal lessons for how organizations can use data to identify trends and shift resources towards new strategies and programs that maximize impact.

Your Guide to Must-See Dreamforce ’19 Nonprofit Sessions

Posted in: Blog

After reviewing the session line-up for Dreamforce 2019, it is clear that this year’s event will not disappoint. We’re proud that many of our customers were featured on the Dreamforce Trail Map for nonprofits. These informative sessions are great additions to your Dreamforce agenda. Remember, you can bookmark the session listings even if registration is already full.

Dreaming big, done right

First, join Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula to hear how the organization has made great strides by leveraging the Salesforce platform and Exponent Case Management (ECM) app to transform their program management and track progress towards outcomes. Learn the secrets to their success on the first day of Dreamforce:

Dreaming Big, Done Right: Using data to transform programs, culture and outcomes
Tuesday, November 19, 2:30 PM – 2:50 PM
Westin St. Francis, Saskatoon Stage (Grand Ballroom)

What if your nonprofit analyzed its programs and used that knowledge to dream big? Join the Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula (BGCP) and Exponent Partners to learn how to turn dreams into reality. BGCP wanted to grow its culture as a learning organization and use data more effectively to inform program design and service delivery. By leveraging the Salesforce platform and Exponent Case Management (ECM) app, BGCP has transformed day-to-day program management, while tracking overall progress towards outcomes. BGCP also included staff throughout the process and had more than 50% of their full-time staff participate in user testing. In addition to exploring how technology has driven the nonprofit’s culture and programmatic shifts, this session will examine how data-driven interventions build better outcomes. For example, prior to using Salesforce and ECM, a BGCP site had struggled to meet its attendance goals. Thanks to new reporting and dashboard insights, the site was able to exceed those goals within less than two months. Plus, because BGCP shares data across school districts, the nonprofit can now track how the site’s student engagement correlates with student academic achievement and school success outcomes.

Speakers:

Erin Brannan
Chief Program Officer
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Peninsula

Kristi Phillips
Account Executive
Exponent Partners

It’s all about equity

Second, hear directly from United Way Bay Area about their efforts to dig deeper into their Salesforce data in a way that enables them to drive intelligence down to the individual level and facilitate the organization’s efforts to make sure they are equitable in their SparkPoint program‘s service delivery and outcomes. This session is popular so be sure t0 arrive a few minutes early to ensure you can join us.

Dashboards with an Equity Lens: Improving Outcomes for the Underserved
Wednesday, November 20, 11:00 AM – 11:20 AM
Westin St. Francis, Sitka Cinema (Colonial Room)

United Way Nonprofits frequently use data as a tool to report outcomes. But what about analyzing data through an equity lens? United Way Bay Area (UWBA) is a multi-service agency dedicated to economically disadvantaged communities across 8 counties. In addition to using Salesforce reports and data to visually manage programs, UWBA has also created new equity monitoring dashboards to proactively identify opportunities for evolving their programs and services. By cross-referencing dimensions of client assessment data and demographics, UWBA is gaining new and valuable insights to improve outcomes for traditionally underserved groups. If your organization values equity and is interested in maturing from basic data collection to meaningful data analysis, this session is for you. Leave feeling inspired to play with your program data and find connections you didn’t know existed.

Speakers:

Norman Cheng
Program Analyst
United Way Bay Area

Lori Freeman
VP, Nonprofit Solutions and Strategy
Salesforce.org

Sean Speer
Account Executive
Exponent Partners

 

Shining a light on Grants Management

Third, make sure you carve out time to hear from William Penn Foundation’s Database Administrator, Samantha Shain. Her session, “Let There Be Light: Gaining Visibility into your Grants Management Lifecycle” is essential for nonprofits that are looking to take their grants management efforts to the next level.

Let There Be Light: Gaining Visibility into your Grants Management Lifecycle
Thursday, November 21, 2:00 PM – 2:40 PM
Westin St. Francis, Sword Fern Cinema (Colonial Room)

For William Penn Foundation (WPF), life before Salesforce wasn’t easy. The entire grants management lifecycle involved passing the baton as work couldn’t be done simultaneously in the legacy system. With Salesforce and foundationConnect now in place since 2017, WPF has completely transformed the organization’s grants management efforts and created diverse opportunities for collaboration. Join this dynamic session to hear how the nonprofit:

• Increased transparency by going from a linear to collaborative grant development process
• Removed bottlenecks to significantly improve productivity
• Transformed the organization’s grants pipeline management
• Improved visibility into the grants management lifecycle, post-approval
• Boosted collaboration on grants and the related milestones and activities to achieve better outcomes

Speakers:

Samantha Shain
Database Administrator
William Penn Foundation

 

Expanding beyond Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP)

Fourth, shortly after the session on grants management ends, you can hear about the Exploratorium’s journey to multi-channel engagement of donors and members. This will be a dynamic session with input from the organization’s Digital Marketing, Development Services, and Information Technology teams.

Our Journey to Multi-Channel Engagement of Donors and Members
Thursday, November 21, 4:00 PM – 4:40 PM
Westin St. Francis, Sitka Cinema (Colonial Room)

The Exploratorium in San Francisco navigated internal change, migration efforts, and setting new strategy to create a new, modern and customized experience for their customers. Learn how they communicated the change internally, set new processes and opened their minds up to discover the benefits of having all of their data in one place. See how their customers are responding to the change and what they plan to do next in this session.

Speakers:

Sewon Barrera
Digital Marketing
The Exploratorium

Patrick Mckeever
Information Technology Manager
The Exploratorium

Kati Platt
Senior Manager, Development Services
The Exploratorium

 

You can go your own way

Another Dreamforce ’19 must? Fleetwood Mac Dreamfest concert on Wednesday night! This is your chance to hear an iconic band’s songbook and support a benefit concert for UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital. Of course, you can go your own way, but don’t forget that all roads lead to our Exponent Case Management booth in the Salesforce.org Lodge (Kiosk 11A).  Stop by to say hello for swag to help you grow your impact. If you’re new to Dreamforce, be sure to check out these Planning Tips from a Dreamforce First-Timer, too.

Planning Tips from a Dreamforce First-Timer

Posted in: Blog

By: Andrew Elluru

Large dogs can be pretty scary before you get to know them. Will they love me? What if they try to bite me? In a similar vein, one of the largest technology conferences in the world—with roughly 170,000 attendees and over 2,500 working sessions, a surprise concert—sparks a modicum of trepidation. Dogs are usually quick to offer unconditional love; I’m hoping my first ever Dreamforce experience does the same.

This November, I’m packing my bags and heading to California for Dreamforce, the annual conference hosted by Salesforce. Every year, the Salesforce community of users and IT professionals meet in San Francisco to learn about new product releases, hear about specific industry success stories, and see first hand how consultants like Exponent Partners are solving the world’s problems with cloud technology. It’s an inspiring opportunity to learn from the brightest industry thought leaders, network with peers, and enjoy the fully immersive, carnival-like experience.

The Learning Journey awaits

You don’t have to attend Dreamforce to tap into the community and begin your journey. There are plenty of learning opportunities available online, too. Trailhead, Salesforce’s training program is a great place to start. Each module in the training curriculum earns you a badge and as your related points add up, you level up the Trailblazer ranks. You can often find me tackling new trails and I’m proud to say I’ve officially reached Trailhead Ranger status. I also recommend watching the newest video on Salesforce’s YouTube channel. I’m excited to take my Salesforce learning to the next level at Dreamforce, and curate my experience with specific talks, workshops, and seminars to really bolster my Salesforce knowledge base.

Charting a Course at Dreamforce

If you’re also attending Dreamforce for the first time, consider how you can make the most out of your experience. For example, I know how I tend to learn best at a conference; I take the session list and build out my agenda with sessions that pertain to my interests and my career. Dreamforce offers an helpful agenda builder  via the web or their mobile Events app.

Don’t Forget Snacks and Downtime

At conferences, I like to carve out breaks where I can journal and process what I’ve been learning. I pack snacks and my Nalgene water bottle. I make sure that I spend my morning before the conference meditating to clear my mind and make some space for all the new things I’ll be learning. If you’re a first-timer to Dreamforce like me, you should anticipate that Dreamforce will be a bit “more” than your average conference and take steps to not get overwhelmed. I’m going to make sure I do everything in my power that I’m ready for it.

Stay Focused on Your End Goal

As November 19th gets closer, I’ll begin approaching my Dreamforce planning with less reverie and more intentional thought. For now, I’m going to remind myself that the end goal of Dreamforce is to leave knowing more than you came with, and to have a year’s worth of inspiration to motivate you. Like I said, big dogs are scary before you meet them. I think I’m going to like this one.

Our B Corp Certification and Best For The World Honors

Posted in: Blog

By: Rem Hoffmann

When B Lab announced that Exponent Partners is a 2019 Best For The World honoree in the two categories of ‘Governance’ and ‘Workers’, I couldn’t help but reflect on the journey that has led us to where we are today. As a tight-knit crew, we have certainly come a long way in many regards, yet we have remained grounded in our roots and have consistently adhered to our core values.

B Corps as Model for Changemaking

We founded Exponent Partners in 2005 because I was committed to creating an organization that is deeply invested in changing the way that our society works and the way that organizations can operate within it. This commitment led to the establishment of two important goals:

1. Be a changemaker that drives positive, progressive change using the tools at our disposal; and
2. Build an organization that is good for our employees and that reflects the kind of values that we want to see in our community and society.

This notion that an organization is not just driven by financial gain, but to drive social impact requires the right organizational structure. Exponent Partners was a contributor to and an early adopter of two key innovations here: B Lab created the B Corp certification in 2007, and the State of California enacted the Benefit Corporation organizational form into law in 2011. We are proud to be part of this movement to improve how corporations contribute to society. We saw these certifications as an opportunity for us to learn best practices from a peer group that we value, while sharing our expertise and demonstrating to the world the kind of organization we are committed to being, long-term: a changemaker in the nonprofit sector.

How Being ‘Best for Governance’ Helps Us Be ‘Best for Workers’

Exponent Partners’ commitment to be a social change-focused organization is part of the company’s fabric and has played a critical role in the building of our strong corporate culture. Our goals—having positive, progressive impact on society through the work that we do, and creating a better way to support our employees’ lives than a traditional company would—are baked into our values, strategy, approach to performance management, continuous learning, and improvement.

This mindset has a significant impact on employees as we invest heavily in company benefits, education, team building, and more to ensure that we meet our objectives of being supportive of a better life for our team members. It is an honor to have our efforts formally and independently recognized in the two categories of ‘Governance’ and ‘Workers’ by such an esteemed organization.

So, what does this mean in the day-to-day lives of our employees? It means diversity in our team. It means pay equity from a gender perspective. It means a 100 percent virtual organization that respects the needs of individuals and families to work from the location of their choosing–be it their home or a co-working space. This latter decision alone has had a huge impact on people’s ability to integrate work in a seamless way into their lives.

Our Journey Continues

A big thank you to B Lab and B Corp for recognizing our past efforts. As we embark on the next stage of our journey at Exponent Partners, we remain committed to investing in learning and innovation, and bringing that to our changemaking efforts while reinforcing a culture that cares deeply about social impact.