vfonds streamlines donations with Salesforce
The need for accessible informationÂ
The vfonds foundation needed a new way of working with its grants. Because the application process was inefficient, allocation decisions were based too much on financial figures and not enough on substance.
The approval process was largely carried out without a shared formal record, which posed a continuity risk. In addition, data recording was fragmented across different systems; for example, although the existing e-mail client was good at archiving, it did not provide clear insight into the status of the more than three hundred ongoing annual grant applications.
"There is room for so much more with Salesforce. We have already seen what this choice means for our organisation - we are now positioned as THE expert in our field."
A flexible and scalable solution
The organisation's leadership visited a number of lotteries and charities to assess how others were addressing these challenges. After shortlisting three possible solutions - creating a customised system, extending the old system or integrating Salesforce - the organisation decided in favour of Salesforce after consulting with Xebia.
Michiel Van Hattem, director at vfonds, explained: "With modifications or developing on an outdated system, you risk constantly running into limitations. Salesforce was the clear choice for the future because of its flexibility and scalability. The ten free licences we received as a non-profit organisation made it the obvious choice for our foundation."
Information where it is needed
Using Salesforce has significantly transformed the efficiency of vfonds's application process - key processes within the software now cover 80-90% of all incoming requests. Individual administrations have disappeared or are being phased out, meaning application information is now shared across the grants team as needed. Applications for approval can be processed quickly and easily in a mobile app, ensuring that applicants' content is as well assessed as their financial information.
vfonds's management team now has more information at hand, including real-time data on the status of pending applications and statistics on how many people the foundation has helped, enabling more effective evaluation and planning.
