Nonprofit

Streamlining operations to better serve families

Ronald McDonald House of the Triangle (RMHC Triangle) is a new chapter that combines Durham and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. RMHC Triangle is building a foundation for sustained growth in the future. In 2023, both chapters merged, doubling to become the 8th largest Ronald McDonald House organization in the United States. They offer a comforting home away from home and a community of support for seriously ill children and their families, built with love.

The recent merger between chapters emphasized the need to streamline and unify procedures and the tools used to serve the community, which prompted migrating from Exceed Premier and Raiser’s Edge to Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). The new organization would need a rock-solid foundation to support future program growth.

RMHC Triangle required an integrated solution for their fundraising and communication efforts, in order to track their solicitation strategies and to manage donations, matching gifts, and acknowledgments. The organization was bogged down with excessive manual processes that needed to be addressed within their CRM. Additionally, RMHC Triangle sought to optimize efficiencies through linking and automations between Salesforce and Classy, as well as between Salesforce and Sage, their new accounting software. They also needed an integrated email marketing solution.

01
Process refinement

A cumbersome legacy tool made reporting difficult and led to an overreliance on a single individual for data management. This created inefficiencies and data bottlenecks. The organization needed reports and dashboards that were accessible to each of the development team members. They also needed help setting up a membership solution to eliminate manual tracking of important data in spreadsheets outside their CRM.

02
Fundraising and communication

The organization’s fundraising and communications were in two separate systems which made targeted email solicitations impossible.

03
Optimized tools

RMHC Triangle needed help setting up proper configurations and automations with both Classy and Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE, formerly Pardot)  in order to maximize their existing fundraising and communication strategies.

A comprehensive data migration was necessary, moving information from Raiser’s Edge and Exceed systems to Salesforce. Custom solutions were needed for tracking room sponsorships and availability, and substantial data deduplication was essential. Enhancement of their email marketing via Marketing Cloud Account Engagement (MCAE) was also a key component in improving efficiencies and reporting.

Data migration

Leveraging our knowledge of each legacy system, Fíonta analyzed the existing data, provided options to improve data consistency, and collaborated closely with RMHC Triangle to determine the necessary data, enhancing the organization’s ability to track and manage donations efficiently. We migrated critical fields from Exceed for historical and reference purposes, ensuring RMHC Triangle could update more recent donations in their new campaign structure post-migration.

Custom solutions

Fíonta developed custom objects for tracking and reporting on room sponsorship and availability, tailored to RMHC Triangle’s specific needs. RMHC Triangle also collaborated with another consulting firm to ensure seamless integration of Sage Intacct with Salesforce, providing a coordinated and scoped approach to improve RMHC Triangle’s overall system functionality.

Process automation

Fíonta reduced manual processes by setting up proper configurations and automations within Salesforce and Classy. This work included automating the soft credit roll process for matching donors, employee matching, and donor-advised funds, which previously required extensive manual intervention.

Dashboards and reporting

As part of the improvement plan, Fíonta developed customized reports and dashboards within Salesforce to provide RMHC Triangle with real-time insights and comprehensive visibility into their fundraising and communication activities.

By successfully migrating and integrating its legacy systems into Salesforce, RMHC Triangle significantly reduced manual processes and improved data accuracy. With the optimized use of Classy and enhanced configurations, their fundraising and communication efforts became more efficient and effective. Implementing custom reports and dashboards provides real-time insights, enabling data-driven decision-making. Overall, RMHC Triangle achieved streamlined operations, better donor engagement, and enhanced fundraising capabilities, positioning them for sustained growth and success.

RMHC Triangle implemented the Classy for Salesforce integration, which allows them to sync their online fundraising data. The sync between Classy and Salesforce happens in near real-time.

Individuals and companies participate in the Adopt-a-Room program, which is tracked in Salesforce. Room sponsorships support families of pediatric patients at Duke, UNC, WakeMed, or nearby medical centers who request to stay at Ronald McDonald Houses in Chapel Hill, Durham, and Raleigh.

Our resourcing team staffs each project with care. Team members involved in this initiative included the following:
Project manager

Steering all project facets like budget, schedule, scope, and risk management while collaborating with technical leads on risk handling, our project managers serve as the primary liaison with clients, offering frequent updates on project progress.

Technical lead

Leading project solution implementation and coordinating technical processes, our technical leads manage the design, build, internal QA, user acceptance testing, and deployment activities, thus ensuring timely, quality deliverables. Sometimes doubling as solution architects, they work closely with project managers to manage risks and serve as primary client contacts.

Configuration specialist

Specializing in Salesforce and associated systems, our experts configure client instances following technical leads’ solutions, focusing on building functionality.

Data architect

Focused on data analysis, schema design, data migration management, and complex data integration. They collaborate with clients and internal teams, handle data mappings, configure data sources, create scripts or apply tools to execute data migration and/or integrations, write test scripts, and document any deviations from original migration plans.