We spent several months at UCB figuring out which platform to use and company to work with. When we set up the partnership with Craftsman we were expecting the project would take much longer than it did and cost a lot more. We were impressed and appreciative that Craftsman met their deadlines, communicated with us quickly and consistently, and delivered the exact product we were looking for. It was a big switch for our 2,000 members to adjust to using our UCB App on a new platform, but thanks to Craftsman’s design and preparation our members have transitioned successfully and are using the site actively every day.
Union Capital Boston
Driving Civic Engagement w/ Salesforce Communities
Union Capital Boston (UCB) transforms social capital into opportunity by rewarding community engagement. UCB members earn social and financial rewards for their community involvement and volunteerism through an innovative mobile-app loyalty program and Civic Engagement Framework. The UCB app is a resource aggregator that lists hundreds of events and programs where individuals can volunteer in Boston. UCB network leaders build trusting relationships with members by connecting them to resources and each other. Their goal is to shape resilient and networked communities by creating an opportunity to engage and build social capital for their community members.
Purpose
The UCB app was originally built as part of a code-jam, a competition where developers program solutions to solve a business need. The homegrown solution was difficult for internal users to maintain and therefore not scalable for the growing nonprofit. These challenges threatened the stability of the UCB app that is essential to the function of the organization. UCB was already using Salesforce and saw an opportunity to create a new, Salesforce-based solution for their volunteers. The new mobile-responsive interface would provide the core features needed to manage their aggregated events list and loyalty program. The solution would be accessed by volunteers on a range of devices including phones, tablets and computers across all modern browsers.
Project Details
Craftsman was engaged to build the Salesforce solution based on user stories and detailed requirements provided by UCB. With this information Craftsman’s Nonprofit Practice leveraged custom Lightning Components on Salesforce Community Cloud to create flexible user interfaces that required little maintenance. Upon completion of the Salesforce project, UCB has an online community where users can learn about local events, check-in in real time and upload photos. All of the information submitted through the app feeds into UCB’s Salesforce instance. This enables staff to quickly track and report on their member’s engagement. By drawing on data in Salesforce, the app reduces redundancies in data entry and eliminates the need for staff to contact the developer for routine tasks. Internal users can create new records and manage back end data in Salesforce, while end users enter information directly into the UCB app.
Ongoing Partnership
As UCB’s needs continue to expand, Craftsman’s Managed Services team partners with the organization to identify areas for improvement and ways to better utilize Salesforce. A Client Success Manager helps enhance the process for tracking and rewarding program participants and provides the UCB team with more flexibility to manage their program. This is especially helpful when programs and planning can change direction with short notice. Implementing new tools such as FormAssembly and Tableau helps UCB collect and visualize data to make informed decisions that drive strategy and enable growth.
Tools + Technology
Craftsman used custom Lightning Components to build a mobile responsive solution on Salesforce Community Cloud. UCB is on the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). The organization uses standard Salesforce reporting for tracking impact.