Wesley Community Centers: Getting Mission-Critical Help

The challenges facing Wesley Community Centers are familiar to many small and medium-sized nonprofit organizations throughout the country in these tough economic times. “We are a small agency and have been hit hard by reductions in government funding and an overall decline in charitable contributions,” says Cande Taylor, executive director of the Carrollton, Georgia-based agency, which provides no-cost housing repairs and outreach programs for seniors in the Atlanta area. As tough as times are, however, the technology package the nonprofit won in a recent Productivity@Work contest are playing a critical role in helping it continue its mission.

During the preceding year, the agency had to cut its programs to minimal levels and reduce staff by half. “Our technology was outdated, slow, and couldn’t be upgraded,” Taylor relates. Most forms and reports were done by hand, a time-consuming and error-prone process. “Receiving the hardware and software not only speeded things up, but it was a morale booster for employees who absorbed all the work from the ones let go. For me, personally, it was a dream come true. I now have access to applications and packages that allow me to easily produce information needed by donors, followers, and board members and also to support our critical business aspects,” she says.

The technology upgrade boosted the agency’s ability to track and follow-up on services it provides, alerting it to clients who have been in the system for a specific period of time. Accurate reporting makes it easier for Wesley Community Centers to demonstrate its effectiveness, providing leverage for future grants and funding opportunities; and enhanced online marketing capabilities are increasing its volunteer base. “Winning this contest not only gave us tangible items, it gave us renewed hope for our agency and the future services we want to provide,” Taylor says. “We cannot thank everyone enough for the opportunities we have been afforded.”

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