Industry
Human Services
Company HQ
Massachusetts
Number of Employees
25-50 employees
Client Since
2018
Modernizing infrastructure and implementing new technology to help a nonprofit continue serving veterans more efficiently
A Massachusetts-based nonprofit serving the homeless veteran population has done a lot of growing since it was founded in 1990, but they were struggling to keep their IT infrastructure updated at the same pace.
By working with Davin Tech Group, this organization has been able to update their IT infrastructure and decrease the workload on their small team. By placing their trust in their dedicated partners at Davin Tech Group, they now feel secure knowing that they are set up for future technology needs and will be able to continue doing their important work and expanding their reach within the community.
The challenge
IT needs were outpacing the staff’s abilities
As with many nonprofits, the staff at this veteran’s transition home is small but mighty. Early on in the business, a veteran on staff helped with IT management. As their business grew, piecing together their IT operations with help from one in-house professional no longer suited this multi-service organization — the organization’s needs quickly surpassed his knowledge base and pace of work — but they weren’t quite ready to bring on a full-time IT hire either.
The CFO of this nonprofit, Jason S. was ready to outsource IT services and sent out RFPs to multiple contractors to find the right relationship to move their business forward. The Davin Tech Group team won over their business with a strong presentation. Jason shares, “[They] brought a lot to the table and promised a lot in that first meeting.”
The goals
Update and manage the physical infrastructure and the network
In addition to taking the IT load off the previous person, Jason shares that the biggest goal was to “manage the physical infrastructure and the network.” He elaborates further, “the physical hardware and making sure that that’s up to date, and that everything that runs on it, including the connections between each other and the outside world are secure.”
The solution
Outsourcing IT management and strategy to a trusted partner
To address this nonprofit’s challenges, the Davin Tech Group team focused on modernizing the physical hardware and tech assets of the company and paving the way for new nonprofit technology that could bring them into the digital era. This included the procurement and implementation of new case management software to streamline their operations. It was also important for this nonprofit to have a partner that takes on an active IT management role and provides ongoing technical support.
The process
Modernizing the current infrastructure and planning for the future
Not only was it crucial to update existing infrastructure to suit the team’s needs, we also wanted to be proactive around offering recommendations for new technology and providing meaningful options that aligned with the company’s budget.
Jason shares how Davin Tech Group planned past the goals the nonprofit knew they had in the beginning: “They are forward-thinking, not just managing what we want… you don’t even know what you want, or you don’t know what’s right for you.”
Davin Tech Group has provided a role of being forward-thinking and planful.”
In addition to taking on the strategic IT management of their systems, we consulted with the team to help them find modern case management software that worked for their budget. We knew implementing Bonterra (Apricot 360) would be a huge win for this team, and we assisted in the grant writing process for the procurement of this solution.
Jason shares, “Probably the biggest thing the [Davin] team has managed was the procurement and implementation of Bonterra (Apricot 360), which is a state-of-the-art case management platform, that’s going to touch everything and everybody, so that that will transform the way we do file management and case management, with all of our clients.”
The outcome
The nonprofit team has the tech they need to do their jobs better
Jason shares that in the nonprofit world, you get used to certain things not working as well as they should: “I was used to constantly saying ‘this doesn’t work’, ‘that’s old,’” but since partnering with the Davin Tech Group, “We don’t have that issue anymore.”
Their team feels more prepared to do their jobs effectively with renewed confidence in the technology they’re using and are less worried about something breaking. Plus, they know Davin Tech Group will catch any problems early. Jason shared, “They’re on top of it and going to let us know before something goes wrong.”
And though they are still implementing Bonterra (Apricot 360), the team is excited for this nonprofit tech solution that will usher in a fully digital file management system for the company, where there will be no more physical paperwork and all case data will be more easily retrievable.
The results
“Over delivering” and forward-thinking
Jason shares that Davin Tech Group always “over delivers” and the comprehensive IT services and forward-thinking strategies have helped them grow with less stress. As Jason puts it,
“Our Davin team lets me know when I have to think about something, I don’t have to figure it out… It’s like having another executive on board.”
He goes on to say, “I’ve done this kind of work for over 30 years, and I’ve never made a decision about a contractor that I’ve been happier about.”
