Catholic Social Services transforms its operations and builds for the future

Challenges

Organizations need to count on their technology. But according to Kirsten Anderson, vice president of digital services and innovation for CSS, you don’t want to count on your technology to fail.

“Our legacy system was old,” Anderson says. “It seemed like every afternoon at 3 o’clock it would slow down to a crawl.”

Anderson says the nonprofit needed to modernize its operations and improve case management as part of a comprehensive digital transformation. A key component of this transformation was the migration from the organization’s legacy system to the Salesforce Nonprofit Cloud application.

CSS called in RSM US LLP to tackle the implementation and migration project. Anderson says CSS was looking for a provider who could do more than just handle the technical details.

“We were searching for someone who could help us along that journey from an unstructured system to an intentional and purposeful approach,” Anderson says. “We wanted a team that could help us discover ideas, organize our needs and create a core foundational structure. It was really important that they could guide us through all that.”

Objectives

CSS had several objectives for the engagement. First, the organization wanted to migrate from an antiquated, manual-intensive system to an integrated, scalable platform that would be more efficient and automated. By upgrading its system, CSS sought to improve the efficiency of its staff members, eliminate manual tasks and help employees focus on value-added interactions and the nonprofit’s core mission.

“We had a function in our legacy system that required us to make a photocopy of a page and then physically send it for review,” says Christian Vezina, vice president of technology and quality improvement. “It was a very cumbersome process. We needed to replace tasks like that.”

CSS also wanted to improve its data visibility. The goal was to create a unified view of clients across all of the nonprofit’s programs and residences. Many of the nonprofit’s clients received services from several CSS programs simultaneously. Under the legacy system, the data was siloed. As such, staff members could not get a full picture of clients or the multiple ways in which CSS provided services to them.

Furthermore, CSS wanted to future-proof its system so that it could scale and adapt to organizational needs as they arose. For example, CSS receives government funding, and these contracts frequently change requirements. In such cases, the nonprofit might suddenly need to comply with a new funder requirement or a revised regulation on cybersecurity.

How RSM helped

RSM executed the project in multiple phases, taking care to guide CSS through key decisions. RSM helped the organization analyze its existing workflows and determine the optimal structure for Salesforce. The teams both wanted a smooth migration and knew this could only be achieved through open and honest communication.

“These big projects can be made or broken based on the relationship with the vendor,” Anderson says. “RSM was very responsive. I felt like we were all in it together, and we could talk through things and work through any issues. We figured it out together, and that is not always the case with some providers, so I really appreciated our relationship with RSM.”

Anderson says the RSM team displayed a deep knowledge of Salesforce’s capabilities and how they could be leveraged for the nonprofit sector. Most of RSM’s team had worked for nonprofits previously, and all had extensive industry experience. The fact that RSM’s nonprofit practice consists of individuals who focus exclusively on the sector meant that the team understood CSS’s needs.

Throughout the engagement, RSM focused on addressing any challenges promptly and efficiently. The result was that the working relationship extended beyond the technical details, fostering trust and a mutual investment in success.

“Reflecting back on what we were able to accomplish, I don't know that we would have been successful with anyone else at that point,” Vezina says. “RSM had the bench strength to support that large of an implementation, and they had a good understanding of the nonprofit world. It was a great combination.”

Results

Upon implementation, the nonprofit quickly realized significant improvements:

• Streamlined case management and analytics: CSS gained a more accurate and comprehensive view of client interactions across multiple programs. RSM’s approach streamlined tasks such as file audits, reduced manual workload and eliminated redundant tasks, making case management more effective. Furthermore, enhanced dashboards and analytics tools enabled better decision making and oversight.
• Enhanced employee satisfaction through standardization: CSS underwent a subtle culture shift. The standardization of processes across programs created greater alignment and efficiency, improving the day-to-day experience of staff members.

“We literally used to have people search for a document in this file, then look for a document in that file, then look for another document in another file,” Anderson says. “The new system has inspired people to think about creative ways of doing their work, which just would not have been possible with the old system.”

Large-scale digital transformations often come with hurdles, such as managing the complexity of integrating legacy systems. However, RSM’s approach to problem-solving helped CSS navigate these challenges effectively. And the two teams’ high level of communication accelerated real-time issue resolution and the introduction of fresh ideas.

“One of my big concerns going into this whole thing was that we're a social service organization, so we're all ‘feelings’ people here,” Anderson says. “Was RSM going to understand us? But when we brought RSM on-site, we felt that they got us, they listened to us and they understood that we're not like other organizations. They got it. And that was a huge success factor.”

An ongoing relationship

After the initial engagement, RSM implemented Salesforce’s Field Service application to support CSS home care staff members who visit clients in their homes. The nonprofit previously had difficulties managing the complex schedules of these staff members. The new application helped the nonprofit optimize scheduling, which cut down on the time CSS staff members spent driving to appointments and increased the time they spent delivering services.

Due to the success of the engagement, CSS entered into a managed services contract with RSM for ongoing support. Future initiatives include expanding Salesforce’s capabilities into financials and fundraising. Anderson is confident about the nonprofit’s future with RSM.

“We were very intentional about choosing RSM for managed services because of the good working relationship that we had established,” Anderson says. “We had built up a lot of trust. RSM demonstrated to us that they believe in the work that we're doing, and that they will show up for us.”

The takeaway

Through the engagement with RSM, the nonprofit not only achieved its goals but also set the foundation for long-term growth and operational excellence. RSM’s technical experience and innovative approach helped CSS improve its efficiency and increase employee satisfaction. Vezina says honest communication and a shared commitment to the organization’s mission fueled the engagement.

“The reason we were successful and worked so well together is because of the relationship that we developed,” Vezina says. “It's just a testament to the connection that we formed with RSM.”