Case Study: OASES
The Project
Taproot Foundation awarded a Donor Database Service Grant, valued at $30,000, to OASES in September 2005.
About OASES
Since 1983, Oakland Asian Students Educational Services (OASES) works to empower youth who have limited resources, particularly those in the Asian and Pacific Islander communities of Oakland, to maximize their potential through educational services and social support. Of youth enrolled in OASES’ elementary, junior and high school after-school programs, 78% are English Language Learners, 90% are first-generation immigrants, and 75% live in low-income households.
Each year, OASES trains the largest volunteer force of any Oakland Unified School District after-school program - a corps of 400 U.C. Berkeley students who serve 400 low-income youth in grades K-12. OASES engages youth in activities that often are not offered through school such as diversity education, financial literacy, environmental education, and art.
Each year, OASES trains the largest volunteer force of any Oakland Unified School District after-school program - a corps of 400 U.C. Berkeley students who serve 400 low-income youth in grades K-12. OASES engages youth in activities that often are not offered through school such as diversity education, financial literacy, environmental education, and art.
The Need
OASES’ technology infrastructure trailed behind the growing needs of the organization. Staff maintained three distinct databases to track thousands of volunteers, students, and donors. Data entry into multiple systems and cross-referencing was time-consuming, and the fragmentary nature was not conducive to generating financial and fundraising reports. Their situation was only going to become more inefficient as OASES was considering expansion to additional school sites.
Stemming from their desire to increase financial stability, OASES’ primary development goal was to diversify their income by boosting their private funding base. At the time, the majority of their annual budget came from public institutions, particularly governments. The organization saw enormous potential to generate individual giving from volunteer and student alumni who had since graduated from college and were fortunate enough to give back. They sought a streamlined database that would enable them to cultivate these donor relationships for the first time in an efficient and effective way. With a strategic plan in place to support the efforts, OASES was in a solid position to absorb +500 hours of volunteer time in the form of a Taproot Service Grant.
Stemming from their desire to increase financial stability, OASES’ primary development goal was to diversify their income by boosting their private funding base. At the time, the majority of their annual budget came from public institutions, particularly governments. The organization saw enormous potential to generate individual giving from volunteer and student alumni who had since graduated from college and were fortunate enough to give back. They sought a streamlined database that would enable them to cultivate these donor relationships for the first time in an efficient and effective way. With a strategic plan in place to support the efforts, OASES was in a solid position to absorb +500 hours of volunteer time in the form of a Taproot Service Grant.
The Work
"OASES was a well-prepared and enthusiastic client … we appreciated knowing that our limited availability was really respected."
Taproot Foundation awarded the Donor Database Service Grant to OASES to transform three separate Filemaker Pro databases into a consolidated information system. As dictated by Taproot’s project methodology, the volunteer team met with key stakeholders within OASES to determine the need and the scope of the project. During these interviews, the Taproot Foundation volunteers asked various staff members with vested interests in program management and fundraising to describe the requirements of their ideal database. Eventually a “wish list" was compiled, and the team could narrow the focus of the project from there.
Nhi Chau, Executive Director of OASES, recalled: “The Taproot process moved us to think creatively and strategically about what kind of information we should be capturing and how we prioritize as an organization."
After careful consideration of numerous database infrastructure options, the Taproot Foundation team recommended the implementation of Salesforce.com, a globally-recognized leader in on-demand customer relationship management services. Once database design, data transfer, and testing were completed, OASES staff members were trained in the key features of their new database. Nhi Chau recognized that the volunteer team delivered a thoughtful and detail-oriented end-user training, which included tips such as coordination of checking for duplicate records before inputting new data.
OASES’ database on Salesforce.com was also configured to track information for fundraising purposes, thanks to additional work by Gary Gonzalez, the volunteer Business Analyst on the project. OASES’ Development Director was of course delighted to have a database that could easily generate funding reports and address grant management, in addition to meeting their programmatic needs.
Nhi Chau, Executive Director of OASES, recalled: “The Taproot process moved us to think creatively and strategically about what kind of information we should be capturing and how we prioritize as an organization."
After careful consideration of numerous database infrastructure options, the Taproot Foundation team recommended the implementation of Salesforce.com, a globally-recognized leader in on-demand customer relationship management services. Once database design, data transfer, and testing were completed, OASES staff members were trained in the key features of their new database. Nhi Chau recognized that the volunteer team delivered a thoughtful and detail-oriented end-user training, which included tips such as coordination of checking for duplicate records before inputting new data.
OASES’ database on Salesforce.com was also configured to track information for fundraising purposes, thanks to additional work by Gary Gonzalez, the volunteer Business Analyst on the project. OASES’ Development Director was of course delighted to have a database that could easily generate funding reports and address grant management, in addition to meeting their programmatic needs.
The Impact
"The Taproot process truly inspired us to examine how we do business."
OASES directly attributes an upsurge in individual giving to the deliverables made possible by the Taproot Foundation’s Donor Database Service Grant. The organization successfully increased individual contributions from $13,931 in FY2004 to $87,933 in FY2006. OASES since held their first large fundraising event, netting $40,000, and their streamlined database freed up time that could be better spent on donor outreach to achieve their goals.
“The Taproot Foundation is brilliant! Our new database really allows us to share our work and best practices with professionals who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to see what we do," said Chau. When applying to the Taproot Foundation, OASES reported that 10% of their total budget was private funding. Now, private sources represent 25% of their total budget and continue to increase.
“The database proved instrumental in conserving staff time, enabling remote access, and ensuring targeted follow-through," said Chau. This project has prompted a culture of continuous improvement and evaluation. Staff members have become more vigilant in maintaining accurate data, and they have recognized the benefits of regular reports and other communication with the community. Everyone has appreciated the built-in support and reliability of using Salesforce.com, and there is no longer a pressing need to frequently back up data, as there was with the maintenance of three distinct databases.
The new database has boosted the organization’s confidence to expand their programs to a new school site. Chau commented, “The Taproot process truly inspired us to examine how we do business." OASES now serves 25% more low-income youth each year, with services now reaching four Oakland school sites.
Equipped with an effective database and more diversified funding, this project also laid the groundwork for future engagement with the Taproot Foundation. OASES was awarded the Human Resources Capacity Assessment Service Grant in June 2007. The organization is poised to examine its HR capacity and further invest in its infrastructure to maximize its impact on the lives of low-income youth.
“The Taproot Foundation is brilliant! Our new database really allows us to share our work and best practices with professionals who otherwise wouldn’t have an opportunity to see what we do," said Chau. When applying to the Taproot Foundation, OASES reported that 10% of their total budget was private funding. Now, private sources represent 25% of their total budget and continue to increase.
“The database proved instrumental in conserving staff time, enabling remote access, and ensuring targeted follow-through," said Chau. This project has prompted a culture of continuous improvement and evaluation. Staff members have become more vigilant in maintaining accurate data, and they have recognized the benefits of regular reports and other communication with the community. Everyone has appreciated the built-in support and reliability of using Salesforce.com, and there is no longer a pressing need to frequently back up data, as there was with the maintenance of three distinct databases.
The new database has boosted the organization’s confidence to expand their programs to a new school site. Chau commented, “The Taproot process truly inspired us to examine how we do business." OASES now serves 25% more low-income youth each year, with services now reaching four Oakland school sites.
Equipped with an effective database and more diversified funding, this project also laid the groundwork for future engagement with the Taproot Foundation. OASES was awarded the Human Resources Capacity Assessment Service Grant in June 2007. The organization is poised to examine its HR capacity and further invest in its infrastructure to maximize its impact on the lives of low-income youth.
The Volunteer Team
- Jennifer Redington, Manager of IT Systems and Projects at Kaiser Permanente
- Gary Gonzalez, Technical Analyst at Delta Dental of California
- Christina del Rosario, IT Consultant at IBM, Business Consulting Services
- Sameer Raheja, Project Manager at Yahoo, Inc.
