Center for Community Change

Integrating Technology, Connecting Communities, Affecting Change

Client: The Center for Community Change
Case Study:   Web Development, Custom Integration of CMS, CRM, and Online Organizing Tools
Project: www.communitychange.org

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The Community

The Center for Community Change connects grassroots organizations around the country to help improve conditions in local communities.  They elevate neighborhood concerns to the national conversation and break down barriers between diverse groups of low-income people.  Comprised of a complex network of stakeholders, the organization works to build relationships, enhance collaboration and leadership, leverage resources, and foster innovation.

The Challenge

When the Center approached ifPeople, they had been unable to take advantage of synergies, benefits, or lessons learned across multiple projects.  Each project had its own individual web site with its own unique appearance, structure, and technology.  As a result of this fragmented approach, CCC had lost time communicating with all its stakeholders, did not know how effective their campaigns were, and did not have a recognizable brand. They needed a coherent look and feel and integrated data to unify the branches and get a consistent, informed view of their work. Additionally, the technology platform they used had exorbitant monthly fees, customization was difficult, and staff use was low because it was cumbersome and slow.

The Solution

ifPeople performed a thorough analysis of the organization's needs and brought all stakeholders into the process. We matched their needs with a set of free, open source, and low cost tools. ifPeople customized and integrated a suite of applications, including Plone, salesforce.com, and Salsa, into a comprehensive solution. CCC now has one easy-to-navigate site and they can create new project sites at any time.  There is a seamless flow of information between systems and the branding is consistent across the various functionalities. The Plone-based content management system allows even non-technical staff to quickly and simply update the site with fresh, dynamic content, including multiple blogs and podcasts. Salsa, DemocracyInAction's online organizing tools, engages users with targeted email blasts, e-advocacy, and event management.  The Salesforce.com CRM integration makes stakeholder management smooth and secure with central storage of activity history and demographic information.

The Outcome

ifPeople helped (CCC) save tens of thousands of dollars per year through the development of web and communications strategies that supported their mission and allowed them to concentrate on what they do best - building the power and capacity of low-income people to change their communities and public policies for the better. Today, as a result of this project, CCC has real-time information on organizational effectiveness across their broad range of activities and is able to make changes faster to improve their impact. Now they are more effective than ever at informing and mobilizing thousands of activists into precise, effective actions.

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