“Salesforce puts all my notes in one place, so I can spend more time building strong relationships and connecting with people.”
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Anne-Marie DayGeneral Manager, Fondation Famille Léger |
Private Foundations
Fondation Famille Léger: Small Team, Big Impact
Client
Since its inception in 2017, the private foundation has donated over $27 million. Remarkably, the management and allocation of these funds are handled by just two people.
Situation
At first, the small team’s agility and ease of communication allowed the foundation to manage its grant program using simple (and not-so-simple) Excel spreadsheets. This worked well—until applications began to multiply and managing them became more complex.
“At first, the number of applications was modest, as we were mainly known through word of mouth,” explains Anne-Marie Day, General Manager of Fondation Famille Léger. “But as more organizations received grants, they started talking about it. Applications grew exponentially and became increasingly difficult to manage.”
Anne-Marie Day reached out to her professional network for recommendations on technology partners. She chose Una Buro, which offered a custom Salesforce configuration. “Our treasurer was worried it would be too big and too expensive,” she explains. “Yet I was convinced it was the right fit, since the foundation that recommended it to me also has just two people.” In the end, the implementation and ongoing technical support costs were comparable to those of the other proposals.
Challenge
Given the breadth of the Salesforce ecosystem, Una Buro focused on:
- Clearly defining specific requirements
- Setting up only the most relevant features
- Training the team to work independently
Solution
Una Buro integrated and customized Salesforce Grantmaking, building a scalable platform capable of:
- Centralizing communications with organizations and contacts
- Managing the full grant cycle, from the initial application to award and payment
- Generating real-time reports and dashboards
- Ensuring compliance, particularly with Canada Revenue Agency requirements
Results
Standardized profiles for each organization
Information is captured through an online form, saving time and preventing errors from manual entry.
Standardized profiles for each organization
Information is captured through an online form, saving time and preventing errors from manual entry.
More time to build meaningful relationships
Centralized access to emails and call notes simplifies follow-ups, especially when contacts move between organizations.
Although the foundation’s immediate needs have been met, Anne-Marie Day appreciates that the system could seamlessly evolve—for example, by integrating directly with accounting systems or other software. “Often, new foundations and nonprofits start with a very basic solution… then find themselves stuck when regulations change or new features are needed,” observes Julia Khon, President and Founder of Una Buro.
You just need vision, diligence, and the right partners.
“Salesforce is a vast ecosystem—but you don’t have to use everything. You can carve out your own space and still benefit from a robust, scalable solution with strong compliance and cybersecurity standards.”
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Julia KhonPresident & Founder, Una Buro |
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