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Overview of what Zenn For Good has been up to: Homeward Bound, Because International and the Holiday Toy Drive

The tail end of 2019 was a busy and rewarding time for Zennify’s Zenn For Good program! Our community engagement grew as we worked to make a difference for organizations and communities in need. Donations and essential care items were raised and collected through a custom Salesforce Community site to help those affected by Hurricane Dorian and several wildfires in California.

As part of our program to donate Salesforce consulting services, several employees participated in two additional pro bono Salesforce implementation projects with local nonprofits. To help kick off Salesforce’s Pro Bono week Oct 21-25, and inspire other partners to give back, one of our Senior Engagement Managers, Kirsten Zollinger, participated in an interview to share how Zennify is a force for good and the impact we make on our communities. In addition, the Boise Nonprofit User Group Holiday Social was held in Zennify’s Meridian, ID, office.

Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary project review

One of the pro bono Salesforce implementation projects Zennify took on in 2019 was with a local nonprofit in Sacramento. Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue & Sanctuary rescues and heals displaced, abandoned, and homeless Golden Retriever and Golden mixes, regardless of their age or health. Before working with us, Homeward Bound was on the Salesforce Classic interface which meant more clicks, more scrolling, and less access to new features. A group of Zennify team members volunteered to help improve the workflow at Homeward Bound Golden Retriever Rescue by rolling out the Salesforce Lightning Experience.

With Lightning Experience enabled, users were able to take advantage of improved layouts, new dashboards, improved global search, and more streamlined user experience with the use of custom apps. This upgrade also placed Homeward Bound in a position to leverage newer functionality as Salesforce continues to improve its product. Zennify also provided Homeward Bound staff and volunteers training to improve their understanding of Salesforce and efficiency using it, including completing tasks faster and finding records more easily.

Because International project recap

In October 2019, Zennify engaged with Because International who needed help and guidance to revamp their Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack org. Because International is a nonprofit located outside of Boise which focuses on supporting local entrepreneurs living in poverty to invent, develop, and distribute life-changing products including ‘The Show That Grows’ and ‘Bednet Buddy’. These simple, innovative products are given to families in need in countries such as Kenya and Ethiopia to help make their daily lives easier.

Prior to our project with them, Because International had used Salesforce for over six years to fulfill and report on product orders, collect and track donations, and cultivate donor relationships. But, over time, their pain points in Salesforce had grown. They needed to improve donor retention and enhance the various web integration platforms being used. Their data had become messy, they lacked the understanding of how to leverage the data they collected. They realized they needed some help from experts!

We used our time with Because International to help them align their product sales with Salesforce Leads and Opportunities, enabled through several web integration components. Additionally, with a rollout to Lightning Experience, we improved their end-user interface and set up reports and dashboards to provide a transparent view of their data. We also provided System Admin training to ensure they could maintain the changes in the future.

Zennify gives back

Lastly, it is a Zennify tradition to host a philanthropic event as part of our yearly Holiday Party. This year we hosted a toy drive competition between our Meridian office, Sacramento office and our remote team members. Employees were asked to bring or ship toys to the Sacramento office to be donated to the Shriners Hospital in Sacramento. Shriners Hospitals for Children is a network of 22 non-profit medical facilities across North America. Children with orthopedic conditions, burns, spinal cord injuries, and cleft lip and palate are eligible for care and receive all services in a family-centered environment, regardless of the patients’ ability to pay.

Once all the toys were collected in Sacramento and all the Zennify employees had arrived for the Holiday Party and other team building activities, three judges voted to determine which team had donated the most toys, the techiest toy, and the coolest toy. Upon tallying the results they determined that the remote team won the challenge!

Together, all the Zennify employees collected well over 300 toys that were delivered to the Shriners Hospital. They were then either distributed to patients during the holidays or will be given on birthdays, after major milestones in a patient’s treatment, or when a child is in need of some cheer. We hope that the kids have as much fun playing with the toys, as we had getting them.

Looking ahead to 2020, Zennify plans to provide continued support to nonprofits leveraging the Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack and to participate in hands-on volunteer opportunities within our local communities. We’re looking forward to a GOOD 2020 – to be good, do good, feel good!

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