Eliminate Paperwork & Increase Impact

By: Andy Cummings

If your organization has more than one giving initiative, you know how complicated it can be to manage and report on results. Sequoia Healthcare District was drowning in paperwork and didn’t have enough time to effectively engage with grant partners to increase their community impact. Fast-forward 90 days and they’re on their way to running like a well-oiled machine and spending quality time with grantees, thanks to a partnership with Versaic. Here’s the backstory.

In 1946, Sequoia Healthcare District was the first organization of its kind to be established in California. Today, Sequoia transforms the lives of more than 60,000 residents in San Mateo County. Their health and wellness initiatives range from primary care for the underserved, to physical education and health insurance for children, to introducing life-saving equipment in public places. The organization also funds the work of 28 non-profit organizations that provide vital healthcare services throughout San Mateo County. According to Lee Michelson, CEO of Sequoia, “Our mission is to improve the health of residents by providing access to care and promoting wellness. One way we achieve this is through our Caring Community Grants Program where each year we provide grants to non-profits that offer critical health services to District residents. “

Sequoia’s outreach efforts are managed under two programs — Healthy Schools and Caring Communities. Each program has its own areas of focus and criteria for support, with an overall goal of making the biggest impact possible with the dollars invested. Sequoia was managing its programs using a combination of paper proposals and printouts of spreadsheets and emails, a labor-intensive process that became increasingly unwieldy and made it nearly impossible to integrate data across programs. The team needed a new approach that would streamline their processes and free up valuable time for engaging with grant partners and increasing impact.

To tackle the challenge, Sequoia partnered with Versaic to put in place a custom-configured solution that easily integrates, analyzes and reports on data across programs. According to Lee Michelson, “Through Versaic, our grants process has been streamlined and modernized, giving us more time to develop our programs and foster our relationships that maximize our impact within the community.” While still in their first grant cycle using the new system, Sequoia is seeing very positive initial results.

Director of Grants & Program Pamela Kurtzman is enthusiastic about the Versaic solution and the contribution of the Versaic Client Success team. Versaic Director of Client Solutions Andy Cummings and Client Success Manager Francesca Noero presented to the Sequoia grantees at the kick off of the new system, answering questions and allaying grantee concerns that the new system would require additional time and effort for the participating non-profits. Pamela Kurtzman sums up the change in her team’s situation by stating, “Sequoia Healthcare District has a highway of data straight from our clients that has proven to be vastly more efficient. Using the reporting system made for us by Versaic, we now have the ability to quickly and effortlessly collect multiple data in a single report, gain insight that guides our funding decisions, and better quantify program outcomes.”

If you’re interested in learning more, check out this short case study that includes additional detail and screenshots of the Sequoia system. We’ll report back with an update once Sequoia has completed its full grant cycle. We’re confident that both the team from Sequoia Healthcare District and its grant partners will continue to be thrilled with the changes that the partnership with Versaic has delivered.