The Pears Foundation

“The flexibility Salesforce gives us has been a lifeline. It’s made it possible for us to work efficiently and generate the information we need from wherever we are.”

Nonprofit organisations often face growing challenges in managing their grant-making processes while ensuring they continue to serve their communities effectively. For the Pears Foundation, a family foundation in the UK, these challenges were amplified by outdated systems and manual processes.

With the help of Hyphen8 and Salesforce, they transformed how they work, saving time and resources and becoming a more agile and efficient organisation.

The Problem: An Outdated System

Before their Salesforce implementation, Pears Foundation was dealing with a system that was slowing them down. Rachel Franklin, Operations Manager at Pears Foundation, shares the frustrations they faced:

  • They relied on a server-based system which was clunky and inflexible, especially as they were using it hand in hand with offline processes for example documents requiring wet signatures.
  • Payments and approvals were slow and manual, often causing unnecessary delays.
  • Their data was scattered in various places—sometimes on paper, sometimes in their database—making reporting difficult and disjointed.
  • Paper-based processes could have been more convenient, with agreements often getting lost in the post or delayed.
Session 4

The Solution: Hyphen8 and Salesforce to the Rescue

In 2019, Pears Foundation partnered with Hyphen8 to move to Salesforce, a decision that has since revolutionised their processes. The team quickly saw how much easier their work could become with a modern, cloud-based system in place.

 

The Charities Salesforce Solution

  • Centralised Data: “One of the biggest changes is having everything in one place,” says Rachel. In addition to grant funding, we support organisations with our professional development offer. We can now pull reports that show how much we’ve given to an organisation and the workshops they’ve attended. It’s all there, ready when we need it, giving us a fuller picture of our relationship with our grantees beyond grants.”
  • Flexible Working: Salesforce enabled the team to work from anywhere, making the organisation more inclusive and adaptable to team members who need to work from home. "We introduced Salesforce shortly before the Covid-19 Pandemic. Being able to collaborate remotely was a game-changer for us."
  • Time Saved on Payments: “Our payment run used to be a three-day process for our administrator. Now, I can do it myself in a few hours,” Rachel reveals. This significant time savings means more time to spend on other projects.
  • Simplified Approvals: The days of chasing paper grant agreements are long gone. With Salesforce and DocuSign, contracts that once took weeks can now be signed in minutes.
  • Empowering the Team: Salesforce’s intuitive interface has empowered the entire team to make changes and run reports without needing to rely on external consultants. "Previously, we had to hire specialists to make small adjustments in our old system, but now I can do it myself."
Pears Hub Library

Working With Hyphen8 To Create Impact

“We once had a grantee’s dog chew up the signed copy of their agreement—it came back with bite marks!

Now everything is instant and easy, with no more teeth marks!” laughed Rachel.

The Impact: What It Means for The Pears Foundation

The shift to Salesforce has been transformative for Pears Foundation. Here’s how it’s helped:

  • Efficiency: Routine tasks, like payments and reporting, have become streamlined, freeing up valuable time.
  • Unified Information: All the data the team needs is at their fingertips, ensuring better visibility into their operations. It is much easier to change fields or capture bespoke data and reports.
  • Bespoke Information: The team is able to record the data they need and want, and can easily make changes as their needs evolve.
  • Empowered Users: Team members without technical expertise can more intuitively make updates or pull reports, drastically reducing reliance on external consultants.
  • No More Paper: “We once had a grantee’s dog chew up the signed copy of their agreement—it came back with bite marks! Now everything is instant and easy, with no more teeth marks!” laughed Rachel.
  • Using the Cloud: Grant managers can now access grants data from their phones.
  • Better Decision-Making: The Foundation can now make more informed decisions by seeing a complete view of their grant-making activities. With all data in one place, they can assess their impact holistically and act more quickly when needed.

Rachel shares how this transformation has impacted the team:

“What used to take us days can now be done in an afternoon. We’re now able to spend more time building relationships with our grantees rather than getting bogged down by admin work.”

 Salesforce Created A New Era for The Pears Foundation

By implementing Salesforce with the help of Hyphen8, Pears Foundation has not only saved time and reduced manual work but also became a more flexible, efficient organisation. Their operations are smoother, their decision-making is sharper, and they’ve gained valuable time to focus on what matters most, supporting their grantees and the communities they serve.