The Dallas Foundation, the first community foundation in Texas, has implemented CommunitySuite, Grant Lifecycle Manager and Scholarship Lifecycle Manager from Foundant Technologies (Foundant), a leader in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences.
The Dallas Foundation replaced its previous "big name" CRM, financial management and grant management systems with Foundant's integrated solutions, which has significantly increased the Foundation's impact on and contributions to its community.
"We can punch above our weight because our technology infrastructure is comprehensive, reliable and easy to use," said Matthew Randazzo, president and CEO of The Dallas Foundation. "CommunitySuite has freed up our staff substantially so they can focus more on high-value, strategic activities and engage more deeply in servicing the community. This is only possible because we are spending less time managing and questioning our data and more time leveraging that data within one integrated ecosystem."
Prior to implementing Foundant's solutions, The Dallas Foundation was manually managing disparate software solutions that didn't play well with each other. This approach meant the staff was spending significant time on low-value, transactional tasks that were not contributing to the Foundation's mission or positively impacting the community. CommunitySuite allows the Foundation to leverage one comprehensive solution to manage every aspect of its operations in a cohesive and unified way.
"Not only can we do more in less time, but our time is more impactful now. Our team is more engaged and energized because they are doing high-leverage, satisfying work, which is what drew them to work with the foundation in the first place. It feeds their purpose and allows them to do their best work in a way that rote admin tasks cannot," added Randazzo.
The Dallas Foundation manages over 700 funds and has awarded more than $1 billion over the course of its long history. Since the Foundation's inception, the mission has consistently improved lives and made progress throughout North Texas. Grant investments currently focus on programs that benefit children ages birth to three as well as those that advance equity and inclusion, ensure community and economic resilience, and enhance the community's nonprofit ecosystem.
"Foundant has revolutionized how our finance team spends their time," added Randazzo. "It used to take multiple members of the team one-third of the working month to produce monthly fund statements. Now, with CommunitySuite, one team member completes all that work in less than one day."
In addition to streamlining the Foundation's operations, Foundant's CommunitySuite solution enables a more robust, easy-to-use donor portal, allowing donors to:
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Recommend grants
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Access fund balances, statements, shared documents and tax receipts
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See a real-time view of account activities
"CommunitySuite is the only market-based solution that understands the complexity of community foundations, and they truly are a trusted partner," added Randazzo. "From selection to go-live, Foundant has walked alongside us, and they remain committed to our success."
About Foundant Technologies
Foundant Technologies has specialized in making philanthropy easier and more impactful through innovative software solutions and exceptional client experiences since 2007. Passionate about philanthropy, Foundants' team is dedicated to meeting the unique needs of grantmakers, scholarship providers, community foundations and nonprofits to enable change-makers to make the world a better place for all. More than 3,000 funders and nonprofits use Foundant's software to transform their organizations and maximize their impact in the communities they serve.