Accelerating disaster response through data and process modernization 

Client background

To successfully provide disaster relief, emergency assistance and education on a massive scale, a nationally recognized humanitarian nonprofit acknowledged their need to improve technology systems to mobilize resources more rapidly in response to natural disasters and humanitarian crises. 

The business challenge

The organization faced operational challenges managing donor engagement and donation workflows during time-sensitive disaster response efforts. Disconnected processes, technology gaps and inconsistent information across systems slowed coordination and limited the organization’s ability to act quickly when emergencies occurred.

As disaster events increased in frequency and urgency, expectations for faster response and real-time visibility intensified. The organization needed greater clarity across donor operations, improved coordination between teams and a more scalable foundation to support rapid mobilization during crises. To address these challenges, Baker Tilly was engaged to help identify opportunities to streamline operations, strengthen data connectivity and enhance donor experiences within its Salesforce environment.

Strategy and solution 

Baker Tilly conducted a comprehensive evaluation and strategy to help the organization identify and prioritize essential process changes within its Salesforce environment. The engagement included more than 400 hours of research and 29 workshops with organizational leaders to gather consistent and consolidated feedback across teams.

Our team assessed workflows, policies, people, technology and data flows and cataloged over 350 specific opportunities to improve donor experiences and donation outcomes. The final 100-page deliverable provided a clear, executable plan that enabled the organization to reduce its average donation-to-disaster response time from 19 days to one day, supporting faster mobilization of relief efforts, improved coordination during emergencies and greater operational agility to support its humanitarian mission.