Full-Service Consulting Creates a Technology Turn-Around

Camp Fire USA Central Puget Sound Council honors childhood by reconnecting youth and families to each other and the natural world. Summer camp and year-round programs reach 13,000 people in the Puget Sound area with fun and valuable activities where kids learn life skills, grow in their appreciation of the great outdoors, and build self esteem through community service. The Central Puget Sound Council has been serving the youth in our community for over 100 years, helping young people and their families experience nature, develop stronger bonds and social skills, and experience leadership opportunities.

Camp Fire’s administrative staff has always provided high-quality programming, but their focus was often pulled from their mission in order to deal with technology issues. After spending several years “making do” and improvising with the outdated equipment that was available to them, they were ready to take a more strategic approach to technology. Camp Fire’s CEO Bridgett Chandler and Council Services Manager Ngoc Do engaged with NPower to get their technology planning on track.

"NPower brings a new level of expert guidance because of their double lens - finding solutions that are the most effective and strategic from a technology perspective, and the most sustainable for a nonprofit organization."

– Bridgett Chandler, CEO

The Challenge

• Camp Fire staff knew they needed a lot of help but weren’t sure where to start. Items on their wish list included an overall technology strategy, a solution for getting multiple databases to communicate with each other, and a national website.
• Regardless of their needs, Camp Fire staff were seeking to partner with an IT professional that was curious about the mission of the organization and passionate about helping them utilize technology to better serve the community.
• As Council Services Manager, Ngoc was acting as “accidental techie,” but was anxious to learn more about the IT infrastructure of the Council and build up her skills.
• Previous technology consultants had tended to hold all the organizational IT knowledge in their heads, and Camp Fire was looking to find someone that would spread that knowledge to others in the organization.

The Solution

• The Council found NPower’s consultants to be a natural fit, appreciating the unique perspective that results from working exclusively with nonprofits.
• CEO Bridgett Chandler was excited to have the entire NPower team behind her technology, knowing that NPower would be capable of tracking trends in technology and their implications for nonprofits much more effectively than a single consultant could.

"In NPower we found experts on emerging technology solutions for the nonprofit sector. They take that knowledge and apply it to a real understanding of who we are and how technology can change the way we serve youth and families." – Bridgett Chandler, CEO

• NPower approached Camp Fire’s technology thoughtfully, completing a technology assessment that resulted in a prioritized list of projects.
• Camp Fire’s systems were upgraded and they joined the Stable & Secure Managed Services program in order to allow NPower consultants to proactively monitor their systems to prevent problems from arising.
• NPower understood the desire of Council leadership to deepen the expertise of staff, and took the time to explain changes being made and capitalize on opportunities for additional skill development.

The Impact

• Staff report a turn-around in their use of technology and see how further improvements in ease of use will accelerate a global mindset of technology as a critical help rather than a hindrance.

“There are no work-arounds or doing without. We’re able to get our work done without being stalled by technology issues.” – Ngoc Do, Council Services Manager

• The prioritized list of projects from the technology assessment will enable staff to approach technology upgrades intentionally and with confidence.
• Being a part of the Stable & Secure Managed Services program has allowed Camp Fire to predict the costs associated with IT and plan for the future.
• As an accidental techie, Ngoc has been appreciative of opportunities to build her skills and has a new-found sense of confidence in her abilities.
• Camp Fire plans to systematically work through the recommendations from the technology assessment and looks forward to discovering ways for technology to help them better serve the community.