Invisible Children builds inventory tool on Force.com, see efficiencies in the cloud

Challenge

• Rapidly-growing nonprofit needed a solution to manage fundraising and event planning
• Using Microsoft Outlook, Excel, and Kintera, it was difficult to find and share information
• Flexibility was important

Solution

• Considered Raiser’s Edge and Kintera, but chose salesforce.com’s robust features and easy customization
• Rolled out salesforce.com’s solution for nonprofits in one month to 80 event planning and operations employees
• Salesforce.com partner MK Partners built an inventory system using Force.com to oversee merchandise sales
• Force.com-based human resources tools from Jobscience address staffing needs
• Custom tool manages event registrations, including more than 80,000 RSVPs for a 75-city global rally
• Integration with Google Apps speeds communication and collaboration
• The Salesforce CRM's call center tracks online store issues so reps can respond quickly
• Salesforce CRM Marketing manages campaigns; leads are automatically captured and routed
• Dashboards give fast access to key metrics and custom tabs help employees quickly find the right materials
• DemandTools from the AppExchange marketplace verifies donor information

Results

• Custom tool manages event registrations, including more than 80,000 RSVPs for a 75-city global rally that ultimately captured the attention of CNN, Oprah Winfrey, Larry King, and dozens of other politicians, celebrities, and media outlets
• Hundreds of thousands of dollars in merchandise sold each year using the custom inventory management solution
• Easy access to real-time business data improves decision making and planning, and drives greater organizational efficiency
• With complete customer profiles, targeting is more effective and budget spent more efficiently
• Cloud-computing solution frees up IT time and resources