The Results
BambooHR improved both performance and outlook for New Moms, a small nonprofit in Chicago, by supporting the agency’s HR department of one with her tasks in HR and operations.
New Moms experienced several positive outcomes from these aspects of their experience with BambooHR:
AFFORDABILITY: A careful review of HRIS options showed that BambooHR fit in New Moms’ budget while providing needed features.
ACCOUNTABILITY: Nonprofit organizations like New Moms rely on grants and funding from other outside sources to accomplish their mission. In addition to demonstrating wise use of funding through affordable software, BambooHR helps New Moms find and present data on their daily operations to their funders, leading to additional funding and mission opportunities.
MISSION SUPPORT: New Moms strengthens families by partnering with young moms as they progress toward housing stability, economic mobility, and family well-being.
TURNOVER REDUCTION: In the three years after implementing BambooHR, New Moms reduced its turnover rate by 37 percent.
HIRING SAVINGS: Through decreased turnover and a more efficient hiring process, New Moms saved $21,000 in staff time in those same three years.
PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT: BambooHR Performance Management shifted the focus from a four-page annual review to weekly coaching conversations between employees and managers.
The Challenge
In 2015, Emily White Hodge began searching for an HRIS to help her manage people needs at New Moms, a nonprofit organization that supports young families that are experiencing poverty and homelessness in urban Chicago. At the time, she was spending most of her working hours chasing paper in what she calls “the Wild West period” of her organization’s growth. “We did everything the old dinosaur way,” she says. “Tracking PTO and sick days, figuring out everyone’s benefits—everything was done on paper.”
“It would be, ‘We need this report in two days,’ and I would have to open up 18 different personnel files to figure out average salary and other basics,” Emily says. “Because we have many different funding streams and with each of those funding streams come various data requirements, I was forever scrambling to put reports together with information that I wasn’t sure was the most current or the most accurate, because that was the best I had.”
It reached the point where she knew she needed to make a change. When asked to estimate how the efficiency of her old system affected New Moms’ daily operations, Emily says that it wasted “at least half of my salary, plus missed opportunities.” So Emily began researching ways to manage the workload, reaching out to others in her same situation. “Unfortunately, in the nonprofit world, not many other agencies were ahead of us in terms of how to tackle HR. I wasn’t able to find much that was really helpful.”
The Solution
As Emily investigated different HRIS offerings on a software comparison site, she needed options that would let her stay financially accountable to her leadership and to her funders. “Being a nonprofit, affordability is always the number one question. One thing I’ve always appreciated about BambooHR is that they don’t gouge you from month to month,” Emily says. “It’s a very reasonable price, and the ROI is so high that I could make the case for BambooHR a thousand times.”
CARING CUSTOMER SERVICE: After selecting BambooHR, Emily says that it was her post-sales experience that solidified her decision. “My first customer service interaction was so kind that it put me over the edge. Every person at BambooHR is helpful and kind, and that means a lot. As someone who is chasing down problems all the time, having people who are helpful and upbeat and fun to talk to makes all the difference.”
EASE OF USE: While Emily was happy with her customer service, she didn’t want to rely on it. BambooHR’s intuitive interface was an important factor in her success. “It’s super intuitive, and that has been helpful for our staff, especially our new staff, who have access to the directory and all their colleagues on day one. Our staff do home visiting out in the field, all day, every day. They don’t have to call the reception desk for someone’s phone number—they can click the app, find a cell phone number, send a text message, done.”
ACCOUNTABILITY AND TRANSPARENCY: Clear reporting features help Emily provide accountability and transparency for her funders. “Last month our grant writer was asking me for a turnover rate, and I was able to give her not just the turnover rate, but also the narrative of how our turnover rate has gone down by a factor of four over the past three years. The data and the narrative got us the grant.”
Asked about her overall experience with BambooHR, Emily says, “Do it. It will change your life. You will love it. It’s the product and the people. Every experience is a good experience with BambooHR.”
