Case Studies
LancetCard™ Empowers Nonprofit Staff to Keep Information & Goals Viable; Homeless Shelter Relies on Website for Volunteers, Promotion and Needed Items
Business: Dakota Woodlands
Website: dakotawoodlands.org
Type of Business: Non-profit
The only emergency / transitional housing facility for homeless women and children in Dakota County uses its website regularly to call for volunteers, personal care items and offer reliable information for people interested in helping it meet its funding goals. It relies on LancetCard for timely upgrades, cost controls and budget management, plus gives employees a sense of ownership by using the card to help maintain the site. This simple tech tool helps in its own small way to ensure that Dakota Woodlands can continue to offer homeless families a place to stay as long as necessary to move from homelessness to new homes.
- The Situation
Nonprofit organizations are no different from the business world when it comes to utilizing a website to help drive various agendas. But good websites often are not a priority, either because the nonprofit organization can't afford one, or if built, the website is often poorly constructed and maintained as well as lacking current information and technology upgrades. At Dakota Woodlands in Eagan, Minnesota - the only emergency / transitional housing facility for homeless women and children in Dakota County - its website plays an integral role in serving the organization's regular call for volunteers, personal care items and reliable information for people interested in helping meet funding goals.- The Solution
Thanks in large part to the generosity of Lancet SoftwareT and the innovation of LancetCard, Dakota Woodlands' website was rebuilt professionally and receives regular upgrades to keep it current and viable. In support of Dakota Woodlands, Lancet donated matching hours when the nonprofit purchased a discounted LancetCard to help renovate and maintain its website. Reaching out to the 1,400 volunteers and hundreds of other supporters each year that serve the poor and needy in the wider Dakota County, where Lancet is based, has never been more efficient and productive.
"We designed our original website ourselves, then Lancet stepped in and helped us transform it into such a professional, user-friendly site. The time we purchased on LancetCard along with Lancet's matching contribution helped us redo our site and ensures it'll be maintained into the future." notes Reyne Branchaud-Linsk, Executive Director for the shelter for the past seven years. "We are already getting compliments on the site and it is great to know Lancet is still there for us, through our LancetCard."- The Result
With an array of benefits, Branchaud-Linsk likens "this clever concept" to "a coffee club card." She says, "It's brilliant, it's simple to use and comes with great customer service. LancetCard can be very useful for nonprofits." In addition to being affordable and easy to execute, other benefits realized include:
- Tracks line-item budgets for websites
- Empowers employees in communications and fundraising with direct access to Lancet to maintain the site
- Instills employee pride and ownership in the website
- Simplifies site navigation and focuses on the customer
- Eliminates the fear of overspending with online usage tracking.
