CiviCore Launches Education Evaluation System

CiviCore is excited to announce the recent launch of an education evaluation system for CSR Colroado, a partnership between Denver Public Schools, the University of Colorado, and Padres y Jovenes Unidos. Here's what Pam Buckley of the University of Colorado had to say about working with CiviCore:

“CSR Colorado – Read, Lead, Succeed” is a joint partnership between Denver Public Schools, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Padres y Jovenes Unidos. CSR is a set of strategies that improve reading comprehension, vocabulary, and content learning for middle school students. The project is funded through a U.S. Department of Education Investing in Innovation (i3) grant. The partnership contracted with CiviCore to design a database for measuring CSR implementation. CiviCore quickly developed a system that is easy to access, efficient, and effectively captures information essential to monitoring the project’s success. Throughout the development phase, CiviCore staff was professional and responsive to the needs of all partners on the grant. They met deadlines and were flexible in creating a system that is customized to capture the data requirements of a very complex federal project. The system recently went live and we have had no major complications or problems. Our users are pleased with how easy and intuitive it is to enter data, and how quick and useful it is to run customized reports (that we are already using to inform and guide our implementation). We thank CiviCore for their fantastic work!

CiviCore Launches Volunteer Management Database for Second Harvest Heartland

CiviCore is proud to announce the recent launch of a volunteer management system for Second Harvest Heartland, the largest hunger relief organization in the Upper Midwest. Last year, Second Harvest Heartland collected and distributed more than 60 million pounds of food to those in need. They utilize thousands upon thousands of volunteers to accomplish this feat, and enrolling, scheduling, and managing volunteers on this scale is a logistical challenge.

We are proud to announce the recent launch of a CiviCore Volunteer Management System that helps Second Harvest Heartland deal with this logistical challenge. Potential volunteers may browse through opportunities, enroll as individuals or as groups for shifts, and "check in" on-site through our unified, web-based system. Staff members can manage the entire process and produce powerful reports through. Here's what Jessica Hultgren, Director of Volunteer Services, had to say about working with CiviCore:

"Partnering with Civicore for the development of our volunteer management system has been a solid decision all the way around. Our processes necessitated a significant level of complexity and we chose Civicore because they offered the right balance of stability and adaptability at a competitive price. We were also extremely impressed by Civicore's commitment to customer service and their genuine desire to build and maintain a long-term relationship with their clients.

I was pleasantly surprised by the development process, as well. Admittedly, I did not think that Civicore was going to be able to accurately assess our needs without visiting us on site. But I was amazed at their intuitive ability to ask the right questions at all points in the process. In many instances, they were able to identify needs that we hadn't even considered. They demonstrated extreme patience and were great listeners as we worked through all the intricate process decisions required for a system of this nature.

Ultimately, working with Civicore has proven to be extremely positive. Our IT Director agrees and has said, on many occasions, Civicore is one of the most professional, connected and responsive software developers he has encountered. Thank you, Civicore!"

We'd like to thank Jessica Hultgren, Matthew Steiner, and the rest of the team at Second Harvest Heartland for the fantastic work that they do. We look forward to helping them continue to grow.

New Hire at CiviCore - Rob Acker

CiviCore is proud to announce the recent hiring of our newest Project Manager here at CiviCore, Rob Acker.

Previously, Rob worked for two years as an instructor for Readak Educational Services, teaching in schools around the world in more than 30 countries. He has also worked in the Political Research Department of Project Vote Smart. This combination of research and education experience makes Rob a great fit here at CiviCore.

Rob received his B.A. in Political Science in 2009 from College of the Holy Cross, located in Worcester, Massachusetts.

Welcome aboard, Rob!

A nice note from a long time client

Mentoring Today is a long time client of CiviCore's who recently received a grant to conduct an in-depth evaluation of their program. They serve youth both before and after they are released from incarceration to support their successful reintegration into their families and community.

We just received a message from mentoring today saying that after a review and tour of the CiviCore database, the evaluation firm stated that "it was one of the best databases for juvenile justice that they've ever seen!"

We'd like to thank Whitney Louchheim and the rest of the staff at Mentoring Today for partnering with us on this project. We are proud to have Mentoring Today as a client and we appreciate all that they do.

SOS Outreach International Partners with CiviCore!

SOS Outreach International has partnered with CiviCore over the past five years to manage both client and contact systems.  They recently upgraded their systems to CiviCore's new platform, a move that provided them with a customized solution that integrates disparate summer and winter program registration as well as a contact management system - all within one database.

Here's what Seth Ehrlich, Development Director at SOS, had to say about their experience,

"Throughout our relationship with CiviCore, and particularly during the recent system upgrade, I feel that they strive to understand the unique needs of our organization and have created efficiencies in our program delivery and contact management through available technology.  The planning process was instrumental in challenging SOS to think of our standard operating procedures differently and to understand what is possible through technology.  As a result, we have an effective system to manage offer 5,000 annual participants and 15,000 organization contacts." 

We'd like to publicly commend the work SOS Outreach does as well as their loyalty over the years - thanks!

CiviCore client Colorado Youth Corps Association receives $1 Million Grant

     CiviCore is proud to announce that the Colorado Youth Corps Association recently received a $1 million grant from the State Government.  The money will go towards creating "... 400 statewide outdoor jobs for young adults through the CYCA ... Young people hired will work on stewardship projects for Colorado's trails, parks, open spaces, and wildlife habitat."

   CYCA has used CiviCore software for more than 5 years to accurately track and report outcomes to the state from all youth corps, and our partnership has helped CYCA demonstrate the impact of their organization across the state of Colorado.

For more information on the grant, and to read the full press release, click HERE.

Congratulations, CYCA!

CiviCore launches Client Tracking System for Colorado AgrAbility

  CiviCore is proud to announce the launch of a version of our Client Tracking platform for AgrAbility Colorado. Founded in 1990 and funded through the Farm Bill, The Agrability Project aims to "enable a high quality lifestyle for farmers, ranchers, and other agricultural workers with disabilities." AgrAbility is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and consists of a National Project and 24 State-Level projects, each involving collaborative partnerships between land grant universities and various nonprofit disability service organizations.

  Here in Colorado, the AgrAbility project is collaboration between Colorado State University Extension and Goodwill Industries of Denver. The CAP (Colorado Agrability Project) seeks to assess agricultural work sites and tasks, recommend adaptations to equipment, refer to services, and provide workshops and information for disabled farmers and agricultural workers.

  CiviCore's Client Tracking System has been deployed to help the CAP more efficiently track, manage, and report on client information, site visits, and the services rendered on behalf of their clients.  We are excited to be a part of such an inspiring project, and we'd like to thank the team from CAP and Goodwill for partnering with us on this project.

CiviCore launches Client Tracking system for Bright Beginnings Colorado

CiviCore is proud to announce the recent launch of a version of our Client Tracking platform for Bright Beginnings Colorado.  Bright beginnings was established in 1995 by former Colorado Governor Roy Romer and former Charmain of Procter & Gamble Brad Butler in an effort to make Colorado "the best place to raise a child."  Since then, the organization has provided support and early education, free of charge, to more than 140,000 families throughout Colorado.  Here is what Kim Easton, the Executive Director of Colorado Bright Beginnings, had to say about their experience working with CiviCore:

"We are thrilled with our new statewide database!  It allows us to better track and report on important data pertaining to the families we serve as well as the agencies/volunteers we collaborate with. Being able to work with CiviCore to build a system that works for our unique statewide organization structure was key to the success of this product for us. The process – from development to launch - has been amazingly smooth.  The Civicore staff are extremely professional and responsive and have been wonderful to work with."
 

We'd like to commend Kim and the rest of the team at Colorado Bright Beginnings for the great work they do, and we look forward to working with them going forward.  Thanks, all!

CiviCore 2010 Year in Review

CiviCore is proud to work exclusively with non-profits, public agencies, and foundations.   In 2010 CiviCore began providing databases for over 60 new organizations.  We now serve over 350 customers across North America (including Canada, Mexico and Guatemala) who all have one thing in common...they are in the business of helping others. Knowing that there are hundreds of thousands of people (and in some cases cats and dogs!) benefiting from the services CiviCore's customers provide is the reason we do what we do every day.  Here are just a few of the ways that our customers are making a difference in the communities they serve: Young people who need support and direction are being matched with a caring adult mentor. Volunteers are signing up to work on projects that improve parks, trails, and our  natural environment. Crime victims are getting the help they need to recover and move forward. Cats, dogs and other animals are benefiting from the care they need provided by committed volunteers. Adults are receiving job training and other assistance to move towards self-sufficiency. Senior citizens, families, and people with disabilities are having their homes repaired by teams of motivated volunteers to ensure that their homes are warm, safe, and dry. Families in crisis are receiving emergency assistance in the form of shelter, food, kindness and other household necessities. Children are receiving quality early learning opportunities. College-bound students are applying for and receiving scholarships. And much, much more!

2010 CiviCore Highlights

Completed the development of a brand new cloud-based technology platform that allows CiviCore to build even more sophisticated database systems for our clients at an affordable price. Contact Dave Ryan at dave@civicore.com or Rich Rainaldi at rich@civicore.com to learn more about the new features we are able to offer our clients. We added some very talented new members to our team.  Our expanded team allows us to meet the needs of our clients in the areas of project management, customer service, and new technology.  Please contact Joni Zisman at joni@civicore.com to learn more about how we can meet your training and customer service needs.  Click here to see our team member bios. Partnered with several national organizations to create database systems to help them manage information throughout large affiliate networks. Created and hosted the technology platform for Colorado Gives Day, the largest one-day fundraising effort in the country in 2010. Expanded our work with clients in our core areas of mentoring, volunteer management, case management, evaluation, and victims' services.  CiviCore Grows to Meet Increased Demand      Over the past year, CiviCore has nearly doubled in size.  Brief staff profiles are available at http://www.civicore.com/ourteam. We have also begun to provide on-going webinars for affiliate based organizations, and we are happy to conduct and record refresher trainings for your organization as your staff changes.  Please contact joni@civicore.com if you are in need of further training.      Over the past 10 years, our growth has come largely from referrals.  We truly appreciate our customers recommending us.  Please let us know if you refer a colleague who becomes a CiviCore customer and we will recognize your gesture with a free month of hosting!

We are always available to help you!  Please contact any of our staff, send email toinfo@civicore.com or call us at 303-477-0900.  We are here to empower those making an positive impact on their communities by helping implement unique data systems for the public sector. Follow us any way you'd like:   http://www.civicore.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=home.blog https://twitter.com/CiviCore http://www.facebook.com/CiviCore Sincerely, The entire CiviCore Team We look forward to continuing to work with you in 2011!

CiviCore Launches Mentoring Management System for TeamMates

     TeamMates Mentoring Program recently launched their multi-chapter CiviCore Mentoring database.  Tom and Nancy Osborne founded the TeamMates Mentoring Program in 1991 in an effort to provide support and encouragement to school aged youth. The goal of the program is to see youth graduate from high school and pursue post-secondary education. To reach this goal, youth meet one hour per week with a caring adult who serves as a mentor. Mentors are volunteers from the community who have dedicated themselves to making a difference in the life of a young person. Mentors give youth a sense of hope, purpose and vision.     They serve thousands of youth and mentors across hundreds of Chapters in Nebraska.  


Allyson Horne, Regional Coordinator, and the manager of the CiviCore project from TeamMates, had this to say about their CiviCore database: 


"I just wanted to say WOO HOO AWESOME!  I called [our ED] yesterday after I got off the phone with you and Kasey - so excited to tell her about it and just so excited in general.  Thanks for all the hard work that has gone into this and please send my appreciation to all the CiviCore staff.  It is wonderful to know how much better our data collection is going to be.  It's been a long haul for all of us, but when you work hard and get such amazing results, it's AWESOME."


Here at CiviCore, we'd like to thank Allyson and the rest of the staff at TeamMates for the great work they are doing.  We are excited that our software can help this organization make a difference in the lives of more and more young people.

CiviCore Launches Upgrade with Capital Partners For Education

Capital Partners for Education (CPE)  has been a CiviCore client for over 2 years now and has recently upgraded their database to CiviCore's new platform. Their aim is to improve the futures of low-income youth by helping them receive a quality education, graduate from high school, and attend college.  Here is what Kathleen Malliarakis, Deputy Director of CPE, had to say about their experience with CiviCore:

     "Our Civicore database is extremely user-friendly. We are able to capture and use important data pertaining to both our programmatic and fundraising efforts in the same online platform, which has improved our overall efficiency as an organization. I appreciate the Civicore team greatly. They are friendly, efficient and really wonderful to work with."

We'd like to thank Kathleen and the rest of the staff at CPE not only for being great clients but also for the great work they are doing for the youth of the Washington, D.C. area.