BVI Innovates Their Operations with Digital Transformation
BVI Innovates Their Operations with Digital Transformation
Location: Chattanooga, Tennessee
Industry: Non-profit Organization
Tactic: Business Innovation
Results:
Developed and mobilized a digital transformation plan
Assessed the current state of their technology needs and processes
Determined and evaluated top technology vendors for each software need
About BVI:
Bicentennial Volunteers, Inc. is the collective term for three related non-profit organizations – BVI, National Emergency Assistance (NEA), and Retiree Resources Corporation (RRC). In partnership with Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA), BVI provides TVA retirees and former employees with the opportunity to get involved in volunteer work, Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) work, and TVA contract work.
Why You Need a Digital Strategy
In today’s competitive climate, digital transformation is essential for productive growth and long-term success.
One study conducted by the Economist Intelligence Unit found that nine out of 10 companies believe digital transformation is now a requirement for success. And nearly 80% say that without further digital transformation, they’ll be at a competitive disadvantage within just three years.
Why? Because a digital strategy doesn’t just raise short-term profits. If implemented with informed research and intentional planning, it builds a more competitive business over time. Learn about how BVI, in partnership with Bridge Innovate, created a digital transformation strategy with amazing benefits.
The Challenge:
BVI recognized their digital tools were falling behind, hindering them from being efficient in key areas of their work. They sought to develop and mobilize a technology modernization plan to:
Enhance internal efficiencies.
Streamline and standardize processes.
Implement automation for data integrations and transfers.
Minimize processing errors.
Ensure adherence to compliance requirements.
And because of BVI’s close relationship with TVA, they hoped to align their workflows and technology better with TVA’s processes to streamline the partnership. Specifically, there were three areas identified for technological modernization:
Payroll
Finance
Grants Management
To start the project, BVI knew they needed support to understand where their technological gaps existed within each of these processes and how to use technology to fill them, so they engaged Bridge Innovate for help.
The Solution:
The Discovery Phase
Implementing and adopting new technology with buy-in can be challenging. To help facilitate the change successfully, Bridge Innovate wanted the BVI team to fully understand how technological transformation could benefit them. So, Bridge started the project with a thorough discovery phase in which the Bridge team assessed BVI’s current needs, identified key processes for technological modernization, and deeply analyzed each process to understand the requirements for each new technology.
Within this phase, Bridge facilitated conversations between the BVI leadership and other nonprofits in the area, letting them ask questions about how they use technology. This enabled the BVI team to learn from similar organizations, discover what technology they like and don’t like, and learn how they use technology to support philanthropic efforts.
At each step of the discovery phase, the Bridge team worked closely with BVI leadership, demonstrating how the new technology would improve their work and productivity. Through this process, Bridge gained valuable buy-in and found alignment with the BVI team, supporting a smoother tech adoption long term.
Next, to identify the specific technological requirements needed, Bridge mapped and diagrammed each process—payroll, finance, and grant management—to understand where technology could make an impact. The Bridge team also extensively interviewed the BVI team and key stakeholders at TVA to learn and diagram their processes from those who own them and to understand what TVA needed from BVI.
With this robust research, it was time to search for vendors.
Managing the RFIs
Bridge conducted an early evaluation of the vendors, narrowing down the top vendors for the BVI team.
Bridge Innovate created a Request for Information (RFI) for each selected vendor to identify the most qualified software solutions for BVI. But before sending BVI a list of every vendor available, Bridge evaluated the software solutions first, prioritizing those that met BVI’s needs and looking specifically for reliable and user-friendly platforms.
In the end, Bridge identified a list of five or six possible partners for each key area and provided comments and recommendations. Ultimately, the final vendors shown to the BVI team best fit their needs, saving BVI significant time and work effort.
Evaluating and Scoring the Vendors
Finally, it was time for BVI to evaluate the vendors. Bridge facilitated vendor and BVI conversations and demos, prepping the vendors each time and providing BVI a vendor scorecard to score each vendor on six criteria:
Company Overview & Experience
Solution Overview
Integration Capabilities
Implementation Process
Data Security
Support and Training
BVI walked away with a clear list of possible vendors and evaluations, helping them make an informed decision while supporting buy-in from each user and stakeholder.
The Result:
With the digital transformation project, Bridge Innovate reduced BVI’s burden of evaluating existing systems to find a solution that fits its particular processes and needs. With this approach, Bridge helped BVI seamlessly define a digital transformation plan and a prioritized set of software vendors.
By the end of the project, the BVI team became champions of the software solutions, recognizing how the new technology would reduce hours of manual work and enable greater productivity overall.
What started as a daunting journey for BVI ended with excitement about the new opportunities for growth and efficiency. Now, as BVI prepares its broader strategic changes as an organization, this technological modernization enables new innovation, efficiency, and growth.
Partner with Bridge Innovate to discover new opportunities for innovative change and refresh your technology strategy. Contact us today.