Connecting 12 childcare and community sites, and saving $50,000 a year
A North Florida nonprofit was juggling 17 monthly bills, unreliable rural internet and managers on personal phones. We brought every location onto one connected platform, so more resources reach the families it serves.
For a nonprofit, every dollar and hour spent on overhead is one that doesn’t reach the families it serves.
Our client operates a network of childcare centers and community services offices across North Florida. Its mission is supporting families and early childhood development, and it manages a dozen locations, many in remote, rural communities. As the organization expanded, its technology became fragmented and hard to manage.
The challenges
Communication silos
Each childcare center ran its own phone and internet services, creating silos between locations.
Unreliable rural connectivity
Remote sites struggled with unreliable connections and outdated infrastructure, including costly copper lines.
Administrative inefficiency
Staff managed 17 separate monthly bills across locations.
Reliance on personal devices
Area managers used personal cell phones for work, creating privacy, reimbursement and consistency issues.
Limited remote capability
Staff had little ability to work remotely or stay connected during disruptions.
What we did
Our advisors built a modernization roadmap to unify communications, improve connectivity and streamline operations.
Unified communications platform
One cloud-based platform for voice, video and SMS across every location and staff member, so the whole organization communicates seamlessly.
Internet aggregation
One agreement and one bill for every location, with the right mix of fiber, broadband, LTE and satellite for each site. Service quality improved most in rural areas.
Connectivity modernization
Replaced expensive, outdated copper lines with more reliable cellular-based emergency lines with active monitoring.
Mobility enablement
Standardized communication tools for staff and area managers, ending the reliance on personal devices.
Next: future-state enhancements
In progress: cloud backup, disaster recovery and a managed services provider (MSP) to strengthen resilience and IT support.
What changed
- $50,000 in annual cost savings through consolidation and modernization
- Billing reduced from 17 separate invoices to 2, saving administrative time
- Remote work enabled for all employees, keeping operations running during disruptions
- Better communication and collaboration across all childcare centers and administrative staff
- More reliable, faster connectivity in previously underserved rural areas
By modernizing its communications and connectivity, the organization is better equipped to deliver on its mission while operating more efficiently and securely.
Our board usually takes months to make a decision. Your proposal was so clear and concise, it took minutes for them to agree to move forward.
More mission, less overhead
Let’s find the savings and simplicity hiding in your technology, so more resources go where they matter most.
