Case Study: Enhancing Operational Efficiency at Seattle Foundation
Client Overview:
Seattle Foundation is a community foundation committed to making the Seattle area a stronger, more vibrant community for all. The organization collaborates with donors, grantee organizations, and advisors to facilitate impactful philanthropy.
Challenge:
Seattle Foundation faced operational inefficiencies and challenges during a period of leadership and staff transition. They required immediate support to manage day-to-day operations, streamline processes, and maintain effective communication with fundholders, donors, and advisors.
Solution:
She's A Given assigned Mikayla, a highly skilled virtual assistant, to support Seattle Foundation. As the role involved managing a broad range of operational tasks and providing comprehensive support across various functions, Mikayala was assigned due to her diverse professional background. Seattle Foundation needed an experienced VA that would own the role quickly.
Key Responsibilities:
Operational Support:
Managed day-to-day operations requests from fundholders, grantee organizations, donors, and advisors.
Triaged phone calls and multiple inboxes, ensuring timely and accurate responses.
Handled data entry, management, and organization.
Tracked the progress of opening, closing, and transitioning funds.
Assisted advisors with donor communication, scheduling, and notetaking.
Fund Management:
Oversaw a larger, fiscally sponsored group of funds.
Tracked and organized the schedule for incoming and outgoing grants, grant reports, invoices, and payments.
Created calendars with biweekly reminders for all upcoming due dates.
Processed grant requests and informed both grantees and donors when funds were sent.
Scheduled and organized monthly meetings, providing notes highlighting outstanding tasks and incoming funds.
Client Feedback:
"I don’t know what we would have done without Mikayla’s assistance over the past several months. She was able to jump in remotely and make herself an indispensable part of the team in a very short time. Mikayla is organized, detail-oriented, and flexible, with a can-do attitude. She has brought order to processes, helped our entire team, and has even worked across teams to make processes more efficient. I am thankful for She’s A Given and Mikayla for giving us such timely and needed support during a period of leadership and staff transition."
Hana, Seattle Foundation
Results:
Mikayla's contributions significantly enhanced operational efficiency at Seattle Foundation. Her organized and detail-oriented approach brought clarity and order to various processes, while her flexibility and proactive attitude facilitated smooth transitions and improved inter-team collaboration. The foundation was able to maintain continuity and effectiveness in their operations, thanks to Mikayla's timely and essential support.
Conclusion:
The successful partnership between She's A Given and Seattle Foundation showcases the impact of expert virtual assistant support in navigating organizational transitions and improving operational efficiency. Mikayla's role exemplifies how dedicated and skilled virtual assistants can become indispensable assets to nonprofit organizations, ensuring sustained productivity and streamlined processes.
