Apparo volunteers helped The Go Jen Go Foundation replace scattered spreadsheets with secure, centralized systems to better serve breast cancer patients.
G.A.I.N. – Powered by Lowe’s
The Go Jen Go Foundation is a Charlotte based nonprofit that provides financial assistance to individuals and families in the Greater Charlotte area who are battling breast cancer, supporting patients from diagnosis through treatment and recovery by helping cover essential living expenses. The organization was inspired by co-founder Jen Pagani’s own experience with breast cancer, and it exists today to ease the financial stress that so often accompanies a diagnosis so patients can focus on healing.
One Laptop, One Spreadsheet, No Plan
Before working with Apparo, Go Jen Go’s entire technology operation ran on the edge of what a two person team could manage. Susan Evren, Executive Director of The Go Jen Go Foundation, was working on a laptop that was nearly maxed out, and organizational files lived in her personal Google Drive rather than a shared, organization owned space. Patient data was tracked in a single Excel spreadsheet, cumbersome to report on and editable by only one person at a time, which made it difficult to protect sensitive information or see the full picture of a patient’s journey.
The nonprofit had no documented technology plan and no formal technology policies in place. Jessie Nash, Program Manager at The Go Jen Go Foundation, and Susan came to Apparo wanting a patient database, a documented technology plan, real technology policies, and a clearer sense of what efficiencies better technology could unlock, along with stronger data security. Through the G.A.I.N. program, Apparo connected the nonprofit with a team of experienced volunteers who conducted a Community Impact Project, providing strategic guidance and recommendations to help turn those goals into reality.
From a Spreadsheet to a System That Serves the Mission
The shift is already showing up in how Go Jen Go operates. Moving files into a centralized, organization owned Microsoft 365 environment and toward a dedicated patient database means staff can find what they need faster and collaborate without emailing versions back and forth. It also means the organization can finally see the full journey of a patient, from the moment someone reaches out for help through their engagement as a donor or volunteer, data that strengthens grant applications, donor messaging, and impact storytelling. Just as importantly, documented technology policies and a shared, secure system reduce the key-person risk that comes with running a small nonprofit: information no longer lives solely on one person’s laptop or in one person’s head.
Jessie summed up why that guidance mattered so much for a small team: “Susan and I can ideate forever, but it’s nice to have guidance along the way to make something more actionable than us just saying we’ll get to it one day. That’s our big gap, being a small and mighty team.”
$800 Saved Before the Project Even Wrapped
The new software and hardware inventory paid off immediately. While reviewing their contracts, Susan and Jessie discovered they were paying for call center support through their Bloomerang contract that they weren’t using at all. They cut it, saving Go Jen Go roughly $800 a year, with more potential savings on the table as the organization looks at consolidating tools like Mailchimp and Zoom.
The Numbers Behind the Project
In total, the volunteer team delivered 118 hours of support, valued at a fair market value of $80,000, all provided to Go Jen Go at no cost as part of its participation in G.A.I.N.
What the Volunteers Took Away
The partnership left an impression on the volunteer team too. “Working with professionals with varied backgrounds enabled us to approach each topic from different perspectives which helped us to align on better recommendations for Go Jen Go,” said Journell Joseph, a skilled volunteer on the project.
Shelley Tuttle, another skilled volunteer, felt similarly: “Over the weeks of guided discussion and brainstorming, it was truly rewarding to watch our non-profit leaders gain a stronger grasp of tech policy best practices and the confidence to apply them.”
Howard Bentley, who also volunteered on the project, added that a smaller nonprofit shouldn’t assume solutions like these are out of reach: “It’s not just meant for big companies. The principles can be used for any size organization.”
With the roadmap built and the quick wins implemented, Go Jen Go is set up to keep building on its technology plan well beyond G.A.I.N. Apparo’s team will check back in with the organization in a year to see how the momentum continued. In the meantime, Go Jen Go joins the hundreds of nonprofits Apparo has helped connect to the technology expertise and resources they need to grow their impact.
