Skilled volunteers from Troutman eMerge assisted Georgia Innocence Project by creating a business process roadmap to streamline processes, allowing more time to focus on their mission.
Georgia Innocence Project corrects and prevents wrongful convictions in Georgia and assists clients freed from wrongful incarceration. As a nonprofit law firm, they offer free legal services to investigate and litigate cases, working to free those who are factually innocent of the crimes for which they were convicted. They also provide reentry and long-term support services, helping the freed and their families recover and rebuild their lives with freedom and dignity.
Thanks to an introduction from and generous funding of their Apparo Tech Therapy by The Tull Foundation, Georgia Innocence Project (GIP) was set on a path to address their operational inefficiencies. Specifically, staff were spending a significant portion of their day navigating disconnected systems, manually searching for documents, and re-entering the same data in multiple places. In some cases, staff could spend anywhere from two hours to multiple days locating files for a single case. These inefficiencies also created other risks, such as incomplete activity tracking that could affect state reimbursement and billing.
The organization faced additional challenges related to security and sustainability. Due to limited time and staff, the organization had difficulty with system maintenance, digitization, and undocumented processes increased key-person risk. Staff was spending a significant portion of their day navigating disconnected, manual and duplicative systems.
Apparo paired GIP with a team of skilled volunteers from Troutman eMerge, who also generously funded this project. During their Community Impact Project, they assessed GIP’s current state and assisted with creating detailed and organized written processes. They also recommended technology tools that could assist with streamlining their processes.
Nonprofit improves operational efficiency with business processes
While the recommendations are still in the early stages of implementation, Georgia Innocence Project already has a clearer path forward. Based on their assessment, GIP anticipates freeing up approximately 25 percent of a full-time role by streamlining application intake, screening, and case setup processes, tasks that previously consumed nearly half of a staff member’s day.
Additional anticipated impact includes saving two hours to multiple days of staff time per case by eliminating manual file searches and consolidating client data into a single source. Improved documentation and activity tracking are expected to reduce the risk of lost revenue tied to state reimbursement, while avoiding duplicate document purchases and excessive retrieval efforts can lower operational costs.
Stronger systems will also allow staff to better leverage volunteers, accelerate investigations, and move cases through screening and review more efficiently. Over time, this increased efficiency supports faster case progression, more client successes, and stronger fundraising potential, especially as funders increasingly look for nonprofits that use technology intentionally to accelerate impact. By strengthening internal systems and data practices, Georgia Innocence Project staff can spend more time meeting with clients and advancing justice.
The collaboration also opened the door to future support, including the possibility of engaging law students through pro bono programs to help advance pieces of the roadmap.
The Volunteer Team from Troutman eMerge share their experience
“It was a privilege to partner with Georgia Innocence Project over the past several months. Learning in detail about their selfless advocacy motivated us to help streamline their processes, provide methods of reducing risk, and share our data management expertise so they can focus even more on their life-changing work.”
— Corporate Volunteer Team, Troutman eMerge
