Why the WEND Foundation Chose to Transform with Salesforce and ImagineCRM
“We were in a time crunch; we needed something implemented within a year. ”
Introduction
Founded in 2016 by James Walton, the WEND Collective began as an experimental philanthropic initiative aimed at empowering agents of social change. WEND’s approach draws on the principles of nature, relationships, and the unique value of each individual. Over the years, they have supported a diverse range of pilot projects and initiatives in arts, education, Indigenous rights, social justice, and more. However, as the foundation’s operations grew, they found themselves relying on an outdated grants management system hosted by the family office, which came with limitations.
We spoke with Ravi Shah from The WEND Foundation to understand more about their move to Salesforce, working with our team at ImagineCRM.
Why Move To A New System?
Ravi Shah, who joined WEND midway through their journey, realized the existing system was no longer sustainable.
“We didn’t have a system in place for reporting beyond Google Forms and spreadsheets,” Ravi shared.
“There was just a need for something to replace our manual processes and consolidate our data into one CRM.”
The foundation’s growing impact required a platform that could not only run detailed reports but also offer insights from collected data, transforming raw information into actionable insights. For WEND, a new system wasn’t just about efficiency—it was essential for scaling impact.
Why Salesforce?
Ravi was no stranger to Salesforce, having used it in previous roles, and he was drawn to its flexibility and customization capabilities.
“The ability to customize Salesforce was huge for us,” he explained. WEND’s approach to philanthropy was highly adaptive, involving not just grants but also contracts, emergency funding, and unique models for community support.
“Salesforce allowed us to go beyond a traditional grants platform.” Ravi said.
Integrations like DocuSign also helped streamline operations, ensuring everything stayed organized within one system.
Choosing ImagineCRM as a Partner
When it came time to implement Salesforce, WEND sought out a partner who understood their mission and could work within their timeline. ImagineCRM stood out for its experience, expertise, and ability to work under pressure.
“We were in a time crunch; we needed something implemented within a year,” Ravi said.
The Pain Points Before Salesforce
Understanding that WEND needed to move fast, Ravi reflected on why the ImagineCRM Accelerator was so brilliant, as it provides an out-of-the-box solution that was still customizable, meeting WEND’s unique needs.
“Their reputation and industry expertise were incredible, and their range of accelerators was unique across the sector, as was their Candid Connector which we have found invaluable. Selecting a consultancy can be tricky, but working with ImagineCRM was always organized and moving forward,” he added.
ImagineCRM went above and beyond by adapting their accelerator program to WEND’s experimental needs, including custom screen flows, forms, and budgeting tools.
“ImagineCRM didn’t bat an eye at our requests. They created custom flows and piggybacked on existing technology, always understanding how different we were,” Ravi noted.
“ImagineCRM didn’t bat an eye at our requests. They created custom flows and piggybacked on existing technology, always understanding how different we were.”
Key Features That Saved Time and Resources
Among the customizations, WEND found the Steward Form built by ImagineCRM using Salesforce flows particularly valuable. This form allowed grant managers to submit funding requests seamlessly within Salesforce, enabling a quicker and more organized grant allocation process, the ease was powered by flows which did all of the work.
Additionally, ImagineCRM developed a budget allocation system tailored to WEND’s experimental approach, which encouraged nonprofits to share larger grants. This unique budgeting tool facilitated efficient resource distribution and community collaboration, staying true to WEND’s unconventional philosophy.
Impact on Team Adoption and Satisfaction
One of the biggest changes WEND noticed was in team satisfaction and user adoption. With forms and dashboards designed to simplify interactions, even non-technical team members found the platform easy to use.
“The feedback from our most tech-challenged colleagues was amazing—they found it intuitive and appreciated how guided the forms were,” Ravi shared.
“Dashboards and reports were bookmarked, making data accessible for informed decision-making.” This ease of use, coupled with centralized data, made Salesforce an invaluable resource for WEND, significantly improving both operational efficiency and compliance.
“ImagineCRM created solutions that truly matched our way of working.” -Ravi shared.
High Satisfaction from the WEND Team
The feedback from WEND’s team over the years has reflected high satisfaction with Salesforce, largely due to how well it streamlined their daily operations. With automated forms and workflows tailored to WEND’s unique needs, team members could spend less time on repetitive tasks and more on strategic activities.
“ImagineCRM created solutions that truly matched our way of working,” Ravi shared, attributing the satisfaction to customizations that fit WEND’s experimental approach.
Access to Information
A central advantage of the new system has been improved access to critical information. Salesforce's dashboards and reporting tools allowed WEND’s team to access real-time data, making information readily available to everyone who needed it.
“Data access was a game changer,” said Ravi, highlighting that bookmarked dashboards and reports enabled informed decision-making and reduced reliance on outdated systems like spreadsheets and Google Forms.
Ease of Reporting and Data Learning
Before Salesforce, WEND relied on Google Forms, where data often became siloed and difficult to analyze. Salesforce transformed reporting by centralizing data, creating seamless workflows for tracking and analyzing impact.
“The ability to run reports and easily view collected data made a huge difference,” Ravi shared. This shift allowed WEND to make informed, data-driven decisions and identify trends over time, empowering strategic growth.
Innovating to help communities
By choosing Salesforce and partnering with ImagineCRM, WEND laid the groundwork for innovation, nimbleness, bridging systems and centralizing data in a way previously impossible.
“ImagineCRM built a solid foundation for us,” Ravi emphasized, noting that their initial implementation has been refined over time to fit evolving needs. Thanks to Salesforce, WEND now has a scalable system that not only supports their operations but also helps realize their experimental vision for philanthropy.
“In the end, ImagineCRM truly lived up to its name, helping WEND imagine—and implement—a CRM solution that empowered them to scale, adapt, and maximize their impact across diverse communities.” shared Ravi
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