The University of Cincinnati Foundation (UCFND) faced a critical challenge in 2017-2018: their CRM system provided limited access to underlying data, preventing them from implementing advanced reporting tools like Tableau. By migrating to Concourse's private cloud hosting solution, UCFND gained direct database access, implemented comprehensive Tableau dashboards, and established a true strategic partnership that supports their ongoing innovation needs.
Established in 1975, the University of Cincinnati Foundation inspires a community of UC and UC Health supporters through the power of philanthropy. With a total endowment exceeding $2 billion across over 2,600 underlying funds, the foundation plays a vital role in supporting the university's mission. In FY 2024 alone, UCFND received $169.8 million in new donations from 46,792 gifts across individual donors, corporate partners, and foundations.
When UCFND originally launched their previous CRM solution, they encountered a significant limitation that would impact their ability to make data-driven decisions.
"When we originally launched with [another hosting provider], the way their configuration was set up, we did not have direct access to tables in order to be able to implement Tableau or an advanced reporting tool," explains Carrie White, Vice President of Technology, Information and Philanthropic Strategy at UCFND.
The foundation found themselves caught between basic out-of-the-box reporting solutions and expensive custom software development, with no middle ground to meet their sophisticated analytics needs. This limitation was particularly problematic for an organization managing billions in endowment funds and thousands of donor relationships.
Beyond the technical constraints, UCFND sought a different type of partnership. "We were looking for that strategic partner that could be the advisor to the kind of under-the-hood operations on how we could achieve our goals," White continues. "We were looking for that hands-on, one-on-one approach that put us a little more in the driver’s seat."
In 2018, UCFND made the strategic decision to migrate their CRM environment to Concourse's private cloud hosting platform. This transition provided several immediate benefits:
The migration gave UCFND full read-only access to their production database and administrative access to their test environments. "We couldn't run a SQL environment with [our previous provider], and here and we have full access in our test environments, and we can have read-only access which is perfect in our production environment," notes Shawn Schaeffer, Executive Director of Fundraising Applications at UCFND.
Concourse established a comprehensive environment structure, including separate staging, training, production, and development servers, enabling UCFND to test and develop solutions safely before deployment.
Instead of standard rigid offerings, Concourse demonstrated flexibility and partnership throughout the migration process. When technical issues arose during the go-live process, Concourse stepped up as a true partner. "Concourse wasn't nickel-and-diming us," White recalls. "Their approach was, we're here to get you set up and sorted out. And they really dug in and figured out and resolved any issues."
With direct database access, UCFND has built an extensive analytics infrastructure. "Hundreds of new Tableau dashboards for everyone," Schaeffer reports. "All of our alumni numbers are on Tableau. All of our fundraising numbers are on Tableau. Everything that we want or need is in Tableau now."
Administrative access to test environments has eliminated bottlenecks in the development process. "I'm an admin on the two test servers and I can move my own code and I don't have to put in a ticket to migrate code, which saves countless hours," Schaeffer explains. "Instead of having to do this through a ticket process, I can do it myself, which makes so much more business sense in a test environment."
The foundation now leverages their data to inform business strategy and demonstrate impact. As White explains, "Our job- our contribution- is our ability to impact, influence effectiveness and efficient work. If we can increase that and decrease risk, that's equivalent to increasing revenue or decreasing expenses."
The relationship between UCFND and Concourse exemplifies how technology partnerships should function in complex organizations. The foundation values Concourse's willingness to adapt and find solutions rather than defaulting to rigid one-size-fits-none offerings.
"There just seems to be a willingness and comfort from Concourse to make solutions that work for us versus here's our standard offerings and this is what we do," White notes. "Concourse feels like an extension of our team. It doesn't feel like there's this third-party entity... it really feels like a mutual alignment of our needs and our strategies."
This partnership approach is particularly valuable in the nonprofit sector, where organizations must balance innovation with strict stewardship requirements. White observes, "I think this matters in our industry in particular because we are associated with donor money and being excellent stewards... nonprofits are faced with operating as lean as humanly possible."
As technology continues to evolve, UCFND remains positioned to adapt and innovate through its partnership with Concourse. The foundation is particularly interested in emerging technologies like AI and automation that could further enhance their operational efficiency while maintaining the security and stewardship standards required in their industry, and the partnership they have with Concourse allows for experimentation and thoughtful innovation.
The University of Cincinnati Foundation's success with Concourse’s private cloud hosting solutions demonstrates several critical principles for organizations considering similar transitions:
For organizations managing significant data assets and requiring sophisticated reporting capabilities, the University of Cincinnati Foundation's experience demonstrates how the right hosting partnership can unlock transformative analytics capabilities while providing the operational flexibility needed for continued innovation.
For more information on the University of Cincinnati Foundation, visit their website.