Community Resource Center of Teton Valley

Tech Upgrade Project – $1,707.92

One of the four theories of change at the Community Foundation of Teton Valley is that greater capacity within nonprofits leads to larger impact in the community. The Foundation understands that streamlining services can save organizations time, money and resources while simultaneously extending the reach and breadth of their missions. The Community Resource Center of Teton Valley seeks to improve lives by connecting those in need with a network of resources. To accomplish their mission effectively necessitated a tech upgrade that the Community Foundation of Teton Valley was pleased to fund in full through our Competitive Grant Program.

Since inception in 2016, the Community Resource Center has provided intensive case management services for 170 clients and assisted hundreds of others with one-time assistance and/or referrals to existing services and programs. The vast majority of these clients exist far below the area’s median income in a situation United Way’s ALICE (Asset Limited, Income Constrained, Employed) Report describes as “working hard but struggling to survive.” Many are single parents, physically disabled, or living in multi-generational households and often facing an acute life crisis.

The majority of daily work with clients at the Resource Center entails a vast array of services, almost all of which are computer, internet, and printer based. Working with donated computers, printers, and scanners that were outdated upon receipt has made simple acts – accessing client files, organizational records, scanning two-sided documents, and large print jobs – unnecessarily time–consuming and cumbersome for both staff and clients. By improving efficiency, clients will spend less time working with documents at the office and staff will increase their capacity to help clients due to reduced time spent on tedious administrative tasks.

Paired with a $1,000 grant from Silver Star’s Caring for the Community Program, the Resource Center will be able to purchase quality, reliable equipment that will last for years to come. The Resource Center currently keeps a log of client visits and will be able to track a reduction in client wait time and active office visit lengths.

Success is saving time for both clients and staff – allowing the Resource Center to better serve clients by streamlining processes during client visits and while completing case management services. By facilitating the ease and speed of services the Community Resource center we help empower their clients by saving them time while providing necessary resources. Equally, this tech upgrade will allow the Resource Center greater capacity to serve more individuals and increase their reach and program services.