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It’s that time of the year again. The smell of fall is in the air, and it’s back to school time for students, parents, and teachers. But, the 2020-21 school year is unlike any other in years past. Many students are returning to school virtually this year because of the Coronavirus pandemic. Unfortunately, there are some kids that are more technologically disadvantaged than other students.
According to research, at least one million California public school children do not have access to the internet at home. So how do school systems and education boards ensure students are being taught effectively? In some cases, they rely on nonprofit organizations to provide strong internet and proper devices to these students in need. Devices for Students is a coalition of educators, tech employees, nonprofits, and local businesses on a mission to ensure students, regardless of socioeconomic status, have access to the same online learning opportunities.
The idea sparked from a movement in Detroit. One man realized that many Detroit Public School students don’t have a laptop or internet at home. He immediately started working to help this acute issue. He also connected with colleagues who realized other geographic areas were dealing with similar issues.
Devices for Students and Accounting Seed
Devices for Students partnered with companies such as Google, Salesforce, and Verizon. Together, they can accomplish their mission of providing laptops and WiFi access to the students who need them most. Earlier this year, Accounting Seed became a partner. We donated our accounting platform to Devices for Students in their pursuit to ensure students, regardless of their socioeconomic status, have access to digital learning opportunities.
Recently, we caught up with Jay Pettigrew, Regional VP of Sales, Marketing Cloud at Salesforce to see how their school year is shaping up. He is also the Co-Founder of Devices for Students.
The last few months have been busy for the nonprofit organization. But, thanks to the help of Accounting Seed implementation partner, UMANA Strategies, Jay stated that it’s been rewarding to work with such an innovative platform like Accounting Seed. Jay went on to say, “None of us knew anything about accounting. In fact, the closest thing we have to an accountant is an elementary school teacher who had taken some accounting classes in college. UMANA Strategies was able to really help us. They came in and showed us how to set up Accounting Seed from the ground up. They showed us all the connections we needed.”
Partners Pitch In
Partners like UMANA Strategies are extremely helpful when the organization might be hesitant to go all-in on an accounting platform. Or in this case, when they aren’t very familiar with accounting practices. “They showed us what we need to keep track of, established processes, and other vital business things. The implementation process was about a month,” Jay said.
Ready for the 2020-21 Academic Year
Before Accounting Seed, the small team at Devices for Students utilized Salesforce for prospecting and marketing. But, they relied heavily on spreadsheets. After they received many inquiries and donations for their cause, they soon realized they needed help tracking donors.
Once they implemented Accounting Seed, Devices for Students was able to track and manage finances, inventory, and donations all on one platform.
“Accounting Seed has allowed us to act bigger than we are. There’s only four of us (at Devices for Students). We’re able to easily fund money to other nonprofits, and it’s easier to collaborate with other people than to use spreadsheets,” Jay stated.
Inspiring Education Through Technology
Tony Zorc, Accounting Seed Founder and CEO, has been in the technology space for over 20 years. He believes in Devices for Student’s mission. “It’s beyond inspiring to see the Accounting Seed platform make an impact on such an important issue. Devices for Students, with the help of Accounting Seed and Salesforce, aren’t letting this pandemic affect the education of our youth.”
Martin Luther King Jr. once said, and this quote is featured on Devices for Students website, “Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, what are you doing for others?”
In a year filled with uncertainty, it’s uplifting to know that organizations like Devices for Students are still thinking of helping others. If you’re interested in joining the fight to flatten the learning curve, follow the link to donate a device. If you’re interested in making a donation, feel free to follow this link to learn more.
Accounting Seed works with nonprofit organizations of all shapes and sizes and is a one-stop-shop for many given the native connection to Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). Given that Accounting Seed is fully native to Salesforce, our solution is easy to set up and brings key features that nonprofits need such as volunteer and donor management, fund accounting, robust audit trails, and more!
If you are a nonprofit organization looking for an accounting solution, contact one of our account executives today for discounted pricing.
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