Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania, a not-for-profit organization that inspires young people to acquire the business skills and financial literacy needed to improve their lives, plans to double the number of kids it serves to 60,000 students by 2019; a bold leap from the 26,000 in its current curriculum. To get there they needed to maximize their lean staff by giving them the ability to work remotely and access corporate systems and data from anywhere.
They identified several immediate needs:
The team turned to its long-time supporter and partner Evolve IP – The Cloud Services CompanyTM. And while in B2B technology the term 'integration' is a heavily overused and overextended term, the partnership between Junior Achievement and Evolve IP defines the possibilities of integrating not-for-profit and for-profit organizations at volunteering, financial and technological levels. From in-facility student mentoring to boardroom presentations on virtual desktops, this partnership is truly on Cloud Nine.
Transformative Technology
Evolve IP started by upgrading Junior Achievement to its sophisticated IP Phone System, providing the company with a user friendly interface for voice and video calls over the internet. For Junior Achievement, the system enables associates to seamlessly work remotely with advanced features like voicemail in email and the ability to make their mobile phones appear and respond like their office phone. The service also reduces costs with free in-network calling and unlimited usage.
Next, Evolve IP deployed its virtual desktop services to enable even greater mobility and allow employees to work from laptops or other devices from anywhere with an internet connection. As opposed to a one-size-tries-to-fit all onsite desktop system, Evolve IP's Desktop as a Serivce (DaaS) and remote management capabilities provide for unified desktop management for physical and virtual desktops alike, so IT departments can deliver the right desktop solution for each user.
Junior Achievement also wanted a virtual private cloud environment and Evolve IP's vServer was able to deliver the privacy of a dedicated cloud environment and the easy scalability of public cloud services. With vServer, Junior Achievement also benefits from Evolve IP's SOC II SSAE 16 security, improved availability of its systems, and compliance.
Transforming Lives
As Evolve IP's partnership with Junior Achievement progressed, the Evolve IP staff became involved in more than the organization's technology − they became involved in its cause. Evolve IP team members began serving as volunteers in Junior Achievement's traditional in-school programs, visiting classrooms every week to work one-on-one with students from grades K-12. The company also became active in Junior Achievement's afterschool programs, including hosting students on the Evolve IP campus to help them learn to start and manage a business. "It's indicative of the company's commitment to the community and its desire to invest in the future. Evolve IP is an innovative company and we want to instill the mindset and entrepreneurial spirit they have in our students," said Paul Kappel, Junior Achievement of Southeastern Pennsylvania Chapter President.
More Time for Programs
Ultimately, moving to Evolve IP's unified cloud platform has enabled Junior Achievement's associates to spend more time on initiatives that directly impact the program's kids. "Evolve IP's cloud technologies have had a major impact on the success of our program," explained Kappel. "We no longer waste time managing technology problems and we're also significantly more efficient working remotely. Our staff can make calls or log into our systems from wherever they are for a totally virtual work environment."
Life Lessons
After participating in Junior Achievement programs for four years, student Tim Develin, talked about the lessons he has learned from Evolve IP volunteers. "Even though the skills I learn from Evolve IP are focused predominantly on business, I've learned things that I can apply to my personal life as well," said Develin. "I've learned important interpersonal skills like networking, speaking confidently to groups, communicating clearly and effectively in different settings, and active listening. I've gained so much from the Evolve IP mentors."
