How Friends of Trees Gained Valuable Insights from Race and Ethnicity Data

Friends of Trees inspires people to improve the natural world around them by planting trees together. The nonprofit organizes nearly 7,000 volunteers annually to help keep urban green spaces healthy for all to use in western Oregon and Southwest Washington. The organization uses Nonprofit Cloud to manage, track, and connect with thousands of volunteers, donors, and partners.

Some of the organization’s reports were complicated and relied heavily on filters and cross object reporting. As a result, staff lacked confidence in the accuracy of the reports. The organization needed an easy, digestible way for staff to understand who the organization was serving, including the race and ethnicity of their volunteers and donors. 

“As a nonprofit, it’s no surprise that money and time are stretched to their breaking points,” said Carey Aroonsuck, Volunteer & Operations Administrator. That’s why they applied for the Pro Bono Program, which matches Salesforce volunteers with nonprofit and education customers. 

Salesforce employee, Andy Cogbill, signed up to help. Within a few months, the organization was able to create an actionable report on the race and ethnicity of constituents – something they had struggled to do for five years. They now have a data-driven strategy for providing equitable access to trees, education, and job opportunities.

“Andy also guided our learning on Trailhead, which empowered us to build reports ourselves,” said Carey. “Now, we’re able to maximize the benefits of Salesforce.”