Insights from a survey of 27 nonprofit leaders from organizations across child and family services, mental health, substance abuse, senior care, community services and more. The study examined challenges and insights from human services organizations with less than 50 employees and shows that 60% still use spreadsheets for tracking and reporting, while nearly four in 10 use paper records for intake, case management, and outcome analysis.
“For growing human services organizations, particularly those with fewer than 40 employees, it is critical to centralize the influx of data coming in about their clients so that the team can prioritize tasks, easily deliver user-driven reporting, and, most importantly, track the outcome of their programming,” said Tristan Louis, President and CEO of Casebook PBC. “Casebook is dedicated to shedding light on this gap in human services because we believe in the power of data for helping more organizations serve their clients and support communities. We know with the right foundation and technology, more people can be helped.”
The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding nearly $720B to organizations in 2024, and for nonprofits and government agencies, tracking and reporting are critical components for ensuring continued access to funds. The Casebook PBC survey shows that a majority of nonprofits are not using data for decision-making because it is difficult to collect - and if they are, they’re using multiple platforms. At the same time, organizations that have deployed case management software are spending less than four hours per program audit - a reduction of nearly 66% compared to those without software.
“We work with families, and we needed a system to store people and notes. We can pull great reports much more quickly and easily than our last program. My employees love the ease of use of Casebook as well,” said Kirsten G of PA Parent and Family Alliance.
Casebook offers a configurable platform that allows nonprofits to collect the data that matters to centralize and streamline client care information with a single solution. By eliminating the challenge of scattered data, Casebook delivers access to all relevant client, case, program, and provider details for seamless, coordinated care. In addition, Casebook generates tailored reports in a fraction of the time, empowering leaders to make data-driven decisions and demonstrate the impact of their services more effectively.
Casebook is outlining its case management workflow best practices to help every organization make the most of their process - with or without software:
Set Clear Goals and Objectives for Your Case: Clients' care goals should be specific to their needs and personal goals. On top of that, their goals should be easy to read and remember to keep them engaged in the process. While miscommunication is bound to happen, a client misunderstanding their goals can impede your case management workflow — especially if you don't see them regularly. Taking extra time to fine-tune goals, including their intents, deadlines, and wording, can go a long way for your clients and caseload.
Standardize Your Case Management Protocols and Procedures: Many case management systems and best practices are evolving to improve engagement, work-life balance, and client care. Staying up to date with the latest case management solutions means you can always provide clients with the best possible care. At the same time, it lets you learn new perspectives and practices to continuously improve your workflow.
Choose the Right Case Management Software: Configurable case management software, such as Casebook, lets you achieve more in a faster, more client-focused workflow. These programs automate clients' records, intake notes, and other data through a user-friendly dashboard. As a result, you can manage your caseload without wasting time on administrative tasks.
Use Communication Tools That Facilitate Collaboration: Clients have various preferred methods of contact, including text, landline, and email. While you should always keep in touch with clients using their preferred method, juggling so many communication threads can be challenging. Without proper organization, you can easily miss messages, details, and appointments. Casebook integrates with emails and phone numbers for better customer relationship management (CRM), giving you a communication paper trail. This simplicity also makes it easy to collaborate with others in your organization for better operational efficiency.
Establish Regular Audit Trails: An audit or paper trail is critical for various reasons. At a base level, maintaining records of your communications, care plans, and interactions with clients keeps you accountable. This way, you can always review previous case data to revise your workflow or goals. Audit trails are also important for legal reasons, such as verifying that a client's personal data wasn't misused. Storing all records in a secure database keeps you compliant with HIPAA and FERPA regulations. Plus, you can track everyone who accesses the information to maintain ethical practices and better incident management.
“Casebook has done an amazing job giving us a suite of tools, and now we can go back and use it to map our processes to save time and make things easier,” added Justin Reese, For the Silent.
Casebook is working with over 350 nonprofits and government agencies nationwide and is committed to helping more organizations improve outcomes.
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