How a University Foundation Recovered Momentum After a Salesforce Go-Live
A case study in restoring clarity, rebuilding confidence, and stabilizing post–go-live operations.
Client Snapshot
Organization: - Client name withheld for confidentiality.
Organization Type: University foundation
Size: Mid-size academic non profit organization
System: Salesforce
ABS Role: Senior business analyst, tech assessment, and strategic advisory
The Situation
The organization had recently gone live with Salesforce Ascend with the goal of improving efficiency and visibility across advancement operations.
Instead, the system introduced new friction.
Gift processing workflows became more complex, backlogs increased, and key accounting and reconciliation needs were not fully met. While discovery occurred during implementation, several functional gaps surfaced after go-live, leaving staff frustrated and fatigued.
Training and technical solutions were not fully aligned with how teams actually worked. Internally, Salesforce support relied heavily on a single IT resource, creating a bottleneck and a clear continuity risk. Morale was slipping, and teams needed visible progress to rebuild confidence in the system.
Why This Mattered
This wasn’t just a system configuration problem.
Gift processing slowed, impacting reporting timelines
Stress and burnout increased among gift processors
Confidence in Salesforce declined, risking disengagement
Leadership lacked clarity on how to course-correct
A major CRM investment risked underperforming
Without intervention, Salesforce Ascend risked becoming a system that teams tolerated rather than trusted.
How ABS Helped
Anchored Business Strategies approached the engagement with a clear focus: listen deeply, then act deliberately.
Rather than prescribing fixes upfront, we worked to understand:
Where workflows were breaking down
Which issues were technical versus process-driven
What “quick wins” would meaningfully improve daily work
The goal was to give leadership an honest, actionable picture of what was happening and a practical path forward without overwhelming an already stretched team.
What We Did
Conducted staff interviews and surveys across gift processing, accounting, and advancement
Evaluated the Salesforce Ascend configuration and post go live customizations
Identified functional gaps impacting reconciliation and daily operations
Updated and refined user stories to support clearer technical prioritization
Analyzed gift processing workflows to identify non technical improvements
Assessed internal support and training models to reduce single-point-of-failure risk
Presented findings and recommendations to executive leadership
Delivered a phased roadmap focused on adoption, usability, and sustainability
The Results
Leadership gained a clear, actionable view of system gaps and root causes
ABS was retained for an additional six months to implement early roadmap phases
Gift processor interfaces were updated to surface critical information and reduce data entry time
Reporting training improved staff confidence and system usage
Constituent, organization, and gift homepages were redesigned to better support daily work
Priority backlogs were formalized and documented for ongoing execution
Most importantly, momentum was restored, and teams began to see Salesforce as a system that could actually support them.
Why This Worked
This engagement succeeded because the focus wasn’t just on configuration.
By centering adoption, people, and real workflows, the organization was able to:
Deliver quick wins that rebuilt morale
Reduce friction without major rework
Create a roadmap that leadership and staff could realistically sustain
Progress came from aligning technology to how teams actually work—not the other way around.
If This Sounds Familiar
If your organization has gone live with a CRM but still feels stuck, overwhelmed, or fatigued, you’re not alone, and you’re not failing.
You don’t need to start over.
You need clarity, prioritization, and steady leadership to regain momentum.
Anchored Business Strategies helps organizations recover after implementation and turn systems into tools that teams trust.
Let’s talk!
