Data 4 Change: Crossroads Foundation
Find out how Crossroads uses Qlik to track charitable donations across all devices.
- 3 min read
Crossroads Foundation is a Hong Kong-based non-profit organization that provides a charitable intersection bringing together those in desperate need, with those who can provide help. In 1995, the Crossroads Foundation began by shipping 19 cartons of relief supplies to victims of a major flood in Southern China.
Fast-forward to 2017 and the organization is meeting a global demand, extending their support from Hong Kong and China, to 90 countries around the world. The generous donations come from both companies and private individuals, in the shape of bedding, clothing, educational toys, furniture, technology, medical provisions and electrical appliances.
To meet this global demand, however, the Crossroads Foundation’s original team of two has grown to 70 workers, backed by a formidable network of community volunteers. Subsequently, this growth has also brought a new set of challenges, including:
- Efficiently handling the enormous supply of donated goods
- Effectively managing the continuously growing demands for help
- Utilizing the complex and disparate data that underpins the Crossroads’ operations
- Analyzing the captured data to enhance the quality of delivery, transparency and accountability
Matthew Gow, Director of Crossroads Foundation, recalls how “we spent considerable time analyzing and compiling reports, but we found the process increasingly painful, and the results were insufficient.” Worse still, he remembers the frustration when presenting reports, as requested, to his audience and being asked if they could see different views. “We had the technical skill to do it, but the thousands of man hours needed was not feasible, so I started looking at other options and decided that what we needed, Qlik had.” Gow was not only impressed by the web-based Qlik Sense dashboard, but also by Qlik’s history of working with charities and non-profits.
When asked which of the many apps hosted on Qlik Sense was most impactful, Gow highlighted the series of apps developed for the Crossroads’ Good City project. It allows anyone in Hong Kong to donate efficiently and easily. “Donors can just pull out their smartphone, photograph the item for donation and then book a van to get the item to us.
“With this Qlik app, the average time to respond to donors after we review the donation is less than an hour compared to the legacy way of an automated email response within five working days.
This is powerfully impactful evidence of the transparency and accountability of how Crossroads’ donors can and are making a difference.”