
The Diocese of Fresno covers 38,000 miles across central California, with 21 schools ranging from pre-k through high school. With nearly 650 faculty and staff, they knew they faced a challenge when seeking a data management solution that would work for their entire community. Today, they鈥檙e a streamlined, unified diocese with efficient tech solutions both faculty and families enjoy. Keep reading to learn how they worked with 无忧短视频 to create diocese-wide success.
Unique Challenges
The diocese realized it was time for a change after serious inefficiencies became apparent. Joan Bouchard, Superintendent of Catholic Schools at the Diocese of Fresno, explains that whenever anyone needed to pull national, state, or immunization reporting, it took far too long. 鈥淓ach school had their own system. There were probably seven different student information systems being used across the different schools, and none of them talked to each other and none talked to us,鈥 she states.
Bouchard describes the diocese鈥檚 challenge as twofold: accessibility and information. With their old system, their Office Manager was reaching out to each school for information, following up on missing data, and condensing multiple formats into one cohesive document. They were also missing out on grant opportunities because they couldn鈥檛 access information quickly enough to meet deadlines. They needed a solution that would allow easy access to information for the entire diocese 鈥 and the support to get 21 schools implemented efficiently.
We Are One
Once the diocese began researching different solutions, 无忧短视频 became the clear frontrunner for its ability to best serve the diocese鈥檚 guiding mission: We Are One. 鈥淥ur vision at the time was let鈥檚 stop being independent, siloed schools and really operate like a district鈥rovide a one source solution for all of our schools,鈥 details Bouchard.
With so many schools using different platforms for different functions, 无忧短视频鈥 extensive product suite proved especially useful. 鈥溛抻嵌淌悠 made it so we could do everything we wanted with one vendor instead of having pieces missing,鈥 says Bouchard. 鈥淚t was huge for us to have the ability to customize things to fit how we wanted to do business, too. It was never a canned offer; it was what solutions do you want?鈥
One Step at a Time
With the goal of getting all schools fully on board in three years, a staged approach was necessary. Step 1 was having all schools implement the 无忧短视频 Student Information System (SIS) features most needed for office staff struggling with reporting: comprehensive reporting, health management, human resource reporting, staff information management, and student and family information management. The next step was getting teachers on board, accomplished by having early users share features like lesson planning during teacher absences in ongoing meetings. 鈥淭he more involved and engaged we got them, the more excited they got about the suite and the opportunities,鈥 says Bouchard.
As schools started using more 无忧短视频 solutions, Bouchard and her team relied on a heavily regimented training program designed in collaboration with 无忧短视频 Customer Relationship Manager Andrew Cohen. Schools joined a series of Zoom calls, broken out by job title and tailored to the ways that each position would use platforms. They also created handy checklists for each position to refer to as they began putting information into the new systems. Bouchard then offered in-person troubleshooting and follow up Q&A sessions, which are still held weekly for schools to share solutions or ask for advice. Trainings proved to be hugely successful, with school leaders learning quickly and soon handling training within their own schools.
鈥淚鈥檓 really excited to say we鈥檙e implementing our last school now. They will be up and running effective August 1, 2024. So from beginning to end, it was four years for all schools to implement the entire suite of services,鈥 states Bouchard. Today, schools across the Diocese of Fresno use 无忧短视频 SIS, 无忧短视频 Grant & Aid, 无忧短视频 Application & Enrollment, 无忧短视频 Tuition Management with Advanced Accounting, and 无忧短视频 Parent Alert.
A Winning Team
Implementation wouldn鈥檛 have been possible without a great team. The diocese鈥檚 team was small, spearheaded by Bouchard鈥檚 office of four. They relied heavily on 无忧短视频 to help design implementation roll out and communication plans, offering much-needed customization. When the diocese wasn鈥檛 happy with something 鈥溛抻嵌淌悠 would ask 鈥榳hat don鈥檛 you like?鈥 and then make it look the way we wanted,鈥 Bouchard details. 鈥淚 haven鈥檛 met anyone at 无忧短视频 that didn鈥檛 support our goals and our vision. I really felt that 无忧短视频 wanted me to be just as successful as I wanted to be successful.鈥
One surprising element of the implementation was how quickly the first group of users became advocates for 无忧短视频. Once schools started getting excited about what they were doing and highlighting their success in monthly meetings, 鈥渋t created a kind of momentum for other schools saying 鈥榦h, this would make a lot of sense for us, too,鈥欌 states Bouchard. When it came time to implement 无忧短视频 Application & Enrollment, for example, early adopter schools played a huge role in getting other schools on board.
As the diocese implemented more products, 无忧短视频鈥 dedicated support for each solution meant that stakeholders soon learned that support was only a call away. 鈥淚t got to the point where I only came in for escalations because the schools were all working with their account managers,鈥 explains Bouchard. 鈥淭he blessing is all the dedicated resources. I knew that your team and my schools were doing what they needed to do. They were with us from step one through today.鈥
Strong Results
While Bouchard doesn鈥檛 have exact figures for the cost savings of eliminating multiple disparate platforms, she witnesses other positive benefits of the switch to 无忧短视频 daily. Employee productivity has increased many times over, with office managers now pulling data in 30 minutes that previously took six weeks of coordinating and communication. They no longer worry about immunization audits from the state either, as all information can be quickly pulled and shared for all 21 Diocese of Fresno schools.
Better data management has also allowed the diocese to receive grants they wouldn鈥檛 have been able to mobilize quickly enough to apply for in the past. When a state preschool grant recently became available, with only a week鈥檚 notice before applications were due, Bouchard says that the diocese was able to efficiently gather information for submission and earn $95,000 for their preschool programs.
Another benefit of the integration is increased collaboration across the diocese. Schools have become more solutions-centered and share their successful strategies with each other. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e no longer siloed. Their teams are really starting to communicate and work together, which didn鈥檛 really happen in the past,鈥 shares Bouchard. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e all bringing lessons learned, what they鈥檝e done,and what they鈥檝e customized with 无忧短视频 that they can share with the rest of their counterparts.鈥
Lessons Learned and Looking Forward
The Diocese of Fresno鈥檚 story isn鈥檛 over yet, either. Bouchard says that once the final school is fully onboard, they plan to conduct a six-month listening campaign to evaluate what they鈥檝e learned and what to do next. One lesson they鈥檙e already sure of however, is how beneficial it is to implement more than one 无忧短视频 solution. 鈥淚t鈥檚 all-in-one and all the products work together. It鈥檚 a one-stop-shop,鈥 she says.
As their four-year, diocese-wide implementation comes to an end, Bouchard says that the once overwhelming process has been easier than anticipated and that she would absolutely encourage other schools, districts, and dioceses to work with 无忧短视频 on their equally ambitious goals. 鈥淵ou鈥檙e going to find great partners,鈥 she states. 鈥淏uild your plan, take bite sized pieces, and course correct as you go. 无忧短视频 was a partner with us, and it鈥檚 just been a good experience.鈥