Automation: Equipping Nonprofits to Reduce Manual Work
As the Design Lead for this project, I was responsible for defining and executing the design strategy for Keela’s Automation and Workflow feature, a critical enhancement to our nonprofit CRM platform. This initiative aimed to empower organizations by automating time-consuming administrative tasks, improving donor engagement, and boosting retention rates while minimizing manual effort.
The challenge was to design a system that provided robust automation capabilities without overwhelming users. To achieve this, I collaborated with a PM for research efforts and led the development of a flexible and intuitive workflow builder, enabling customized engagement journeys built using triggers, conditions, and automated actions. By prioritizing usability and scalability, we ensured that organizations could effectively personalize outreach, monitor donor interactions, and measure engagement success.
Through extensive internal & external user research, iterative prototyping, and close collaboration with cross-functional teams, we delivered a feature that became a premium add-on, driving a 30% increase in Keela’s MRR and significantly improving operational efficiency for nonprofits. This work was also featured in a case study on one of our partner organizations’ blogs.
Outcome
Automation is a Premium (paid) add-on to Keela’s services, and approximately 20% of the new organizations purchased the add-on since its release, increasing Keela’s MRR (Monthly Recurring Revenue) by 30% monthly on average 🎉
This project was completed in collaboration with the CTO Wayne, Product Owner Susannah, Product Manager Carolyn, Lead Product Designer Alex, SDRs Peter and Hanna (note that some have been promoted to different titles, and/or have moved on to new positions)
Recognition:
Process
Understanding User Needs
To build an effective automation tool, I first researched how nonprofit organizations manage donor engagement and administrative workflows. Through internal and external user interviews and competitive analysis, I gathered insights into nonprofits' common challenges, such as manual data entry (prone to human error), donor retention struggles, and inefficient follow-up processes.
Designing a Flexible Workflow System
A core aspect of this project was developing an intuitive workflow builder. The goal was to give users the ability to set up automated actions such as sending follow-up emails, tagging contacts/team members, and creating tasks without needing technical expertise. By structuring the system around IF/THEN logic, we ensured that organizations could create personalized engagement journeys with minimal effort.
Enhancing Usability and Tracking
To maximize impact, I focused on streamlining the setup process and improving visibility into automation performance. Features like real-time monitoring, detailed engagement analytics, and templated donor journeys allowed users to track donor interactions and measure the success of their automation, ensuring data-driven decision-making.
