Written by: Bonterra (previously Social Solutions) – Interview with Certified Implementation Partner Treadwell
We are delighted to present Treadwell, Social Solutions Certified Implementation Partner for both ETO & Apricot, and Platinum Sponsor of the Impact Summit. Treadwell specializes in the implementation, support, and ongoing training of Social Solutions’ Apricot & ETO software. Treadwell consultants use their vast knowledge and experience to teach organizations how to show their full impact in the best way.
We sat down with John Bianchi, Principal at Treadwell, and asked him a few questions about Treadwell, his experience with ETO and the nonprofit sector, and the Impact Summit. Continue reading for his insightful interview!
SS: Treadwell has been a Social Solutions Certified Implementation Partner for 3 years. Tell us what you’re about.
JB: We exist to help Social Solutions’ clients get more out of ETO Software. ETO is an extremely powerful tool, and we know how to configure it right the first time.
We’re a small, ETO-centric consulting firm made up of highly experienced ETO professionals. Our staff has “insider experience and outsider perspective” – insider experience as former Social Solutions employees, and outsider perspective; from our frontline, nonprofit experience to data analytics specialties.
SS: You’re known as a report-writing expert for ETO. Is that your primary role with Treadwell?
JB: With our experience as Social Solutions Partner, each of us at Treadwell is capable of any ETO-related task, from report writing to advanced configuration strategy, training, and data migration.
However, we also tend to specialize a bit. I very much enjoy advanced report writing. I’ve been working on some very advanced reports for ROCA Inc. in Boston, helping to measure the impact of their Pay for Success model.
Even so, I probably spend more time on configuration strategy. In the reporting world, it’s much more important to get the configuration right. When the configuration is solid, reporting is very simple.
SS: We hear about Treadwell’s reports all the time, what else are you working on right now?
JB: The best part of my job is how creative we can be working with clients. We do everything from serving as the primary administrator, to providing on-demand report-writing, and everything in-between.
With Project HOME, in Philadelphia, we’ve completely redesigned the Education and Workforce Development programs, and created a suite of user-management reports so everyone knows exactly what they’re supposed to be doing.
With Youth for a Change, in Denver, Treadwell simply serves as an ear to bounce ideas off, and help simplify processes. We developed some very fun dashboard reports that display differently depending on the user.
For Dallas Children’s Advocacy Center and Project Harmony, we’re conducting large scale data migrations, and developing advanced systems to help protect vulnerable and abused children.
SS: You must work with many different administrators in all sorts of situations. What are one or two things you would advise an administrator to make their lives easier?
JB: An ETO Administrator must be a blend of two worlds. It’s vitally important that the administrator knows and understands all of the programs that they’re responsible for: how do the staff work, what are the services and outcomes, etc. Secondly, they must develop their technical capacity and understanding of ETO configuration and reporting.
I recommend to administrators that they set up regular meetings with on-the-ground team members to stay on top of changing conditions and help ensure data quality. These meetings are often the reason why some Administrators succeed and others fail.
SS: This is the Second Summit that Treadwell has sponsored. What are you most excited for?
JB: Treadwell’s mission is exactly the same as Social Solutions’ and there is no better place to see the fruits of our work than at the Impact Summit. We exist to empower nonprofits to capture and show their impact. The Impact Summit is the place where we can all stand together, celebrate our successes, learn from each other, and return to our work reinvigorated.
The Impact Summit is also like a family reunion for us! Between Social Solutions staff, our clients, and others in the ETO world, we love working together, but we rarely get together in-person.
I love meeting new clients and hearing all the stories of incredible impact from the past year. We always learn a few new things that are exciting.
I especially love seeing the new product demonstrations and product roadmap. It’s always fun to see what’s coming next.
SS: What do you want people to get out of your Summit session?
JB: My topic is about getting creative with your ETO configuration. ETO is a set of tools that are designed to be most useful to human services nonprofits. There’s so many different, creative ways to use ETO to find a different and better way to do the same thing. I want to introduce people to a couple of ways to spark more creativity.
I hope people walk away with a few cool and practical ways to use ETO. But more importantly, I hope to inspire more creativity in people that they would, in turn, share back with us.
In case you missed it, check out our takeaways from Steve Ballmer’s Keynote Speech at the Impact Summit 2018.
Need help with your Apricot or ETO software?
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Treadwell is Bonterra’s (previously Social Solutions) only certified implementation partner for both Apricot and ETO software. Schedule a free consultation to learn how Treadwell can increase your impact and help you reach your goals.
