A Technology Makeover for The Family Giving Tree

A technology makeover would entail streamlining gift distribution at the warehouse during the holiday season. Laser printers onsite would be used for printing missing wish cards. Hand held barcode scanners would be used to sort and track gifts, drastically cutting down on time spent by staff and volunteers. A new server would increase productivity. Having 12 laptops would enable staff to increase productivity and efficiency not only in the warehouse in December, but throughout the year. During the non-holiday season, the laptops would be given to high level staff to use in the office and also off-site. Eventually, the technology could also be used for backpack distribution.

Issues We Currently Face

At the end of December the warehouse is over-flowing with holiday gifts for low-income children. Hundreds of hours are spent by staff and volunteers sorting and preparing gifts for 256 agencies to pick up and deliver to the children they serve. The process of sorting and tracking duplicate and missing gifts is an arduous task. Locating missing gifts is a lengthy manual process. One volunteer may spend up to 20 minutes searching for a replacement gift in the “store” at the warehouse, a task that could take as little as 2 minutes by using a barcode scanner and laptop to transmit data to the store volunteers. Often appropriate substitution gifts are hard to find. Store volunteers are very familiar with the inventory and could provide a better “match” for a child whose original wish was not fulfilled, resulting in more effective wish fulfillment.

Currently, there is no accurate way to track metrics like how many gifts were not delivered, how many duplicates were given etc. Because tracking is done manually, finding these metrics would be close to impossible. With the use of technology for gift tracking, gathering statistical data would be simple and straightforward.

What Will the Impact Be?

Increasing the efficiency of gift distribution will directly impact the number of children served, offering a glimmer of hope to 70,000 children or more, who might otherwise go without any personal present for themselves this coming holiday season. In addition to helping very low-income children in the Bay Area, using technology efficiently will make the gift drive program attractive and feasible for other cities around the nation to adopt. Our vision is that no child in the nation will go without having happy memories of the holiday season.

In addition to changing the lives of the children who receive gifts, school supplies and clothing, there are countless others who would benefit from a technology makeover. Each year, thousands of volunteers are given the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of children, seniors and families. School-aged children are introduced to volunteerism and philanthropy, philosophies that will shape and enrich their lives. Moral is boosted for students, employees and other volunteers.

Parents of low-income children are given reprieve from the feelings of guilt associated with not being able to afford gifts, clothes or school supplies for their children. The Back-To-School drive also helps teachers who often spend their own money on supplies.

Finally, there are 256 non-profit agencies that work very hard to provide safety net services to the low-income community. Employees of these agencies such as clinicians, counselors, case managers and program staff simply collect the wishes of the children they serve and FGT does the rest. By managing the logistics involved in wish fulfillment, FGT enables hundreds of non-profit professionals to focus on their area of expertise, saving them time, money and energy. It truly is a ripple effect.