For nearly 160 years, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh has been showing up for its community in the moments that matter. With a team of around 50 staff members, the organization provides direct services, advocacy, early education programs, childcare, and more — all guided by its vision of a future where people of all backgrounds can thrive.
But serving the community in so many ways can create operational challenges. According to Sharice Smalls, manager of program evaluation at YWCA Greater Pittsburgh, the organization needed to collect sensitive information, review applications, conduct approval processes, collect signatures, coordinate with partners, and track data across multiple programs.
When their existing software was up for renewal, staff knew they needed technology that would make all of those responsibilities easier to manage, giving the team more time and energy to focus on on its mission.
[Jotform Enterprise] connected us more with our community.
Sharice Smalls, Manager of Program Evaluation, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh
A need for a more comprehensive system
Before adopting Jotform Enterprise, the organization relied on Bonterra’s Apricot case management software, paper forms, spreadsheets, email, and manual follow-up. That setup worked well for direct-service case management.
But as the organization’s work expanded into advocacy, community impact, and broader data collection, staff found themselves searching for ways to work around the system, rather than within it — using spreadsheets, back-and-forth emails, and manual data transfers to fill the gaps.
So when the contract with Apricot came up for renewal, YWCA Greater Pittsburgh weighed several options. It eventually narrowed the list to Apricot, Typeform, FormAssembly, and Jotform. Each platform had its strengths, but ultimately the organization needed a solution that could support multiple departments, was user-friendly for staff, and worked for both community-facing forms and internal approval workflows.
Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic and the broader shift toward digital services made it clear that the organization needed to replace paper applications and other manual processes to better match the times.
Tech that fits a nonprofit budget
As with many nonprofits, cost was another major consideration. YWCA Greater Pittsburgh faced a significant price increase to renew Apricot, even though it was using the system less, while Jotform’s nonprofit discount offered a versatile platform at a price the organization could afford.
“Compared to our next choice, [Jotform Enterprise] was a 25 percent cost savings difference,” says Smalls.
Those savings allow them to direct more resources toward staffing, direct assistance, programming, and outreach — without sacrificing adaptability to stay within budget.
Flexibility for the whole organization
Ultimately, the team chose Jotform Enterprise. It replaced Apricot along with many paper-based and email-heavy processes, including forms that had to be printed, routed manually, tracked through spreadsheets, or followed up on by email. With Jotform Enterprise, staff moved these processes into a single, more flexible platform.
Smalls speaks to how Jotform Enterprise supports multiple departments, community-facing forms, and automated internal approval processes without requiring advanced technical or coding skills. Staff can easily manage forms, workflows, approvals, tables, reporting, e-signatures, integrations, and user accounts in one place.
Implementation was straightforward, and the Enterprise support team was readily available to hop on Zoom calls and explain how to set up processes.
“The [Jotform Enterprise] support team has been very responsive,” says Smalls.
As a result, YWCA quickly replaced processes that involved printing, manual routing, duplicate data entry, and repetitive tasks. Staff can now manage data more smoothly and spend more time on programs and community members.
Reducing fraud and protecting data
One of the organization’s most frequently used workflows is its internal check request process, which routes paper check requests and grant-related payments through the finance department.
When managing these requests via email, staff received scam emails that appeared to come from the CEO. Moving this process into Jotform Enterprise made submissions easier to verify.
“[Jotform Enterprise] reduced fraud within our organization,” says Smalls.
Expediting access to emergency assistance
Jotform Enterprise also helps YWCA Greater Pittsburgh connect community members with the right support programs. The organization’s popular resource inquiry form collects information to determine whether an applicant qualifies for its Emergency Basic Needs program, which has experienced increased demand in recent years.
“[Jotform Enterprise] connected us more with our community,” says Smalls.
The workflow automatically determines whether an applicant is eligible for support services. If deemed eligible, the applicant’s information is automatically sent to the relevant member of the YWCA team, who can follow up with next steps in the application process.
If someone is not eligible, an automated email explains why, suggests actions that may help them become eligible, and links to a guide with other potential resources.
A Jotform AI Agent named Gabby also helps applicants navigate the process. Connected to the resource inquiry and contact forms, Gabby answers common questions and directs visitors to relevant information in the resource guide. This reduces repetitive work for staff of time-consuming tasks and helps community members find the information they’re looking for more quickly.
A platform that scales with the mission
Forms and workflows power more than just the emergency assistance programs. The organization’s annual Equity Awards nomination process, which was once paper-based, now runs digitally.
Staff use integrations with Excel and OneDrive to share specific information with external stakeholders. These integrations allow judges outside the organization, including community members and local politicians, to access the awards’ nomination information without gaining access to the organization’s entire internal system.
Jotform Sign provides an easy way to collect signatures for media releases, payment approvals, and parent agreements for early learning programs. Jotform Tables gives staff a centralized place to track submissions, monitor workflow progress, and store data securely. Jotform Enterprise’s Admin Console allows them to manage users and update settings organization-wide.
“If you’re looking for a software that you can customize to all of the various things that you’re doing, [Jotform Enterprise] is the choice,” says Smalls.
Building toward a better future
YWCA Greater Pittsburgh chose Jotform not just to meet its current challenges but also to achieve its future goals. For nonprofit leaders, that may be the most valuable benefit of all: a platform that can evolve alongside an organization’s programs, partnerships, and community needs.
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