The “Transforming the Delivery of Poverty Services” initiative will draw on Microsoft’s Technology for Social Impact and threshold.world’s nonprofit expertise to help those in need

ALEXANDRIA, Va. and BEVERLY, Mass., June 23, 2021 —

Catholic Charities USA, the nation’s largest social service provider, has selected ITK Solutions Group to lead an extensive digital transformation that will help it provide even more assistance to those in need. The initiative, “Transforming the Delivery of Poverty Services,” will result in a new platform that will serve as a “force multiplier” that helps Catholic Charities further its mission.

“The need for help has never been greater and extends across traditional socio-economic lines,” said Catholic Charities USA’s President and CEO Sister Donna Markham, Ph.D. “We are seeing greater demand for services not only from those who are sick, poor and underserved, but also from the growing number of people who live paycheck to paycheck. Our national digital transformation will enable us to achieve far more with our existing resources and assist us in responding more effectively to all whom we serve.”

Each year Catholic Charities provides housing, food, health services, foster and senior care, employment, assistance with immigration, counseling for substance abuse and other humanitarian aid to 13 million people regardless of faith. Its 167 independent agencies make this crucial aid available from 3,000 sites across the United States and U.S. territories.

“Every day Catholic Charities USA provides help, solace and support that changes lives and eases suffering in rural communities and cities across our country,” said Sam Coluccio, Managing Partner of ITK Solutions Group. “We are thrilled to work with Catholic Charities and our partners at Microsoft Corporation’s Technology for Social Impact Unit and threshold.world to create a platform that supports such inspiring individuals in their service to others.”

ITK will work closely and collaboratively with Microsoft’s Technology for Social Impact, a large-scale effort dedicated to providing nonprofits with grants and discounts for technologies that help them achieve their missions. In addition, threshold.world – a social enterprise product and services company that has helped hundreds of charitable organizations achieve more with their data – will provide expertise on the Nonprofit Common Data Model and the Nonprofit Accelerator. 

“Collecting data, processing awards, and managing referrals between different programs is a mind-boggling task for our 167 agencies on the front lines,” said Steve Bogus, Vice President, Social Enterprise and Workforce Development, Catholic Charities USA. “The new platform will greatly ease this burden and free them to do what they do best – serve those in need.”

“Catholic Charities’ initiative to transform the delivery of poverty services offers an inspiring example of how nonprofit organizations can amplify their efforts to help others and achieve real social impact,” said Erik Arnold, Global CTO of Microsoft’s Technology for Social Impact. “This project will serve as an example for other charitable organizations that all too often, and incorrectly, believe that modern technologies are out of their reach.”

ITK and threshold.world will build the mission-critical solutions that comprise “Transforming the Delivery of Poverty Services” on Microsoft Dynamics 365 and will draw on the platform’s ease-of-use and mobile accessibility. Some of the many crucial needs the new system will address include:

• A unified client intake system: when clients request assistance from a different Catholic Charities agency or site, staff must complete a lengthy intake process to learn their needs. The new platform will negate the need for this redundant data entry
• A modern case management system: staff members and volunteers will be able to more easily and effectively track the progress and referral of clients while making sure they receive the assistance they need every step of the way 
• Reduced Administrative Costs: with the adoption of a modern technology platform, agencies will boost the overall productivity and efficiency of all administrative staff and operations. In addition, there will be a sharing of agency “Best Practices,” where each will learn from the best of what other agencies are doing and replicate this as a standardized model
• Enhanced Data Intelligence and Data Interoperability: agencies can derive critical insights from data gathered in the field, move quickly to address emerging needs, and rapidly identify gaps in performance delivery; in addition, they can ensure that all relevant data flows easily between agencies
• Maximum Community Engagement: agencies can deploy the communication tools and processes needed to ensure the highest levels of engagement in local communities, including rapid portal deployment, instantly connected to the core system to engage with community members, donors, volunteers and partners

“Nonprofit organizations can realize the same impact on productivity and bottom-line results that corporate concerns achieve through digital transformations,” said Dan Lammot, Co-founder and CEO of threshold.world. “Catholic Charities is courageously setting a new standard for how large-scale digital transformations increase nonprofit impact – but the real success will be rooted in how Catholic Charities leverages technology to accelerate its ability to change millions of lives for the better.”

All of Catholic Charities agencies will be given access to the new platform as well as training and other support. The platform will initially be deployed with five agencies, including Catholic Charities Diocese of San Diego, Commonwealth Catholic Charities, Catholic Charities of Denver, Catholic Charities of Odessa and Catholic Charities Diocese of Monterey.

About ITK Solutions Group 

ITK Solutions Group is a consultancy of business process, industry, and technology experts helping retail, telecommunications, nonprofit, NGO and professional services businesses accelerate their digital transformation and optimize business processes. Founded in 2009, ITK brings together powerful technological solutions with an executive level understanding of industry issues. The ITK team is comprised of industry veterans with more than 50 years of experience who have successfully delivered some of the largest and most complex software implementations, including intricate business entity structures, multisite implementations and global rollouts.

ITK leverages its business process, industry, and technical expertise to deliver world class ERP, CRM, PSA and POS projects, along with upgrades, support plans and testing. The company builds its solutions on the Microsoft Dynamics 365 and the Unit4 platforms.

For more information, please visit www.itksolutionsgroup.com, or follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter. 

About Catholic Charities

A member of Caritas Internationalis, Catholic Charities USA (CCUSA) is the national office for Catholic Charities agencies nationwide. Catholic Charities USA’s members provide help and create hope to more than 13 million people a year regardless of religious, social, or economic backgrounds. To learn more about CCUSA, please visit our website at www.catholiccharitiesusa.org.

Media Contact: 
Charlie Guyer
Guyer Group for ITK 
[email protected]
1-617-599-8830

Patricia Cole
Catholic Charities USA
[email protected]
(703) 236-6218