Bigger Boat Consulting is a mission-driven consulting firm. We have deep expertise in building program management, case management, and donor management solutions for human services and housing organizations. We have technology and process chops, but we know that people and mission are at the core.
We are a Salesforce.org partner. In 2022 we were named the Salesforce.org “Power of Us” Partner of the Year for our contributions to the nonprofit Salesforce community.
Our Values
Ownership
We help you take ownership of your system, coaching you to understand the “why and how” of what’s being built. Your Salesforce administrator learns how to support and evolve your system. At the end of a project, our goal is for organizations to feel that it is their system, not a system built for them by “some consultant.”
Building Lean
We focus on what’s most valuable first. Using our knowledge of what works (and what doesn’t), we build the most straightforward and cost-effective solution to meet your needs. We guide your investment to where it provides the most value, then collectively agree on when a feature is “done enough.” And we work hard to avoid overbuilding a solution.
Transparency
We keep you informed of the project progress and cost at all times. All team members can see what’s happening right now and what’s coming up next. When thinking through problems, we are direct about challenges and risks. We call out the tough decisions you need to make (with our guidance).
Continuous Learning
We are always learning more about your organization and the people involved. We frequently say “tell me more about this,” to learn exactly why and how you work. We use what we see and hear from your team to adapt. This might mean changing our approach based on your team’s learning styles or on which staff members have time to be involved. We can quickly change priorities to support a new program or funding requirement when needed.
Shared Understanding
We pull a wide range of stakeholders into the same room to work collaboratively during Discovery– from frontline staff working directly with clients to directors focused on reporting to funders. This practice allows us to create a shared understanding of your organization’s objectives, priorities, and pain points. The insights we uncover guide our work throughout the project.
People Centric
The staff who use the system are key to our collaborative process. We make sure to get the right people in the room at the right time. These people bring up answers to questions we didn’t know we had. They help us reaffirm and refine our understanding of the problem. They also provide fast feedback on proposed solutions along the way. Engaging with the proper staff helps ensure we provide solutions that achieve your project goals.
How we chose our name
The inspiration for the name Bigger Boat Consulting comes from a scene in the 1975 movie Jaws where Roy Schneider’s character first sees the shark and says
“You’re going to need a bigger boat.”
The bottom line: they needed a better tool to achieve their mission. This is exactly the realization a typical client has had when they come to us. They recognize their existing collection of outdated databases is holding them back. To most effectively meet their mission, they need a better system for managing their data. (If you are interested in the Jaws scene, here it is.)
Who Are We?
Bigger Boat was founded in 2012. Our skilled team brings a mix of technology, process, and nonprofit expertise to your project. Our commitment to nonprofit systems is also reflected in who we are: every person on our staff has worked at a nonprofit organization and all of our consultants are Salesforce-certified.
Learn more about how we work. Or reach out to talk to us.
Their keen understanding of nonprofit organizations and their depth of knowledge has been key in our project’s success. From process to implementation, we have been impressed by their expertise. At every step of the way, their number one commitment was ensuring the project was a success for us.
Rick Jacobus, Capital Impact Partners
The project team was highly engaged and very experienced with coming up with Salesforce solutions to solve our project needs. The project was not the typical CRM solution, it was complex and unique for a non-profit, and Bigger Boat was able master the business requirements and deliver a project that provided us the ability to operationalize our emerging program.
– Jennifer Alden Sanchez, The Nature Conservancy
They really work to understand clients’ needs and define the work needed to meet those needs. The amount of agility and collaboration at Bigger Boat brings obvious benefits to clients. Your lead is part of a team that talks, so even if someone isn’t not working on the same project, as a client, we have access to a whole team of knowledgeable people.
Elizabeth Haney, Cornerstone Partnership
We came to Bigger Boat with a pretty formidable project. They tackled the process head-on and found a solution that was beneficial to our staff, the schools that we serve, and the partners to whom we report. They coordinated the needs of all of our audiences to create a user-friendly Salesforce solution.
– Leigh Michael, EarthGen