Driving Community Impact Through Better Technology: Amherst H. Wilder Foundation Partners with Opkalla

The Amherst H. Wilder Foundation is a Minnesota-based nonprofit working to support its community through mental health support, early childhood education, and research. They faced mounting technology challenges that strained their lean IT team. Outdated phone systems, inefficient connectivity, and a tight budget meant communication was difficult. Looking to address these problems with limited resources, Wilder’s IT team reached out to Opkalla for guidance on a new technology strategy.  

Barriers to Effective Outreach: IT Limitations and Financial Pressures

At any nonprofit organization, communication and outreach are vital to connect with the community. Wilder relied on an outdated phone system that no longer met their needs, which hindered both internal communication and public outreach. Additionally, bandwidth was inconsistent across locations, increasing costs and reliability concerns. Lastly, Wilder’s small IT team was handling a large number of responsibilities on a small budget. This made it all the more difficult to find time for researching solutions to their infrastructure problems. To manage these responsibilities most efficiently and cost-effectively, Wilder needed a partner to cut out the extensive research that finding new solutions demands. As one team member explained, “We had some technology challenges here, and it also took a lot of time to find and vet technology vendors. So Opkalla came in and said, ‘We’ll help take care of that for you.’”

Driving Nonprofit Success: Strategic IT Solutions and Sustainable Cost Structures

Opkalla took a comprehensive approach to address Wilder’s challenges, acting as an extension of their IT team to ensure strategic decision-making and seamless execution. Technology Advisor Samantha Brooks started with an in-depth assessment of Wilder’s environment, determining what their business needs were. Once the needed solutions were determined, the research phase began, and potential vendors were vetted to find the best fit.

To address Wilder’s communications and network challenges, Opkalla partnered with the organization to implement two complementary solutions. First, Vonage was deployed as the UCaaS platform, modernizing communications and improving collaboration across the organization. Opkalla also led the implementation of a Cato Networks SASE solution to optimize the bandwidth and security of their network. Together, these solutions simplified the technology environment, improved reliability, and created a more cohesive and manageable infrastructure, while ensuring seamless integration with existing workflows.

Opkalla was also able to help Wilder save on their new solutions. Leveraging Opkalla’s industry expertise, Wilder was able to negotiate pricing and secure cost-effective solutions without compromising quality. Additionally, Opkalla partnered with vendors to implement a custom payment structure that aligned with Wilder’s nonprofit funding cycle, allowing for greater financial flexibility and saving vital money in the team’s tight budget.

From Network Upgrades to Trusted Partnership: Lasting Impact on Nonprofit IT

With a unified network platform and upgraded connectivity across all sites, Wilder’s IT team gained improved reliability, stronger security, and far less day-to-day operational strain. The simplified environment reduced troubleshooting time and ensured consistent performance for staff serving the community.

Additionally, Opkalla’s deep understanding of Wilder’s mission and the work it takes to manage technology at nonprofit organizations made their IT team feel understood. Wilder’s IT staff emphasized that working with Opkalla felt different from typical vendor interactions. When asked about the value of working with Samantha and Opkalla, one team member said, “Just knowing that she's so committed to understanding what it is her customers do… is really helpful to us.”  

Today, Opkalla continues to guide the Amherst H. Wilder Foundation as a trusted technology partner. “I feel like I can trust them, and that's not an easy thing,” said Don Flower, Wilder’s Director of IT.  

By combining transparency, expertise, and deep support for nonprofit missions, Opkalla helps Wilder make confident technology decisions so they can stay focused on what matters most - serving their community.