Beezwax helped the Q Foundation get ahead of a persistent pandemic and quickly pivot to decentralized operations to support a remote workforce.
The Background
Q Foundation is a non-profit technology company specializing in rent payment processing in the social services sector of San Francisco. The organization’s mission is to help people pay their rent and stay in their homes. Since their founding in 2003, Q Foundation has provided homelessness prevention and rapid rehousing services to over 5,000 individuals in San Francisco.
The Challenge
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, Brian Basinger, founder of the Q Foundation, realized the imminent threat of a locked-down economy. In preparation, Brian reached out to Beezwax to build the tools his staff would need to remain productive as a remote workforce and continue serving a severely impacted San Francisco community amid California’s quarantine measures.
The Beezwax Solution
Beezwax delivered a solution that expanded on the Q Foundation’s FileMaker tools, and tailor-designed the system to mirror the organization’s workflows. A FileMaker server was previously set up as part of their IT systems, which meant that its workers could access the necessary systems securely from home. However, the primary roadblock its team faced was the inability to process and print checks remotely. Historically, housing payments through the Q Foundation on behalf of its members were processed to lenders and landlords by issuing paper checks from its office. Timely issuance and receipt of housing payments were fundamental to the Q Foundation’s mission, so delays in the process would put families at risk for homelessness.
To remove this roadblock, the Beezwax team identified a 3rd party payment processing gateway known as Bill.com, that would integrate with the Q Foundation’s FileMaker solution. Bill.com’s REST API gave the Q Foundation the ability to automate the issuance of both electronic payments and paper checks without delay.
Q Foundation’s FileMaker solution was also upgraded so that it could more efficiently organize the anticipated influx of new members who would be seeking aid. Enhancements deployed through FileMaker WebDirect were designed to enable Q Foundation’s staff, its members, and landlords to interact more easily. The resulting web portal provided a new and digitized experience for all parties that would endure beyond the pandemic.
Success Story
Q Foundation is proud of the work it has done for the community and the families they have enabled to resolve their circumstances and get back on their feet to normal, healthy, and happy lives. The solution Beezwax built helped the Q Foundation staff seamlessly continue operations remotely and was so successful that it was also integrated into the online platform designed to facilitate the Give2SF program introduced by the City of San Francisco. The volume capacity of the system and the efficiency in which it serves the community has also set national standards for the way social services are delivered in America.