Established in 2007, KUPU is a non-profit organization based in Honolulu with a mission to empower youth to serve their communities through character-building, service learning, and environmental stewardship opportunities.
Kupu, meaning to grow, sprout, or increase, connects youth and young adults with opportunities to discover their potential and create a better future for their community, their environment, and themselves.
We spoke with Dianna Stockdale, System Administrator at KUPU, to learn about their experience with PDF Butler and how it has changed their document generation processes.
KUPU’s Use of Salesforce
KUPU has been using Salesforce since 2012, and over the years, they have recognized the need to move forward with automation to reduce manual work and improve efficiency.
“Our goal now is to make sure that we not only keep up but actually move forward and automate more things,” Dianna says. “Salesforce is a huge part of the organization. We have two system admins working to keep it running.”
However, many of their processes were built 12 years ago, making them outdated and inefficient. The organization needed a solution that would relieve staff from excessive data management so they could focus on the program itself rather than administrative tasks.
Before PDF Butler
Before implementing PDF Butler, document generation at KUPU was highly fragmented and time-consuming.
“It was a combination of different methods,” Dianna recalls. “Because we’re so big, everybody had sort of come up with their own solution. We had one tool in some places, and another in other places, and then print preview in others—just using the standard Adobe or Microsoft PDF print option.”
Nothing was integrated into Salesforce, which meant there was no automation whatsoever. Staff members had to manually compile and generate documents outside of Salesforce, leading to excessive time spent on repetitive tasks. “To the point where it was crazy,” Dianna says. “We had staff members basically generating PDF documents for weeks on end just to get things done.”
Why PDF Butler?
They came across PDF Butler on Reddit and explored four or five other solutions before ultimately choosing it.
“For the price and capabilities, the other solutions didn’t quite do what PDF Butler did in terms of the whole package,” Dianna explains.
The Implementation Journey
While KUPU is still in the process of fully implementing PDF Butler, Dianna notes that the project has grown significantly in scope.
“It’s taken us a while. The project has been way bigger than what we thought because all of a sudden, everybody wants all of it,” she says.
One of the most exciting aspects of the implementation is the automation of their application and selection process.
“Anywhere from 100 to 150 participants apply,” Dianna describes. “One host site might want to interview 15 to 20 people from that pool, and we PDF their resumes, references, and all parts of their application, compile everything, and send it as a package. Previously, this was all done manually.”
The Impact
Previously, staff had to manually screenshot Salesforce pages, compile reference documents that came in as PDFs, Word documents, or other formats, and merge them with position descriptions, doing this repeatedly for each applicant.
“Then you had to do that 20 times,” Dianna says. “And then put it together as one and email it.”
Now, with PDF Butler, much of this process is automated, significantly reducing the amount of manual clicking and compilation required. “It’s just exciting for them because they’re not sitting there clicking over and over and over again,” she says. “Data work is boring. And data work that doesn’t do much for the organization—it’s just data entry, data manipulation.”
By eliminating repetitive manual tasks, KUPU’s staff can now focus on meaningful work that advances their mission. “People take these jobs because they believe in the program, the people, and the work, not to sit there clicking buttons all day long,” Dianna adds. “That’s why the energy has changed.”
The Biggest Advantage of PDF Butler
According to Dianna, the biggest benefits of using PDF Butler include:
- Time savings
- Seamless automation
- Excellent customer support
She specifically highlights the support she has received from Jeremy, our Customer Success Engineer.
“Just having access to him has been great. I can make an appointment for the next day, say, ‘I don’t know why this isn’t working; can you help me?’ And two minutes later, he’s either figured it out or goes off to solve it and then comes back to me.”
For Dianna, having a responsive support system has made a significant difference in managing the transition.
Conclusion
By implementing PDF Butler, KUPU has been able to automate its document generation process, significantly reducing the amount of manual work required and allowing staff to focus on what truly matters: supporting youth and the community.
With ongoing support and continuous improvements, Kupu is well on its way to modernizing its operations and making a greater impact.
