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Eliminate the Digital Divide

Custom HubSpot Inventory System for a Digital Equity Nonprofit

E2D replaced its aging Google web app with a custom HubSpot system that connects every gift to its programmatic impact.

The Challenge

Eliminate the Digital Divide (E2D) collects and refurbishes laptops from corporations and individuals, then distributes them to the families of students in North Carolina who don’t have a computer at home.

That work depends on seamless coordination between device intake, servicing, and distribution—a workflow that had long outgrown the tools supporting it.

E2D was managing its entire device inventory through an aging, custom-built Google web application that had become increasingly unreliable. The system's infrastructure was fragile, the data was messy, and making any updates required custom development.

Worse, E2D's inventory system was completely siloed from their CRM, making it nearly impossible to report back to donors on the impact of their financial and in-kind gifts. On the recipient side, once a device left E2D's hands, there was no reliable way to follow up. If a laptop needed to be recalled or a new opportunity arose for a past recipient, the organization had no way to reach them.

child playing a educational game on a laptop

These challenges prompted E2D to ask CauseMic four key questions:

  • How can we report back to donors what happened with their financial gifts or donated laptops?
  • How can we improve the distribution request process for clients with low tech capabilities, while capturing the data we need to improve our program reach?
  • How can we manage distributing multiple devices to a single family, sometimes without an email address on file?
  • How can we record both individual distributions and bulk distributions to our partner organizations?

Our Solutions

After a thorough discovery process, we replaced E2D’s legacy system with HubSpot Sales Hub, Marketing Hub, and a custom inventory system built around E2D’s operating model.

HubSpot Implementation & Data Modeling

  • We designed a custom data model in HubSpot that linked each Device record and Distribution event back to the original gift record. This gave staff the ability to open a donor’s profile and see how many devices have been distributed, to whom, and where, creating a clear and compelling story of donor impact.
  • Using HubSpot’s multi-step form capabilities, we built conditional logic into the distribution request process. This removed unnecessary questions for recipients and made the language clearer and more accessible for clients with limited tech experience.
  • Using HubSpot, staff can look up recipients by email address or phone number, even when a complete contact record isn’t available.

Distribution Workflows

  • Recognizing that E2D distributes individual devices and bulk distributions to partner organizations, we built separate HubSpot pipelines to manage each distribution pathway.
  • We then added bulk device imports, aggregate distribution tracking, and dedicated workflows for coordinating organization-level distributions.

The Results

One Connected System

  • E2D now operates with an integrated, purpose-built platform that supports their operating model from the moment a device is donated to the moment it lands in a student’s hands.
  • Replacing the legacy Google web application with HubSpot has eliminated data quality issues and the ongoing need for custom development just to keep the lights on.
  • E2D’s team can now track, report on, and manage every distribution type within a single, streamlined system.
  • With processes that finally reflect how E2D works, staff are able to spend less time working around their tools and more time focused on getting devices to people who need them.

Stronger Donor & Recipient Relationships

  • Staff can now maintain lasting connections with their clients, sharing device and program updates as well as future opportunities.
  • Fundraising staff can close the loop with donors by sharing the journey of every device from gift to distribution.

Working with the CauseMic Crew has been really, really great. Both Kelsey and Eve have been great to work with. They're very positive, they're very fun, but also professional. I feel like they have challenged us in ways that I was not expecting working with this group, but it's been very beneficial in making sure that we're not just building something to build it. We're really thinking about the "why" and we're able to build something that's even better than what we had thought we would have coming into the project.

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