Just Roots
A robust system for a small team that has withstood the test of time
About Just Roots
The mission of Just Roots is to create equitable access to healthy, local food in Western Massachusetts. They operate the largest SNAP-enrolled, low-income Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) farm share program in Massachusetts. The farm share provides fresh, local, seasonal produce year-round to a wide variety of program participants, including both paid shares and those fully subsidized by healthcare providers who can refer patients to Just Roots.
Highlights
Pedal Lucid (PL) started working with Just Roots in 2021 when regional healthcare organizations began referring patients to Just Roots and their existing database was unable to meet the privacy or reporting requirements of its new partners. With the help of PL, Just Roots moved to a new system that meets the needs of its partners while significantly reducing staff time spent on data entry and reporting.
Since initially launched, the new database has been put to the test. The foundation PL put in place has stood the test of time, but Just Roots has been successful in iterating on the system as issues arise and processes change.
Project Overview
Due to Just Roots' small size and limited internal capacity, a top priority was balancing the security and reporting needs of healthcare partners with as much standard functionality as possible. The Salesforce Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP) and Program Management Module (PMM) form the core of the system, with some customization to meet the needs specific to Just Roots.
External forms handle program sign-ups with payment processing (including scheduled payments) flow directly into Salesforce. Program participants can choose to schedule credit card installment payments, which sync back to Salesforce and give staff a real-time view of financials including an easy way to identify overdue payments. Advanced reporting allows Just Roots to create sophisticated weekly packing lists while Contacts sync to their email tool for easy email communication, including program-specific details for targeted segmentation.
Long Term Success
Knowing that system sustainability would be key after going live, Pedal Lucid helped Just Roots identify and hire ongoing Salesforce support to keep things running smoothly. That ongoing support is still in place today.
In the summer of 2024, Just Roots reached back out to PL for help on another technical project. After four years they’re still functioning at a high level within their system. The long-term success is often harder than the initial build. Here’s why Just Roots has been successful:
- Technology was driven by a distinct need (privacy & reporting requirements), not just a desire for centralized data and easier data entry
- External support is in place. With a more complex system, it’s common to outsource some level of support in some capacity to work through more technical problem-solving + business analysis
- A product over project mindset where Just Roots has continually iterated and invested in its system
What Just Roots says:
"The infrastructure that Pedal Lucid built is giving us the ability to go into the next phase of MassHealth services with confidence. We've made a lot of adjustments along the way, but the bones of our CRM that PL put into place have been responsive and resilient enough to provide consistent tracking through the iterative adjustments that MassHealth has made to our system requirements. Just Roots has very specific and novel reporting and security needs as a 501c3 working directly with healthcare, and Pedal Lucid's build anticipated the growth and challenges that we experienced in the following years of use."