Success Story: building a foundation for growth with salesforce
augustine institute
The Augustine Institute is a Catholic nonprofit organization based in St. Louis, focused on advancing the formation of Catholics through education, media, and mission-driven initiatives.
The Augustine Institute is dedicated to evangelization, discipleship, and forming Catholic leaders. As the organization expanded its reach, its Salesforce system, initially implemented by a different partner, was unable to meet their growing needs. A lack of customization, unreliable data, and staff turnover left their team without the tools or confidence needed to maximize fundraising efforts.
To move forward with greater confidence, the Augustine Institute partnered with Foundation Partners. Over the course of three years, the relationship grew from addressing immediate system needs to a strategic collaboration that enhanced data integrity, improved operational efficiency, and provided stability through key staff transitions.
The soltution
Foundation Partners began by auditing the Augustine Institute’s Salesforce instance. Small but impactful updates, like simplifying the user experience and configuring page layouts, helped drive adoption. From there, the team moved into larger projects:
Gift Receipt Automation: Previously, donations under $10,000 received no formal acknowledgment. Now, every gift triggers a receipt, providing timely stewardship and a tangible record of support.
Proposal Flow: Fundraisers now track asks and donor commitments through a structured, reportable process that improves forecasting and accountability.
Batch Gift Entry: Manual import processes were replaced with Salesforce-native tools, reducing errors and improving speed and accuracy.
Major Gift Notifications: Real-time alerts are sent to senior leadership when large gifts are received, ensuring immediate acknowledgment and strong donor stewardship.
Staff Onboarding & Knowledge Transfer: Foundation Partners provided critical support during transitions, training new admins and maintaining institutional memory.
“Foundation Partners were the constant during all the changes,” said Thomas Zawistowicz, Director of Development at the Augustine Institute. “They helped onboard staff when no one else could. That continuity was incredibly valuable.
“Foundation Partners were the constant during all the changes, They helped onboard staff when no one else could. That continuity was incredibly valuable.”
-Thomas Zawistowicz, Director of Development
The impact
The Augustine Institute now operates with a more robust and reliable system that empowers users and supports strategic growth:
Returned mail from annual tax letters dropped from thousands to under 1%, thanks to better address data.
Gift officers received immediate credit for donations, with updated dashboards reflecting their performance.
Gift entry is faster, with fewer errors and reduced manual work.
Fundraisers were empowered to enter and update proposals, giving leadership real-time insight into the fundraising pipeline.
Year-round maintenance of data, rather than once-a-year cleanups, became the new standard.
Even during personnel changes, operations continued without disruption thanks to Foundation Partners' support.
“Our fundraising volume has increased dramatically in the past few years,” Thomas noted. “We can’t attribute it all to Salesforce, but we can definitely say that our confidence in the data has improved significantly. It’s more reliable, and that enables better decision making.”
the cultural shift
The changes sparked more than just operational improvements; they encouraged a cultural shift in how staff engaged with the system. Newer staff quickly embraced Salesforce, and legacy users began adapting as well. Gift receipts became a key stewardship tool, and data visibility encouraged collaboration between advancement and accounting teams.
“We’re no longer waiting until the end of the year to thank a donor,” said Dennis Handley, System Administrator at the Augustine Institute. “Now, they get a receipt within 24 hours. It’s a meaningful touchpoint.”
The team also appreciates the tailored support from Foundation Partners. “Salesforce works differently for every organization,” Dennis added. “Knowing the history and understanding how our system was built…it made all the difference. I wouldn’t have been able to get up to speed in my role without them.”
a trusted advisor
Beyond technical support, Foundation Partners played a consultative role, helping evaluate and recommend tools like Classy for online giving.
“We trusted them completely,” Thomas said. “They talked to 12 different vendors and came back with a clear recommendation. We didn’t second-guess it because they had proven themselves to be a true partner.”
As the Augustine Institute continues refining mid-level donor strategies and exploring campaign forecasting, Foundation Partners remains a key collaborator in that journey.
looking ahead
With a new executive director stepping into advancement leadership and a new fiscal year on the horizon, the Augustine Institute is poised to deepen its use of Salesforce, tracking activity, refining stewardship plans, and exploring new engagement strategies.
“We’re excited for what’s ahead,” Dennis shared. “But we wouldn’t be where we are without Foundation Partners. The name fits, they’ve helped lay the foundation we’re building on."