Prince's Trust opts for Oracle for 'digital transformation'

Website, CRM and reporting systems, and automated processes to transform Prince Charles's charity

The Prince's Trust, the charity founded in 1976 by Prince Charles, is planning a "digital transformation" based on Oracle Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software.

Named "Project Insight", the programme encompasses the launch of a new, more responsive website, as well as the CRM system, called Frontline, and a new reporting system, called Dash. Further developments will be added over the next three years.

The new, more user-friendly website is intended to be easier to access and navigate. In particular, improved web enquiry forms ought to make it easier for young people to request help and find information about the charity's different programmes, according to the Prince's Trust.

The website is also directly linked to the CRM system, so that enquiries can be passed straightaway to The Prince's Trust's outreach team. As a result, the team should be able to respond more quickly to requests and match young people with the best programmes to suit their needs.

The CRM system will also enable the charity to better track young people's progress from the moment that they make their initial enquiry all the way through to their move into work, education, or training. "With this more complete view of young peoples' journeys, the Trust will be able to deliver a higher quality experience every step of the way," claims the organisation.

The new Oracle systems will also help the charity to automate the collection and management of its data, replacing multiple manual processes that previously consumed a significant portion of employees' time. As a result, the Trust's employees should be able to spend less time managing processes and more time working directly with the charity's clients.

The Dash reporting system will eventually enable The Prince's Trust to produce in-depth reports on its programmes based on information collected from the CRM system. This should enable the charity to more easily evaluate the success of individual services, helping it to build a stronger case for support from external partners - or highlighting programmes that ought to be re-modelled or dropped.

Rebecca Galambos, programme director for The Prince's Trust, said: "These changes will be instrumental in helping us better engage with young people and we are incredibly excited about their potential to make us more efficient, help provide better quality support, and ultimately reach more of the young people who most need our help."

Youth charity The Prince's Trust claims to have helped more than 825,000 young people since 1976, giving them the skills and confidence to turn their lives around. It works with 13- to 30-year-olds who have struggled at school, been in care, or who are long-term unemployed or have been in trouble with the law. Three in four young people helped by the charity move into work, training or education, claims the Trust.