Birthday Connections business case (Airtable)

Description of Services Provided

• No-Code Automation: Implementing workflows using Airtable for inventory and order management.

• Process Optimization: Automating reminders, shopping code generation, and order processing.

• Inventory Management: Enabling real-time tracking of stock and usage.

• Communication Enhancement: Automating emails to agencies about upcoming birthdays and unused shopping codes.

Problem Statement

• Staff manually emailed agencies about upcoming birthdays.

• Tracking inventory after orders was labor-intensive and prone to errors.

• Website updates required external help, costing up to $800 for simple modifications.

• Missed communications led to forgotten delivery dates and shopping issues.

Proposed Solution

1. Automated Monthly Reminders – Agencies receive alerts about upcoming birthdays.

2. Unused Shopping Code Notifications – Ensuring families don’t miss their chance to shop.

3. Real-Time Inventory Management – Orders automatically update stock availability.

4. Automated Code Generation – Based on children's ages and agency affiliations.

5. Streamlined Order Processing – Orders are directly linked to inventory for seamless fulfillment.

Positive Business Outcomes

• Significant time savings by eliminating repetitive, manual tasks.

• Reduced errors in order tracking, inventory management, and communications.

• Scalability without additional staffing needs, allowing them to serve more families.

• Lower operational costs, removing the need for expensive external website updates.

• Increased focus on mission-driven work, ensuring more children feel celebrated on their birthdays.

Building Birthday Magic: How Airtable Helped a Small Nonprofit Serve 30+ Kids Monthly

• Manually emailing agencies about upcoming birthdays was inefficient.

• Tracking inventory and managing shopping codes was time-consuming.

• Website updates required external help, costing up to $800 per change.

• Missed communications led to forgotten deliveries and order issues.

• Automated monthly reminders to agencies.

• Set up real-time inventory tracking linked to order fulfillment.

• Implemented automatic shopping code generation for families.

• Developed trigger emails to prevent missed updates.

• Eliminated manual processes, freeing staff for mission-driven work.

• Reduced operational costs by removing the need for costly external updates.

• Increased scalability without sacrificing personalized service.

• Enabled better communication between agencies, families, and staff.