Leveraging Automation to Reconnect Homeless Individuals with Their Families: A Case Study on Miracle Messages

Miracle Messages is a nonprofit organization founded by Kevin F. Adler in honor of his Uncle Mark, who lived on-and-off the streets for 30 years due to schizophrenia. The organization's mission is to reconnect individuals isolated by homelessness with their long-lost loved ones. The team, along with a network of volunteers, does the detective work necessary to make these reconnections possible. The organization believes in using technology for social good and aims to make an immediate and tangible impact in the lives of their neighbors living on-and-off the streets.

Miracle Messages, a nonprofit organization, was faced with the challenge of reconnecting individuals isolated by homelessness with their long-lost loved ones. The organization relied on a small team and a network of volunteers to track down these loved ones, a process that was time-consuming and complex. The team was trying to achieve a significant impact while managing a large team of remote volunteers. Sharing information efficiently was a major challenge, as the team had to document and share every voicemail left by the homeless individuals. The process was not only labor-intensive but also required a significant amount of time, which could have been used to support and train volunteers, facilitate reconnections, and help the homeless individuals find resources and support.

The organization discovered Zapier, a tool that uses automation to streamline workflows. Zapier's automations powered several workflows that connected apps for Miracle Messages, ultimately helping to reconnect families. One automated workflow, or 'Zap', powered the entire operation. Another Zap ensured that every voicemail left was seen by volunteers. The Dialpad to Google Sheets integration powered their hotline. When calls came in on the hotline, they were documented on a shared Google Sheet, allowing a volunteer to see the new call and return it. These automations saved the team and volunteers significant time each week. By leveraging technology, Miracle Messages was able to focus on what people do best, such as supporting and training volunteers, facilitating reconnections, and helping the homeless individuals find resources and support.

• The use of Zapier's automation has significantly improved the operational efficiency of Miracle Messages. The automation of workflows has streamlined the process of documenting and sharing voicemails, allowing volunteers to promptly return calls. This has not only saved time but also enabled the team to focus on other critical tasks such as supporting and training volunteers, facilitating reconnections, and helping the homeless individuals find resources and support. The organization has been able to achieve an outsized impact as a small team, managing a large team of remote volunteers efficiently. The use of technology has enhanced the organization's ability to fulfill its mission of using technology for social good.

• Automation saves the executive director at least ten hours a week

• Each volunteer saves at least an hour every week due to automation

• 400 and counting reconnections have been made possible by Miracle Messages