Use Cases

Economic Development Org Improves Reporting With HubSpot CRM

Written by Media Junction | Aug 25, 2025 5:00:00 AM

The challenge

A not-for-profit organization dedicated to driving economic opportunity was struggling to scale its efforts. Their mission was bold—connecting employers with talent and strengthening the local economy—but their tech stack wasn’t keeping pace.

They were juggling multiple disconnected systems: third-party job portals, a HubSpot portal they hadn’t fully set up, and a patchwork of manual processes. Data silos meant that important information lived in different places, often requiring hours of tedious manual entry. Their workflows lacked consistency, their reporting lacked accuracy, and their team lacked confidence in the tools at their disposal.

For an organization dependent on government and stakeholder funding, this wasn’t just inconvenient—it was risky. Without reliable data and measurable outcomes, proving their impact was becoming increasingly difficult.

And while they had a strategy on paper, they didn’t have a clear roadmap for translating it into scalable execution. The team was new to HubSpot, and adoption was slow. They needed more than a tool—they needed a guide to help them build a system that their team could trust, embrace, and grow with.

The solution

We approached this challenge with a strategic, phased implementation plan. The goal wasn’t just to “set up HubSpot,” but to design a system that mirrored their real-world processes, eliminated inefficiencies, and empowered their team to become self-sufficient.

1. Building the foundation

We started with Service Hub. Together, we designed a custom deal pipeline that reflected the employer’s journey—from initial interest through to job postings. This gave the team a consistent, centralized way to track relationships and progress.

In parallel, we took a “crawl-walk-run” approach with Marketing Hub. Starting with domain authentication and a targeted campaign, we focused on driving measurable employer engagement while ensuring every step was documented, trackable, and scalable.

2. Automating the manual

Workflows replaced tedious manual processes. Follow-up emails, task assignments, and contact management were automated, reducing human error and freeing up valuable time. Where full integrations weren’t possible, we created strategic workarounds, such as structured CSV imports, to bring external data into HubSpot in a more efficient, consistent way.

3. Enabling governance and reporting

Data governance became a cornerstone of the project. We implemented best practices for imports, created custom properties with standardized picklists, and trained the team on maintaining data quality. With dashboards and reporting in place, they gained visibility into the metrics that mattered most—conversion rates, campaign attribution, and program outcomes—arming them with the insights they needed to demonstrate ROI and secure continued funding.

4. Training and adoption

Technology is only as strong as the team behind it. We provided hands-on training across forms, campaigns, workflows, and reporting. Adoption wasn’t forced—it was cultivated. Each win built confidence, and each new capability opened doors to further possibilities.

The results

One central source of truth

The team now manages all employer relationships in a single system. Their processes are streamlined, workflows are automated, and data is reliable. What used to take hours of manual entry is now handled seamlessly.

Smarter reporting and real visibility

They can now segment audiences, track employer engagement, and measure campaign effectiveness with clarity. Instead of struggling to “prove impact,” they can confidently demonstrate value to stakeholders with data-backed insights.

An empowered team with a clear roadmap

With the right training and tools in place, the team is no longer dependent on guesswork or outside help for every change. They’ve gained confidence in using HubSpot as a scalable platform for their ongoing growth.

Most importantly, they’ve built a foundation that doesn’t just serve today’s needs—it positions them for the future. Their ability to track, report, and act on data is now aligned with their mission: fueling opportunity, supporting talent, and driving measurable impact.

Why this matters

This case study is proof that a phased, hands-on approach to onboarding doesn’t just “set up software”—it sets up organizations for long-term success. By investing in the right systems, training, and governance, mission-driven organizations can scale their impact, unlock efficiency, and secure the funding they need to keep moving forward.