How a Modern HR Infrastructure Transformed a Residential Treatment Nonprofit

A residential treatment nonprofit providing supportive housing and wraparound services for youth and young adults was seeking a trusted HR partner. While their mission was thriving, leadership recognized that their Human Resources infrastructure needed to evolve. They saw an opportunity to strengthen internal operations and better support their growing team.

Key Challenges Included:

• Compliance and Best Practice Gaps: HR policies and procedures were not aligned with industry standards, exposing the organization to compliance risks and inefficiencies.

• Legacy Systems: Their existing systems had served them well—but they were ready for a more robust, modern payroll solution to support evolving HR needs.

• No Formal Benefits and Compensation Structure: While the organization understood that not offering benefits wasn’t ideal, the leadership team sought data-driven insights into how their practices compared to similar nonprofits and guidance on what would best support their team.

  
  

The Solution: A Strategic HR Overhaul with Kiwi Partners

Kiwi Partners led a full HR transformation, tailored to meet the nonprofit’s unique needs while supporting its growth trajectory.

Compliance and Effectiveness Review

The Kiwi team began with a comprehensive HR compliance audit to assess risks and identify key areas, followed by an HR Effectiveness Review to uncover process gaps and misalignments with best practices and organizational goals. An HR effectiveness assessment provided clarity on what staff, managers, and leadership needed to succeed.

HR Technology and Digital Transformation

We replaced the legacy payroll provider and implemented Paycom, a full Human Capital Management (HCM) system. This included:

• Paid time off and time management

• Onboarding and offboarding workflow

• Certification tracking

• Recruiting workflow

• New hire survey workflow

• Exit survey

Personnel files were digitized via SharePoint, streamlining documentation and improving access.

Compensation and Benefits Benchmarking

Kiwi Partners conducted a benchmarking review and provided data-informed recommendations to help leadership make more strategic, equitable decisions. The organization began by introducing health insurance reimbursements and wellness stipends, laying the groundwork for future enhancements to their benefits offerings. The data provided a roadmap they can continue to build on as their HR strategy evolves.

Change Management and Staff Training

Change management was central to our success. We joined all-staff meetings, led weekly project updates, and trained staff on everything from mobile time-off requests to manager approvals—ensuring a smooth transition to new systems and workflows.

Policy Development 

An up-to-date employee handbook was created to guide operations and reduce legal risk.

The Results: Empowered HR, Elevated Impact

The HR transformation delivered immediate and lasting improvements across the nonprofit:

• Improved Operational Efficiency: Employees saved time by eliminating manual HR processes and gaining mobile access to HR tasks.

• Stronger Employee Experience: Employees now independently update their information, view real-time time tracking, paid time off accruals, and complete new hire digital onboarding paperwork digitally — enhancing transparency, engagement, and satisfaction.

• Growth-Ready HR Infrastructure: Leadership is now equipped with a modern, scalable HR system to support expansion, including a new facility and recruitment efforts.

  
  

Why Modern HR Practices Are Essential for Nonprofit HR Leaders

This story is a reminder that modern HR practices aren't just "nice to have"—they're essential to delivering on your mission. With the right tools and strategies, nonprofits can:

• Reduce compliance risk and administrative errors

• Improve employee retention, engagement, and satisfaction

• Build a scalable HR foundation for sustainable long-term growth

• Enable transparent, self-service management of policies like paid time off (PTO)

Ready to Modernize Your HR Systems?

Whether you're looking to boost compliance, streamline HR operations, or improve employee experience, Kiwi Partners can help. We specialize in building HR infrastructure that supports nonprofit missions—and the people who drive them.

Contact us today to schedule a consultation with one of our nonprofit HR experts. 

Diana Gallardo-Laska, J.D., SHRM-SCP first joined Kiwi Partners in 2000 and rejoined our team in 2006 as SVP of Human Resources Services. Diana leads a dedicated team focused on outsourced Human Resource services.  In her role, Diana is able to utilize her diverse financial, legal and management skills to benefit our non-profit clients.  Over the years, she has worked with over 200 non-profit clients delivering human resources services and support.  Diana's Bio