The New World Foundation - Phoenix Fund

Services Provided: Web/Database Integration, Strategy, Server Administration

Challenge: The Phoenix Fund, a supporter of social justice programs, has been maintaining a rapidly growing database of economic justice organizations. They wanted to share their database publicly and allow staff to securely update it via their website. They also wanted to have a more flexible search mechanism and enhanced reporting capabilities.

Ingenuity: To craft and ensure a web-based system, HandRelay migrated their existing Microsoft Access files over to a resilient MySQL database. A Linux-based server was assembled to amass the data. Using open-source technologies, HandRelay created cross-referencing queries, reports, which can be saved in Adobe Acrobat’s .pdf format and a secure portal to administer the database all from the expediency of a web browser.

Results: Any Phoenix Fund staff person can securely make changes to the database from any Internet location. The database is available to the public for querying various types of organizations. By using open-source instead of proprietary technologies, HandRelay saved The Phoenix Fund $5,500 in software and licensing fees. HandRelay successfully converted a Microsoft Access database to a web based one with 0% data loss. The investment made by The Phoenix Fund gave them a faster, scalable, accessible and secure web database.

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