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Knowledge Management Collaborative

A transformative technology service and an invaluable community.

Knowledge Management Collaborative

About Knowledge Management Collaborative

United Philanthropy Forum’s Knowledge Management Collaborative is both a transformational technology service and an invaluable peer-learning community. 37 philanthropy-serving organizations have joined forces to create, maintain and continually improve our industry-leading technology platform powered by Salesforce and Drupal. By leveraging collective purchasing power and expertise, the Forum and our members have created a unique platform that offers significant operational efficiencies, a group of peers to consult and a robust feature set at a fraction of what a system of its caliber would cost individually.

Built using Drupal, the leading open-source content management system, and Salesforce, the world’s #1 customer-relationship management service, our platform is designed to scale and evolve. It supports robust, user-friendly websites fully integrated to a powerful membership database, reshaping a PSOs ability to track and respond to their constituents’ needs. Features range from automated membership processing and customizable event registration to online membership directories and virtual collaborative workspaces. Its modular design balances group and individual needs, allowing partners to choose components based on their specific needs and budget. Together we have created a collaborative community that is transforming each partner’s organization.

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The materials compiled here are restricted to current KM Partners. They include guides to our website platform, our Salesforce CRM, and our Collaborative's structure and function. Ranging from blog posts to video recordings to instruction manuals, there are a wide variety of resources to help you learn about and build your skills on our platform. Any materials found here are for you and you only; they are not to be shared with vendors or external organizations.

= United Philanthropy Forum resource.

KM Collaborative Resources
KM Collaborative Resources
Onboarding Resources
Onboarding Resources
Website Launch Resources
Website Launch Resources
Drupal Documentation
Drupal Documentation for KM Partners
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Past KM Events
Past KM Events
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In this section, you’ll learn the various ways you can receive Support from the Community and Support from the Forum and KM Collaborative Vendors. KM Partners are encouraged to reach out for help through any of the channels that make sense for their use cases and learning styles.


Support from the Community

KM Partners are encouraged to familiarize themselves with the KM Virtual Norms and Expectations document when participating on Slack and during Office Hours.

KM Slack Workspace

The KM Collaborative Slack Workspace is a space for channel-based peer communication.
The KM Collaborative uses Slack to make our lives easier. Having everything in one place helps us work together, rather than jumping around between varied tools. Everything you share in Slack is automatically indexed, creating a searchable archive of all our work. You can find simple answers quickly, and save time for when more complicated troubleshooting is needed.

Use Slack to…

  • Search for answers to your questions
  • Follow up on a message thread where a similar issue, that you currently have, was solved
  • Ask questions about the Forum’s Drupal Distribution and Salesforce Package
  • Continue discussions started during Office Hours
  • Respond to requests for feedback and recommendations from your peers
  • React with a Slackmoji (Slack emoji) to acknowledge a message and boost support

Current channels include:​​​

km_cazoomi, km_conga-lightning, km_drupal **, km_drupal9-cohort-a, km_drupal9-cohort-b, km_drupal9-cohort-c, km_drupal9-cohort-d, km_drupal9-cohort-e, km_drupal9-content **, km_drupal9-design **, km_engagement data *, km_fav-extensions-apps-tools *, km_general *, km_onboarding *, km_pardot, km_process-builder, km_prof-dev *, km_puppies-and-babies *, km_random *, km_reports-dashboards *, km_salesforce *, km_vf-email-alert-ics-testing, and km_virtual-conferences

*Default channel, all KM Partners who join the workspace are automatically added)
**Default channel for Drupal-using KM Partners (staff who join the workspace from these organizations are automatically added to the channel)

Tips for using Slack?
While it is possible to participate using Slack in your browser, we strongly recommend downloading the Slack desktop app as it is more robust. Check out the getting started guide and learn how to use Slack.

Who can participate?
All staff at KM Partner organizations are welcome to join the KM Collaborative Slack Workspace. At a minimum, all KM Key Contacts are invited as soon as they are identified in the annually signed Memorandum of Agreement by their CEO. If you work at a KM Partner organization and are not yet part of the Slack Workspace, please email km@unitedphilforum.org to join.

KM Office Hours

Office Hours are held 3 Wednesdays every month (with a few bonus calls sprinkled throughout the year). Typically, there are two programmed calls a month and one Open Floor call. Platform updates, knowledge sharing, and community building are all crucial aspects of Office Hours.

The programmed calls feature knowledge sharing from the Forum and KM Partners. Sometimes when there are demos or screenshares, the Forum records the call and add it to the website. See some of our recent, engaging KM Calls in their on-demand glory!

All KM Key Contacts, plus any other staff at KM Partner organizations who are interested in attending, can attend Office Hours. In 2022, we have added all of the calls to KM Key Contacts calendars. Contact the Knowledge Services Team at km@unitedphilforum.org to be added to the Office Hours calls via a calendar invite. It is expected as noted in the MoA signed by CEOs each year, that KM Key Contacts keep a beat on Office hours, either by ensuring there is a representative at each meeting, or reading the agenda and staying apprised of updates. 


Support from the Forum and KM Collaborative Vendors

KM Support Request Form

The KM Support Request Form is available to all KM Partners. Each PSO has its own Support Project via the Forum’s Asana Account. KM Partners can submit support requests to:

  • report an issue on your website or in your database
  • request assistance with an error message
  • submit requirements for a new feature or functionality

How submitting a support request works:

  • KM Partners fill out the support request form: bit.ly/kmsupportform
  • The Forum acknowledges the request, responds, and adds the item to the submitter’s PSO’s Support Request Asana Project — from there the KM Partner can follow along on its journey from submission to completion. Please ensure your email notifications for Asana are set up if you submit a support request form. After two follow-ups with no response, the Forum will mark your ticket as Deferred.

Are all items submitted via the support request form billable?
No, just because a KM Partner submits an item via the KM Support Request Form does not mean they will be billed. If a developer is needed or if the item is not covered via the MoA as basic support, the Forum will explicitly let the KM Partner know. At that time, the KM Partner can decide if they would like to proceed. For this reason, we encourage all KM Partners to be comfortable asking basic questions on Slack and attending Office Hours as often as possible.

Examples of when a KM Partner might need to submit a support request:

  • When their peers on Slack or at Office Hours haven’t been as helpful as desired
  • When they don’t have time for their peers to respond, so do need the Forum to help via Billable Support
  • When the item is related to an issue that is specific to their Website or Instance (the Forum will take the issue as far as possible and pull in vendors if needed, and be clear if the troubleshooting has crossed the line into billable support)

KM Consulting Services

Some KM Partners may require hands-on assistance such as data migration, configuration, custom training, launch assistance, etc., which are classified as Consulting Services. The Forum staff provides these services for an hourly fee*, exclusive of work performed by the KM Collaborative vendors at an hourly rate structure outlined below. Consulting Services projects estimated for 5 hours or less do not require a signed contract with a KM Partner; while not requiring a signed contract, these hours are still billable.

Any Consulting Services request requires minimum advance notice of two weeks, preferably longer. We will make every effort to accommodate rushed requests, but cannot guarantee it. Consultations with the Forum staff are common, non-billable, and encouraged. Feel free to book a consultation by contacting km@unitedphilforum.org. *All support options are provided by Forum’s staff under Consulting Services at an hourly rate of $110 in 2023.  To learn more, review the KM Consulting Services Support Options.

Support Resources
Support Resources
Engagement and Participation

The KM Community is for partners of our Drupal-Salesforce Platform. Made up of staff from 37 KM Partner organizations, it is a dynamic and supportive group whose members range from ‘power users’ to novice members.

With the support of the Forum staff, members work together to manage and improve our custom-built Drupal-Salesforce platform and resolve any emergent issues.

How We Communicate

  • Weekly Office Hours calls featuring updates on platform projects and an open-ended discussion portion during which any member can ask questions of the group.
  • An annual in-person or virtual gathering, known as Users Group, that follows the Forum’s annual conference and includes a discussion of potential group projects, upcoming updates, and separate tracks for new and advanced users.
  • An active Slack workspace with dedicated channels on core topics, such as Drupal and Salesforce, and breakout discussions on special items, such as taxonomy or Dreamforce.

What Folks Say About the KM Community

  • "I really appreciate the weekly KM Office Hours calls. As a newbie to the PSO space, it's been invaluable in helping me brainstorm ways to assist my organization." — Allison Jai O'Dell, CRM Manager, The Funders Network
  • "Our organization is interested in tracking engagement in Salesforce. The Forum's Salesforce Package and its custom Engagements and Benefits object and all the resources about it are so helpful! I don't know how I would do my job this efficiently without the KM Collaborative! As a new staff member on a small team, the training resources and support the KM Collaborative provides are invaluable." — Caroline Healey, Associate, Membership & Communications, Washington Regional Association of Grantmakers
  • "Because of small group breakout conversations at weekly KM Office Hours, I felt comfortable to message a colleague to ask a Salesforce question. We ended up spending 90 minutes diving into the topic and they even demoed a feature in their Salesforce instance for me." — Bilal Tajildeen, Manager of Membership and Culture, Connecticut Council for Philanthropy

How We Manage the Platform

  • A five-to-eight member Knowledge Management (KM) Committee that meets at least quarterly to discuss the future of the Collaborative and make recommendations to the Forum Board of Directors on major issues.
  • A six-to-eight member Advisory Group of ‘power users’ that meets weekly whose responsibilities include overseeing the collaborative’s customizations budget, supporting Forum staff in managing vendors, providing technical expertise, and providing high-level updates and guidance to the KM Committee.
  • Three eight-to-fifteen member Working Groups that convene volunteers to work on related issues: