How This Charity Built a Tech Social Enterprise to Transform Nonprofit Data Collection – and Fund Its Mission

Starting with a vision to free up frontline workers’ time, Edmonton-based IslamicFamily worked with Purppl to build, validate, and sell trauma-informed case management software

 

For the people IslamicFamily serves – newcomers, families, youth – every extra minute with a frontline worker matters. But too often, that time is swallowed up by administrative tasks.

In 2022, the organization stood at a crossroads. They had a vision: build technology that could free frontline workers from the burden of bureaucracy, letting them spend more time serving people. Their flagship idea – Transform, a trauma-informed case management software – was promising, but the path forward wasn’t clear.

Based in Edmonton, Alberta, on Treaty 6 territory and the homeland of the Métis and Métis Nation of Alberta Region 4, IslamicFamily is a registered charity offering culturally sensitive, holistic social services to all – regardless of background, faith, or identity. A cornerstone of the community for more than 30 years, their work spans newcomer support, mental health,youth programs, prison reentry, family services, food security, and refugee sponsorship. 

The Data Problem No One Was Solving

Transform was born from that work: a software solution designed to reduce re-traumatization, make data collection a win rather than a chore, and help frontline workers focus on what matters most – serving people.

Omar Yaqub is IslamicFamily’s Servant of Servants (aka Executive Director). He says that too often clients, staff, and funders alike are frustrated by outdated data collection systems that don’t serve anyone well:

“The person who has to tell their story again and again and be re-traumatized knows there’s a data problem. The frontline worker who’s having to ask the same questions and feels like they’re an interrogator knows there’s a data problem. And the funder who just gets reports asking for more money knows there’s a problem. None of them are satisfied with the status quo.

What we haven’t yet implemented at a large scale is the understanding that the data problem is actually a data collection problem. It’s a design problem – and it’s solvable. We can reimagine systems from the perspective of the person being served.”

From Vision to Reality with Purppl’s Support

“We had a good idea of what we wanted to do,” Omar recalls. “We knew where Z was, we knew we were at A. But those middle steps weren’t necessarily intuitive, nor were they easy. Purppl came to the table providing guidance – and the willingness to roll up their sleeves and get in there with us.”

Over months of collaboration, Purppl Entrepreneurs In Residence Alyssa Tataryn, Andrew Greer, Brian McKenzie, and Tasia-Li McGrew worked alongside Omar and his team to bring Transform to market – and later to validate a second product idea, Embark.

 

The first phase was about turning vision into reality. We worked together on product–market fit, scoping, and delivery – often under high-pressure timelines with large, complex clients. 

For Director of Innovation Raj Rajakumar, the emergent, always mission-driven world of nonprofits is not too dissimilar to the creative, sometimes chaotic energy of a startup, which felt critical for the project. 

“What I really appreciated about working with Purppl was that startup mindset – shifting gears, thriving in chaos, and finding creative ways to solve problems,” says Raj, who leads the development and management of products for the IslamicFamily’s software social enterprise, Flourishing Systems.  

Early Wins and Lessons Along the Way

One early client-win put those skills to the test. “Working with Alyssa was huge,” Raj explains. “She understood both the technical side and the client’s requirements, and could translate between my tech perspective and their community, human-focused perspective. That insight was critical in closing the deal.”

The results were tangible. Transform began onboarding clients, who discovered that the software freed up on average 20% of their time for more impactful work. 

“They weren’t stuck in bureaucratic tasks – they could redeploy resources to where they could be more impactful,” Omar says.

When a New Idea Fails – and Why That’s Okay

In 2024, IslamicFamily invited Purppl to help test Embark, a tool to improve the refugee sponsorship process. Purppl’s Brian McKenzie led market validation and sales efforts to see if it could be sustainable.

“It was a fail-fast mentality,” Brian says. “We didn’t leave a stone unturned… and in the end, we didn’t find any yeses beyond a few pilots.”

“It’s good to get validation even if it’s not the validation you want,” Omar reflects. “If the market doesn’t want it, it doesn’t matter how good it is. We pivoted back to where the demand is – Transform.”

Transform’s Growth and Impact Today

Today, Transform is on track to be self-sufficient in the coming fiscal year – and expected to generate enough revenue to reinvest back into IslamicFamily’s community-serving work next year. The software is now used by clients in Alberta, BC, Nova Scotia, and beyond, with some choosing it over large-scale vendors like Salesforce – drawn to IslamicFamily’s responsiveness, cultural alignment, and commitment to Indigenous data sovereignty principles (OCAP).

“We want frontline workers to feel effective in their work, to see data collection as a win rather than a chore,” Omar says. “We want to reduce re-traumatization, design services from the person’s perspective, and create systems where funders can see real impact.”

What’s Next for IslamicFamily’s Tech for Good Journey

With Transform growing and new partnerships on the horizon, IslamicFamily’s journey is far from over. What hasn’t changed is their commitment to service – building systems that serve people first, and proving that when nonprofits design technology from a place of empathy, the impact can be felt across communities.

 

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Omar’s advice for other nonprofits

For nonprofits considering a leap into product development or major innovation, Omar’s advice is simple: work on the problems you believe are most important – even if they’re complex:

“Don’t be afraid to question the underlying logic of the systems you’re operating in. Invest in better solutions, be willing to test and adapt, and don’t shy away from the possibility of failure. Sometimes the most valuable outcome is learning where not to spend your energy, so you can focus on where you can make the biggest impact.”