Meet our Client
Taglit-Birthright Israel, known as 'Taglit' (meaning 'discovery' in Hebrew), is a non-profit educational initiative offering free 10-day trips to Israel for young Jewish people.
Since 1999, the program has attracted over 800,000 participants from 68 countries, contributing more than $1.5 billion to the Israeli economy.
Today, Taglit is the world's top educational tourism organization. It also plays a key role in connecting Israel with the Jewish diaspora. Their mission is to “give every Jewish young adult around the world the opportunity to visit Israel on an educational trip”.
Even 15–20 years after their Taglit-Birthright Israel trip, participants are:
The challenge: from scattered to centralized
“We understand that the participants of 2020 are very different from the participants of 2000, and our trips must reflect these changes.”
The trips and programs weren't the only areas in need of evolution. The organization's technology also demanded deep digital transformation.
The existing system couldn’t cope with the amount of data and increased number of participants. The legacy code made it hard to use for both administrators and applicants. Multiplying the challenges, operations were scattered across separate systems leading to delays and consuming excessive resources.
Our Client needed a centralized system to simplify all processes: applications, group assignments, guide selection, payments, etc. It would also increase reach and participation and help introduce new trip types and educational programs faster.
Taglit already used Salesforce for smaller tasks, but it was time to bring it to the limelight.
Testimonial
„Over the past five years, our collaboration with SENLA has been crucial to Taglit's technological and operational advancements.
Choosing SENLA for their Salesforce expertise was a strategic decision. And in them we found more than a provider. We found a partner deeply committed to our cause. This is a rare thing in software outsourcing.
As the CRM lead, I've had the privilege of closely observing and participating in this collaboration. I was impressed with their expertise and proactive approach.
Thanks to SENLA we increased our efficiency and created better engagement with young Jewish community, which is vital for our work.
During these years, our relationship has developed to such an extent that we've given SENLA carte blanche for any decisions regarding the product's operation, ranging from its impact on the business to technical solutions.
We consider ourselves fortunate to work with SENLA. We highly value the professional yet amicable relationship we’ve developed.“
Taglit-Birthright Israel
The partnership
With SENLA’s deep expertise in Salesforce customization and development, we were eager to partner with Taglit.
Our journey together began in 2018. We assembled a team of five Salesforce professionals, including a business analyst/project manager, three software developers, and a QA expert. Thus, we managed every aspect of the software development life cycle, from analysis to testing. Besides, we also conducted workshops to train users on the system and the new features we introduced.
We’re proud of the strong friendly ties we've established with Taglit and the close bonds between our teams. These resulted from the well-established communication we managed to build.
We have implemented over 30 new features and modifications to existing functionalities (with detailed time estimation for each of them). That’s too many to fit in a story, but we will discuss the most important ones below.
Central system’s performance
Every year, tens of thousands participate in Taglit-Birthright Israel tours, with over a dozen trip options available. This complex process, from application to homecoming, must run like clockwork.
All functionality in Salesforce
When SENLA started work on this project, Salesforce was used by the Client in a minimal way. Our goal was to centralize all possible functions within Salesforce for a unified workflow and eliminate the need to maintain all other systems.
We eventually achieved that for 90% of all processes. We got rid of old systems and moved to Salesforce such services as registration, application, group formation, cancellation and modification, passport verification, personal detail updates, and donation and payment processing.
Further, to get rid of legacy code, we had to completely reimagine the architecture of the central process automation system and optimize all code. We shifted from a monolithic structure to microservices for improved efficiency.
From declarative tools to custom code
Our experts custom-developed most services to handle the project's specific needs and data volumes. We switched to custom code even for those features that had already been automated with Salesforce’s declarative tools.
The reason for that was the low processing speed due to immense data volumes. Addressing the same problem, we shifted all processes and functionalities to asynchronous mode.
Eventually, the measures we took improved system performance by over 200%.
We also extended the use of Salesforce from just the USA and Canada to a worldwide scale, simplifying all processes.
Deduplication and mass-management
To maintain a single, comprehensive record for each applicant, we introduced a deduplication feature.
This custom merging tool, developed using LWC, Apex Batch, and declarative tools, offered both manual and automatic merging options.
We also created a solution for the mass management of client deposits and trips. This system enabled Salesforce users to process significant amounts of data more rapidly.
Consequently, by streamlining the data, we've made it more manageable for Taglit employees, enhancing the system's efficiency.
Single sign-on and application process
As their main priority, Taglit aimed to increase participation by simplifying and streamlining all of its processes for users.
SSO
Thus, we introduced single sign-on (SSO), easing the system access and bolstering security.
Applicants now could choose a suitable registration and sign-in method, such as email, Facebook, or AppleID. When logging in, they received a one-time code, guaranteeing maximum safety.
Applications
We also enhanced the application process. Thanks to storing the history of all past applications, we ensured returning users felt recognized.
We reduced repetitive entry tasks for them. Together with automated passport recognition, error detection, and auto-fill features, applications now were filled 3 times faster. This resulted in more participants and a higher number of finalized travels.
Collaboration with partners
Taglit collaborates with multiple partners and trip organizers around the globe to identify potential participants in various regions.
Data sharing
To make this collaboration more efficient, we introduced data sharing with partners through Salesforce.
Every local operator could now access necessary applicant data directly in Salesforce without confusion or overlap. Each applicant's data was exclusively managed by one designated operator, preventing any duplication or errors. And Taglit had access to all data in one place.
“To ensure our ability to bring tens of thousands of new participants, we completed the migration of all our trip organizers in all countries onto the new registration system. With this massive effort complete, we now have the ability to track the registration journey of each applicant from when they first enter the funnel until after they complete their trip and return home as alumni.”
Our solution gave Taglit’s partners new tools to handle tasks on their own, which greatly lightened the workload for the Client’s team. We also ensured that adding new operators wouldn’t result in having to rewrite the code.
Security
Security was another priority. We set up a custom complex multi-level access system, where permissions to applicants’ data were granted based on specific criteria (e.g., age, country, university, chosen trip, etc.). Every time anything changed, the access was recalculated and reassigned to the respective specialist.
If there were any changes to an operator's role or a partner's status, access permissions could be quickly adjusted by Taglit's team within Salesforce.
Tour guides appointment
Birthright Israel journeys wouldn't be the same without their madrichim, the trip leaders who not only guide but also educate the travelers. These leaders undergo rigorous training and have to meet specific criteria.
For each trip, which typically includes about 40 participants, 2 to 3 guides are assigned. Our team has fully automated this process.
“We designed an entirely new system, creating new objects and relationships for functions not previously available in Salesforce. We insisted on creating new objects and custom-coding from scratch. That was essential to keep the existing system functioning and avoid overloading it, as some objects were already close to their 800+ fields limit.”
Our comprehensive system included registration, application, and automatic selection of staff that considered over 40 complex parameters for assigning staff to groups.
Each parameter was weighted, allowing the system to calculate points and determine the likelihood of a leader being matched with a group.
For example, we integrated this tool with Taglit’s LMS to evaluate the educational program results and test scores when assigning trip leaders.
Third-party integrations
Taglit is a complex organization and although it started relying on Salesforce for many of its operations, it still used external services for certain important tasks.
We integrated Taglit's Salesforce with third-party systems, enabling the smooth transfer and synchronization of contact, deposit, and travel information between them.
For instance, we set up integration with various governmental systems.
While Salesforce managed all contacts, other essential processes like ticketing and consular checks were handled separately and depended on correct contact details. We created integrations using APIs to share this information. What made this task especially challenging, was having to meet strict governmental legal and data protection requirements.
We also developed integrations for websites, mobile apps, and payment systems to handle payments, refunds, and donations.
Connections to external databases like Heroku and AWS were key for storing large files, such as photos and videos needed for certain trips.
The value: Faster applications, better performance, more participants
As a non-profit organization, Taglit-Birthright Israel doesn't measure success through sales or revenue. Instead, it focuses on participant numbers and high-quality tours, reflecting its mission to offer life-changing trips to as many young people as possible.
SENLA is pleased that our solutions have successfully supported our Client in reaching these goals:
- We extended Salesforce as the main system globally, beyond the US and Canada. This move unified participant experiences and broadened the organization's global reach and influence.
- Enhanced partnership collaboration led to more effective recruitment, raising participant numbers from the FSU, France, Argentina, Brazil, and Germany.
- We enhanced system performance by over 200% by switching to custom code and shifting operations to asynchronous mode to manage large data volumes more efficiently.
- We tripled the speed of application completion by keeping a record of past applications and introducing automated features like passport recognition. This led to more applicants and finalized trips.
- We developed integrations for automatic data synchronization across multiple systems, ensuring real-time information accuracy and streamlined operations.
- Mass management and auto-merge features cut down data handling time, freeing up resources for other tasks.
- By using external databases for data storage, we sped up searches and reduced storage costs, so that the Client could channel more funds into the core mission.
We at SENLA take great pride in our partnership with Taglit-Birthright Israel. It's incredible to craft things that shape people's lives. If you want to see the same great results, get in touch with us.