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Strategy Standardized
TSA utilized custom templates across 360+ units, turning siloed insights into a repeatable, mission-aligned strategy framework.
Visibility Unlocked
Custom dashboards helped TSA surface risks, compare performance, and make smarter decisions rooted in real data.
With more than 360+ frontline units, 11 command groups, and 160 years of mission-driven service, the USA Eastern Territory of The Salvation Army is no stranger to complex operations and evolving challenges.
And in their quest to modernize strategic planning and build a future of agile, data-informed innovation, Mission Strategists Sharon and Steve Bussey found a powerful partnership in edison365.
One that enhanced visibility, transformed ideas into a scalable system, and preserved the rich history of the non-profit giant!
We sat down with Sharon and Steve to talk all things transformation; exploring how edison365 helped TSA recover decades of disconnected data, standardize strategy across 360+ units, and unify risk insights from the ground up.
An inspiring journey of how one platform supports a global mission and legacy, and how the right tools create meaningful, measurable change.
The Salvation Army’s vast network was held back by scattered insights and legacy systems. But times have changed! With edison365, TSA has created an interconnected, mission-aligned framework that bridges frontline innovation with data-driven decision-making at every level.
- 📍 USA
- 💼 Non-profit
- ⚙️ Enterprise Strategy and Innovation
Challenges
Before introducing edison365, much of TSA’s historical data and strategic insights spanning 160 years hadn’t completely transitioned into the digital era.
Without a unified view, there was a lack of progress tracking, siloed work, and misaligned processes.
“We didn’t have one spot where all of this data was being collected… and not all of the data was being collected that we need for strategic insights.”
The absence of a centralized environment meant leaders had to work with outdated and incomplete insights.
This, coupled with deeply complex legacy systems, made it hard to break free and introduce transformative change without resistance.
“In that jump from paper data, paper history, paper records to a digital framework… we not only didn’t make the jump with all of that data, but the data that we did jump with became isolated in a variety of different systems.”
These types of challenges aren’t uncommon for large organizations. Moving into a digitally connected future is no easy feat. Nor is it about intent. It’s about having the right tools to make it all possible.
And from the very beginning of our partnership with The Salvation Army, we have understood the complexity of their mission, the scale of their ambition, and how our tools could support long-term change.
Solution
To overcome siloed systems and capture lost insights, The Salvation Army partnered with edison365 to create a bespoke, end-to-end environment for strategic planning and frontline enablement.
At the heart of this was four phases:
- Explore
- Evaluate
- Plan
- Implement
Each stage was designed to guide units through a consistent, strategic journey, from surfacing data to executing on priorities. Using edison365, TSA built custom templates that:
- Centralize historical and current data all in one place.
- Capture risks and opportunities at every level.
- Standardize planning across 360+ units.
- Feed real-time insights into territory-wide decision-making.
How Have Frontline Teams Benefitted?
- Understand their local context; challenges faced, resources needed, and historical performance.
- Identify risks and opportunities relevant to their location.
- Assess maturity against 15 key strategic and operational areas.
- Surface meaningful data that was lost or buried in siloed systems.
- Align all efforts against TSA’s mission-driven and territory-wide priorities.
edison365 wasn’t just treated like another tool, but a strategic control base. One that enabled TSA to visualize, manage, and leverage data at every level of their organization.
“What we love about edison365 is that it really gives us a control tower to be able to facilitate that entire view of our transformation process.”
What customers love about edison365 ✨
Working Together
More Than a Vendor: A Trusted Partner 🤝
The strength of this partnership has gone well beyond software. From the very beginning, the support team has been available, responsive, and truly joined The Salvation Army on their transformation journey.
It’s through The Salvation Army’s Genius CSM package that Rob and the team have been able to bring the non-profit giant closer to its goals; this includes annual success plans and 1-2-1 clinic calls.
“Rob is always on hand, which I love. You send him an email, and he replies, and he says, ‘Hey, let’s jump on a call.’ He’s there. And I think that’s what we needed at this stage — it’s not just the platform; it’s the people behind the platform.”
The edison365 team has aligned closely with TSA’s purpose and strategy during the planning stages of their phased ecosystem. This helped to translate their mission-led vision into a structured reality.
“What I really appreciate about the edison365 team is that it’s not just a vendor relationship. You’ve got people that you can connect with, and you can talk through ideas with.”
Results
The Salvation Army has begun to see a tangible impact from partnering with edison365. Their teams now have a unified, strategic view of their units and command groups, enabling them to recover lost data, compare profiles consistently, and plan with much greater clarity and precision.
Templates are supporting frontline teams in “getting it right” through the Explore and Evaluate phases, then “getting it done” with effective planning and implementation. Tools included in TSA’s phased ecosystem include:
- Enterprise-level risk registers.
- Power BI dashboards providing visibility across risks for all units.
- Custom templates to define priorities, goals, and next steps.
- Embedded training to scale edison365 across the organization.
With leadership now able to align innovation efforts across the territory, guesswork has been replaced with visibility and intentional decision-making.
“We are building both their frontline data and command-level data into edison365, allowing us to showcase how the Explore, Evaluate, Plan, and Implement processes deliver measurable results.”
That’s not all. User response has been extremely positive for TSA. In Puerto Rico, rollout saw reactions that spoke volumes…
“There’s a system that can do this? There’s a system that can do that? People were standing up, just staring at it, holding their hands on their face, just going, ‘My goodness, I can’t believe we can do this.”
With frontline engagement high and scalable frameworks now in motion, The Salvation Army has built a strong foundation for broader transformation and a strategic rhythm that is repeatable and value-driven.
Success Highlights ✨
- Increased frontline buy-in and ownership
- Custom templates support cross-unit comparisons.
- Recovered decades of underutilized or missing data.
- Connected siloed systems (paper-based systems and ledgers).
- Unified strategic planning across various divisions.
- Laid the foundation for scalable success.
With the impactful pilots and the groundwork now firmly in place for TSA, their attention turns to scaling its success. The next phase will see edison365 rolled out across all 11 commands, supporting a territory-wide strategy built on consistency, visibility, and frontline ownership.
“When we scale this across the 11 commands, we begin to get a cadence of strategy that aligns from top to bottom.”
But this is much more than a ‘system rollout’, it’s a shift in how strategic operations are seen, shared, and delivered across the organization. By bridging command-level insights with frontline innovation, TSA is developing a model that can grow with them, all within edison365.
One that is responsive, backed by sophisticated data, and ingrained with their overarching mission.
“We are building a way of working that aligns our data, our strategy, and our people. And edison365 is helping us hold that all together.”
Note: We’d like to take the opportunity to thank Steve and Sharon Bussey for their collaboration in bringing this story to life. It’s incredibly exciting to see the journey The Salvation Army is on with edison365’s powerful capabilities, and we can’t wait to see where they go next!
