Overview
With a stronger executive sponsorship, an engaged pilot group, and a disciplined preflight process, United Way of Berks County built the data, security, and adoption foundation needed to make Microsoft Copilot useful in the real world.
When United Way of Berks County began exploring Microsoft Copilot for Microsoft 365, the organization saw more than a new productivity tool. It saw an opportunity to help staff work more efficiently, improve collaboration, streamline workflows, and support better decision-making across nonprofit operations.
To move forward the right way, United Way of Berks County partnered with Weidenhammer for a comprehensive Copilot preflight engagement. The goal was clear:
Assess readiness
Reduce risk
Identify practical use cases
Better decision-making across nonprofit organizations
The Challenge
Like many organizations, United Way of Berks County understood that successful Copilot adoption depends on more than simply assigning licenses. The organization needed to know whether its Microsoft 365 environment, file data, security controls, and internal teams were truly ready to support Copilot in a way that was safe, useful, and sustainable.
The stakes were especially high because the organization wanted Copilot to create practical value in everyday work. That means avoiding common missteps tied to data quality, governance, and oversharing risk, while also identifying the highest-value scenarios for early adoption.
The Solution
Weidenhammer led a structured Copilot preflight engagement tailored to United Way of Berks County’s environment and goals. The engagement included an Art of the Possible phase to help the team understand how AI could support real business processes, a business readiness assessment to establish an organizational profile and baseline score, a technical readiness review of Microsoft 365 licensing, configuration, endpoint policies, and data sources, and a security assessment aligned to the Zero Trust principles for Copilot.
The engagement also included scenario discovery sessions designed to identify and prioritize the most feasible and impactful proof-of-concept opportunities. From there, Weidenhammer delivered a Copilot baseline score, technical assessment documentation, recommended next steps, and two proofs of concept built in a safe, non-production environment.
Just as importantly, United Way of Berks County did its part. Based on the project recap, the organization paused Copilot while file data was cleaned up, content was migrated into SharePoint and OneDrive, and security was strengthened. Leadership then assembled a 10-person Copilot pilot group and kept that group highly engaged throughout the project. That top-down commitment made a meaningful difference.
The Results
The result was a much stronger start to Copilot adoption. Rather than rushing into rollout, United Way of Berks County built the right foundation first. That preparation helped create alignment across leadership, empowered internal champions, and gave the organization a better framework for turning Copilot into a practical tool instead of a novelty.
That foundation quickly translated into visible early wins. According to the project recap, the organization is already using Copilot to support live dashboards, generate reports, enhance programs, and improve event attendance insights. Even before moving into custom Copilot development, the team was seeing meaningful value from the platform.
The momentum also extended into a broader roadmap for data and analytics maturity. Follow-on planning focused on strengthening campaign and donor analytics, automating reporting, improving data quality, defining governance, and building secure dashboard access. In other words, the preflight engagement did more than prepare the organization for Copilot. It helped establish a stronger operational and data foundation for what comes next.
“We are incredibly grateful to Weidenhammer not only for their guidance throughout our AI journey, but throughout our long-standing partnership that spans decades. Their hands-on approach and unwavering support during our AI implementation was exceptional. Their willingness to learn about our business while helping to educate, guide and walk alongside of us every step of the way made what could have been an overwhelming process both manageable and successful. Weidenhammer’s commitment to our growth and success continues to make a lasting impact on our organization and we are truly thankful for their support.”
— Lori Grim, HR and Business Services Manager
Why It Matters
United Way of Berks County’s experience is a strong example of what effective Copilot adoption looks like. The organization paired executive sponsorship with active champions, disciplined preparation, and clear business focus. That combination helped accelerate adoption and improve outcomes.
For organizations evaluating Copilot, the lesson is straightforward: the technology matters, but readiness matters just as much. When data, security, governance, and internal engagement are addressed early, Copilot has a much better chance of delivering measurable value.
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