AW ClarkLLC
← All work

Case study · Youth workforce nonprofit

Digitizing a youth workforce program, from paper timesheets to a participant CRM

A Hartford community nonprofit ran its summer youth employment program on paper. We replaced the timesheets with a digital system that handled a full summer of payroll, then grew it into a connected CRM for intake, placement and case notes.

Nov 2023 to Aug 2025 Jotform · Jotform Apps · Google Sheets Automations · CRM Builder · Systems Engineer
2,110weekly timesheets processed in one summer
~460youth paid through the system
42worksites across 4 program tiers
24supervisors in the approval routing
27production forms and apps built
~2,370real submissions collected

The challenge

Late, hand-calculated timesheets for hundreds of youth

After summer 2023, staff named late and inaccurate paper timesheets, scattered communication and inconsistent procedures as their biggest operational problems. Hundreds of youth worked at dozens of worksites across four program tiers, and every timesheet needed three signatures and hand-calculated hours before payroll could run.

What we built

Three phases, each built on the last

2023 to 2024 · Standardize

Program design and evaluation

A staff debrief survey, an SOP design sprint and a digital enrollment form replaced the paper eligibility packet. Paired assessments let supervisors rate students and students rate their worksites.

2024 · Digitize

Tier-aware timesheet app

One form for all four tiers, with quarter-hour payroll math, lunch-rule enforcement, three e-signatures and routing to the right supervisor, synced live to Google Sheets for payroll and reporting.

2025 · Connect

Participant CRM

Linked apps share one auto-generated Participant ID and prefilled links, so staff stop retyping the same data. A staff portal brings the apps, an FAQ and a help desk into one place.

How the system fits together

One participant, one ID, every step connected

  1. IntakeA youth creates a profile. The form generates a Participant ID, calculates age, sets a preliminary tier and hands off to the city's program application.
  2. PlacementStaff open a prefilled link and assign the youth to a tier, staff lead and worksite, with role, pay rate, hours and supervisors.
  3. Weekly touchpointsStaff log coaching and activity codes across eight service areas, then record close-out and job placement outcomes.
  4. TimesheetsYouth submit weekly hours. The form totals each day and week, collects three signatures and routes for approval.
  5. Data layerEvery submission syncs to Google Sheets for payroll, reporting and the CRM workbook.
  6. Staff portalA Jotform Apps portal puts the forms, an FAQ, a help-desk chatbot and resource links in one place.

Inside the timesheet app

Payroll rules built into the form

  • Tier-aware routing: picking a tier shows only that tier's worksites and team leads.
  • Payroll math: each day's split shift feeds calculated fields that round to the nearest quarter hour, then roll up to a weekly total.
  • Policy on the form: a lunch break is required for shifts of 7.5 hours or more.
  • Three e-signatures: participant, worksite supervisor and program supervisor.
  • Approval workflow: each submission moves to the right supervisor for sign-off.
  • Live sync: 2,063 rows and 81 columns in Google Sheets, keyed on the submission ID.

Volume peaked at 1,264 timesheets in July 2024, averaging about 250 a week over eight weeks.

Results and iteration

Build, measure, improve

The timesheet app carried a full summer of payroll at scale. After launch we surveyed youth and approvers. Approvers rated the reminders effective and the training resources helpful, and they also told us the approval steps felt repetitive and some hour totals were confusing.

We used that feedback in the next version: the 2025 timesheet revised the hour calculation and instructions, and the new CRM moved to prefilled links and a shared Participant ID so staff enter information once.

Screens and data from this project contain youth records, so we don't publish them. Ask us for a walkthrough with test data.

Start a project

Running a program on paper or spreadsheets?

Tell us what's slowing your team down. We'll reply with a plain-language plan and a link to book a discovery call.

Start a project See pricing