Tal Frankfurt has had a good month.
His company--
Cloud for Good--was recognized with two distinct awards, one for its exponential revenue growth and another highlighting its societal benefits.
Cloud for Good was ranked number 434 on the annual
Inc. 500|5000, a ranking of the fastest-growing privately held companies in the U.S.
It also was named on the "B Corp Best for Communities" list, which recognizes businesses that earn a community impact score in the top 10 percent of all Certified B Corporations of their size.
"The two awards are proof that you can be part of your community and help your clients to help their clients, and at the same time still grow financially," said Frankfurt, Company Founder and CEO.
Cloud for Good, which is based in Memphis, works with nonprofit and educational organizations to create and implement strategic cloud technology tools, most notably
Salesforce applications.
A nonprofit might use
salesforce.com to manage its members, donors, events and volunteers, and Cloud for Good can help make the technology more effective for its clients.
But it doesn't stop at the technology. Frankfurt said Cloud for Good also works with the internal processes of its clients to help them raise more money, better serve their own clients and communicate more effectively.
"The technology itself is not going to resolve problems and help people," Frankfurt said. "We help [clients] work smarter and faster."
Cloud for Good is working quickly toward its mission: to be the leading technology partner for nonprofits.
The company recorded three-year revenue growth of 1,091 percent, from $164,000 in 2010 to $1.9 million in 2013, enough to land Cloud for Good on this year's Inc. 500. Based on projected 2014 sales, Frankfurt said the company will be on next year's list as well.
This marks the second year Cloud for Good has been designated a B Corp, and to be among the top 10 percent of an already elite group is something Frankfurt is especially proud of.
Certified by the nonprofit
B Lab, B Corps are businesses that meet rigorous standards of social and environmental performance, accountability and transparency. It's a designation similar to a fair trade certification for coffee or organic certification for milk.
Frankfurt said the B Lab process is complicated and comprehensive. The group evaluated Cloud for Good's relationship with its employees, including benefits offered. It also analyzed vendor and client relationships as well as work environment.
As a small business, Cloud for Good isn't required to extend a lot in the way of benefits, but it does offer full health, dental and vision insurance; a 401(k) program; and paid time off. One unique benefit is that it will pay a stipend toward child care.
As recently as three years ago, Frankfurt was the only employee. He started the company after moving from Israel to Memphis in 2010. He hired his first employee in June 2011, is up to 25 employees now and expects that number to double over the next 12 months.
Cloud for Good is not a brick-and-mortar business. Frankfurt describes it as a "virtual company," with employees located in 14 states and two provinces. Memphis is the headquarters for family reasons: Frankfurt's wife is from here and is finishing her doctorate in clinical psychology at the University of Memphis. He is Cloud for Good's only local employee.
"Location from our point of view is completely irrelevant," he said. "Our clients are all over the country as well."
Nationally, Cloud for Good works with
Teach For America, Yale University and the National Aquarium in Baltimore, to name a few. But it also has a roster of local clients, including the
Memphis Grizzlies Charitable Foundation,
The Assisi Foundation and
Youth Villages.
Richard Shaw, Chief Development Officer with Youth Villages, said Cloud for Good has had a major impact on how the nonprofit thinks about managing its key relationships, and specifically how it uses data to be more effective. Youth Villages has a diverse set of customers, donors and other key partners in all 50 states, and must manage those relationships as flawlessly as possible to be successful in its mission, Shaw said.
"Cloud for Good helped us think strategically about what we needed to accomplish and how we could go about meeting our major goals," he said. "They've been a great partner in this important component of our work."
Cloud for Good and Frankfurt don't plan to slow the phenomenal growth they have experienced over the past three years. As the company gets larger, so do its clients. It's also looking to grow by adding complementary services to existing accounts.
"The type of clients we work with is slowly changing, and the type of services we offer is broadening,” Frankfurt said. "The focus is obviously technology, but we're trying to offer more complete solutions."
By Jane A. Donahoe