Son of a Saint is a youth mentorship nonprofit based in New Orleans, founded in 2011 by Sonny Lee. Having grown up without his father, Sonny was influenced by the mentors, opportunities, and support systems his mother provided. This experience served as the blueprint for the organization he later established.
The organization supports young men growing up without fathers in the home, due to long-term incarceration, acts of violence, or deportation. Through a wide range of free programs, Son of a Saint offers mentorship, educational assistance, case management, recreational activities, travel opportunities, therapy, and alumni support. All services are provided at no charge to mentees and their families.
Now celebrating 15 years of impact, Son of a Saint stands as one of the most established youth organizations in New Orleans and exemplifies sustainable, community-driven mentorship programs.
The Challenge: Managing Youth Program Data Without the Right Tools
Before implementing after-school program management software, Son of a Saint used a patchwork of spreadsheets and various platforms to handle attendance, event sign-ups, mentor involvement, and family communication. Like many nonprofits, the organization had developed systems that functioned until increased growth and grant reporting requirements rendered them unsustainable.
Will Jones, Director of Executive Engagement and Director of Community Engagement, describes the challenge of nonprofit data reporting without a centralized platform:
“In the nonprofit space, spreadsheets are king. The problem is consolidating them. It was still a challenge when it came to metrics, data, and reporting—especially for grants, where funders want to see outcomes and hard data.” — Will Jones, Director of Executive Engagement & Community Engagement, Son of a Saint
The consequences were evident. When grant funders asked for impact data, staff had to gather figures from various unrelated sources manually. If a family member claimed they never received any communication, there was no way to verify it in the audit trail. When mentors self-reported their monthly activities via surveys, there was no reliable way to verify attendance without cross-checking physical photos from each event.
Son of a Saint achieved tangible, meaningful results—evident daily in the lives of the young men they support. However, without effective youth program management software, converting these outcomes into clear, funder-ready reports to sustain and expand the organization remained a persistent challenge.
The Solution: After-School Program Tracking Software Built for Nonprofits
Son of a Saint partnered with AfterSchool HQ to centralize its program data, automate communication with families and mentors, and build the reporting infrastructure it needed to demonstrate measurable impact on youth to grant funders and community partners.
Walter, the Son of a Saint’s Director of Programs, conducted a comprehensive procurement process, including researching features, stress-testing use cases, and ensuring the team was well-informed. AfterSchool HQ’s practical onboarding support ensured continuous programming during the transition.
“The AfterSchool HQ team has been responsive, timely, and genuinely committed to making sure we have what we need to be successful.” — Will Jones.
Key after-school program management features that transformed Son of a Saint’s operations:
- Event Sign-Up & Attendance Tracking: Staff can see who registered, get automated confirmations, and build a verified attendance history — replacing guesswork with real-time data.
- Automated Text & Email Communication: Reminders go out automatically to mentees, mentors, and families. No more manual follow-ups or uncertainty about whether a message was delivered.
- Communication Audit Trail: Every message is logged with a timestamp. When a family member questions whether they received an email, staff can instantly pull the exact record.
- Mentor & Family Portals: Moms, guardians, and mentors each have their own login and personalized view. Everyone sees what they need, when they need it.
- Nonprofit Reporting & Metrics Dashboards: Staff can pull grant-ready reports, visualize program trends, and identify which youth programs are driving the most engagement, all in a few clicks.
- Group Management & Role-Based Access: Create specific groups tied to events and activities, with admin access for mentors and staff, to keep data organized and secure across the organization.
The Results: Funder-Ready Reporting & Real-Time Program Visibility
From Spreadsheet Chaos to Centralized Clarity
Since adopting AfterSchool HQ’s after-school program tracking software, Son of a Saint has experienced significant improvements in operations, mentor accountability, family involvement, and grant reporting.
Real-Time Mentor Accountability
With AfterSchool HQ, staff can now monitor mentor activity in real time, compare event attendance, and proactively follow up. The platform now automates tasks that once involved manual surveys and photo cross-referencing. As Will Jones states, “being able to generate reports, metrics, and graphs has been transformative. It allows us to see trends, identify the most popular programs, and keep everything visible and trackable.”
Stronger Youth Program Visibility
AfterSchool HQ’s dashboards provided Son of a Saint with clear, data-backed insights into popular programs. Cooking Healthy Options and Portions attracts many boys learning to cook, while Karate consistently draws about 15 participants weekly. These real data points go beyond anecdotal evidence and are ready for funder discussions.
Automated Communication & Reduced Staff Burden
Automated reminders reduce staff burden and improve attendance. When a family or mentor questions message receipt, Son of a Saint has a timestamped audit trail, eliminating back-and-forth and saving staff time.
Grant Reporting for Nonprofits, Simplified
One of the most impactful shifts has been the ability to generate clean, professional impact reports for grant funders on demand. Where staff once had to compile data across platforms manually, they can now produce funder-ready reports in minutes — an advantage in a competitive nonprofit funding landscape.
A Supported, Sustainable Transition
The transition had challenges: programs ran during onboarding, and training long-term mentors on new workflows needed patience. But AfterSchool HQ supported Son of a Saint, ensuring they could serve youth and improve systems. Younger mentors, moms, and mentees adapted rapidly, with many starting only familiar with AfterSchool HQ—making it the norm rather than the exception. This cultural change aligns perfectly with Son of a Saint’s long-term goals.
Looking Ahead
Son of a Saint is further integrating AfterSchool HQ across all its programs, including flagship events such as the annual Sneaker Ball. The organization is also considering leveraging the platform’s payment capabilities, potentially unlocking new opportunities as their programming develops.
As Son of a Saint heads into its 15th year, AfterSchool HQ is helping to ensure that every young man served, every mentor matched, and every program delivered is tracked, documented, and ready to tell the story of impact to funders, partners, and the community.
