Slate follows a "train-the-trainer" implementation model. Core team members from the institution (the Slate Administrators) attend the Fundamentals of Slate online training and oversee the project. The Slate Admins take active responsibility for creating sustainable business processes in Slate and providing training to other users on campus. 

Your team of Slate Admins should be limited to two or three individuals. 

Selecting Slate Admins

Slate Admins should be experienced advancement officers who understand current processes and how they intersect, such as gift processing and acknowledgments, reporting and analytic requirements, stewardship and engagement tactics, and record management.

Admins should be organized individuals who can clearly articulate current business processes. They should be creative and willing to reimagine new business needs. They should also be able to commit adequate time to focus and go through the necessary build-out and training. Most importantly, Slate Admins should be empowered to make decisions throughout the implementation without consistently relying upon outside support.

Possible candidates for the Slate Admin role include Director of Advancement Services, Director of Alumni Engagement, or Director of Individual/Annual Giving. 

Slate users assigned the Submit Request to Service Desk permission are designated as Slate Admins by Technolutions and are included in important communications.

Other Stakeholders

Other essential staff members involved at key moments during the implementation include leadership and IT staff, but the Slate Admins ultimately make decisions and build out the process.

Much like an advancement office itself, Slate is an integrated system. And as such, different team members might be asked to support particular phases during the transition to Slate. Potential roles in Slate and the associated team members are outlined below:

Slate Preferred Partners

Although no third parties are required to implement Slate, institutions that desire deeper project management resources and technical expertise might benefit from engaging a Slate Preferred Partner. Slate Preferred Partners offer on-campus and remote dedicated services, including implementation, consulting, and support services for Slate and your organization's Slate projects and priorities.

IT Involvement

Slate is not a conventional IT project. Slate for Advancement was designed and built for those who will be the primary users of the system, namely advancement staff. 95% of the tasks related to implementation are focused on business processes and can be completed directly by Slate Admins without the need for intervention by IT staff.

IT staff is important in integrating with other external and campus systems.