About UnidosUS
UnidosUS is the largest Hispanic civil rights and advocacy organization in the United States. With a mission “to address the needs and provide opportunities for Latinos in the US,” UnidosUS supports a nationwide network of more than 300 affiliate organizations delivering programs in education, health, housing, and workforce development.
“We’re not giving handouts,” said Andrew Patricio, Principal for Data and Analytics. “We’re helping Latinos realize their potential and contribute to the success of the country.”
| Before Quickbase | With Quickbase |
|---|---|
| 256-column spreadsheets used for core program tracking | Centralized, searchable Quickbase apps for affiliate data |
| One team fielding all data questions | Organization-wide self-service reporting |
| Siloed systems with $80K+ in various software licenses | Consolidated, customized apps saving time and money |
| Data as a burden to fulfill funder requests | Data as a strategic asset for proactive decision-making |
| Limited tech capacity to scale solutions | Empowered staff building apps without developers |
The Challenge: Drowning in Spreadsheets
When Andrew joined UnidosUS, the data landscape was chaotic.
“I walked into a sea of Excel—nothing but spreadsheets,” he said. “One of them had 256 columns. And that was just one spreadsheet.”
Key program and affiliate data was locked away in massive, complex files. A single team managed the spreadsheet and fielded all incoming requests.
“You had to ask them things like, ‘How many affiliates do we have in California?’ They’d manually dig through it and come back with an answer,” Andrew recalled. “But the team couldn’t share the sheet—people might break something or misinterpret the data.”
The Solution: Quickbase as a Central Data Platform
With nearly 20 years of experience using Quickbase, Andrew knew what to do.
“It’s been my go-to tool for years. Especially when you’ve got a pile of spreadsheets and no time, budget, or need for a full custom app—Quickbase is perfect,” he said.
They started with that massive affiliate database, and the impact was immediate.
“We moved it into Quickbase and immediately made life easier,” Andrew said. “The team could finally organize data, run reports, and stop searching for keywords.”
Thanks to role-based permissions, access expanded across the organization without sacrificing control. “That team still manages the core data, like contact info. But now, everyone else can run their own reports. They don’t have to ask for help.”
We saved a boatload of money per year...about $80k in licenses that we were paying for other systems that weren't even working that well. We replaced those with Quickbase apps.
The Impact: Empowered Teams and Real ROI
The transformation at UnidosUS wasn’t just technical—it was cultural.
“We went from a decision-driven data-gathering organization—where data was an afterthought—to a data-driven decision-making organization,” said Andrew. “Now, data doesn’t get in the way. It supports what we do.”
And the savings? Substantial.
“We replaced about $80,000 a year in software licenses—systems that weren’t even working that well. And that’s just one part of the value,” he said.
Quickbase also empowered more people across the organization to build.
“You don’t need a developer. The person closest to the process can build the solution. Quickbase just gets out of the way.”
Andrew now mentors several team members who discovered their own hidden data skills through the platform.
Advice to Other Organizations
“Everyone starts in spreadsheets,” said Andrew. “You’re not behind—there are billion-dollar companies still running key processes from Excel.”
Quickbase gives you the bridge from the old way to where you want to go. You can meet your process where it is and build up from there.
For UnidosUS, Quickbase has become more than a database. It’s a catalyst.
“It’s about empowerment,” Andrew said. “You’re not building a $10 million enterprise app, but you are removing the sand in the gears that slows everything down. And now? The machine runs smoothly. We have a solid foundation—and we’re building something even greater because of it.”
