Case Study: Roca (youth services nonprofit) achieves faster performance management and 78% participant retention with Bonterra Apricot

Roca - Customer Case Study

Roca is a Boston-based nonprofit that has worked since 1988 with more than 25,000 disconnected, very high‑risk young people (ages 17–24) facing homelessness, substance use, gang involvement and other barriers to stability. The organization’s challenge was to drive measurable, sustained behavior change quickly—so staff needed timely performance data to know whether interventions were working and to adjust strategies in real time.

Roca implemented ETO® performance management and a stage‑based Intervention Model, equipping frontline staff to record frequent participant data and use a workforce‑readiness report to create an immediate feedback loop. The results include 78% retention among 1,120 participants in the High Risk Intervention Model, strong phase outcomes (e.g., 79% employment retention, 70% sustained educational gains, 90% with no new arrests, 100% with no new technical violations), and recognition and replication of the model in a new Springfield site with plans to scale further.

Roca

Anisha Chablani-Medly

Chief Knowledge Officer