Case Study: Year Up achieves a rapid pivot to virtual programs and scaled nationwide student support with Slack

Year Up deftly pivots to virtual programmes to serve motivated young adults in need

Year Up is a nonprofit that closes the opportunity divide by training young adults for careers and higher education. When the pandemic hit, leadership had to rapidly move a nationwide mix of staff, instructors and more than 4,000 students from local, in-person programs to a fully virtual model while preserving equitable access, clear communication and program continuity.

Year Up expanded Slack from local use to a national digital HQ, onboarding 1,000+ staff in 14 days and shifting programs online within a month. Centralized channels, a COVID-19 information hub, location workspaces and integrations (Zoom, Asana, Jira, Calendly) streamlined student support, internship sourcing and cross‑team collaboration—allowing the organization to scale remote operations quickly, maintain services for students and earn recognition with the Slack for Good award.

Year Up

Kaysi Valencia

Programme Director