How Starlight Uses Microsoft Cloud to Transform Impact for Seriously Ill Children

Starlight Children’s Foundation is committed to bringing happiness and resilience to seriously ill and hospitalized children. To scale its mission and improve operational efficiency, Starlight adopted the Microsoft Cloud for Not-for-Profits—unlocking integrated data, connected teams, and smarter ways to deliver meaningful support nationwide. This transformation reflects a broader movement across the tech industry to harness digital innovation for societal wellbeing — a principle central to Akkodis’ #AIforGood vision.

Why Starlight Chose Microsoft Cloud for Its Mission

Starlight’s mission goes beyond clinical care—its purpose is to bring moments of joy, normalcy, and emotional relief to children and families navigating medical hardship. This work generates large volumes of data across fundraising, programs, volunteers, and hospital partnerships.

To modernize operations and eliminate silos, Starlight evaluated multiple platforms. Microsoft Cloud met nearly every requirement, offering a strategic, future-ready foundation.

“Microsoft checked almost everything on our list,” Starlight explained—making it the clear choice for a modern, unified, and scalable system.

Leveraging Familiar Tools for Seamless Adoption

One of the strongest advantages was the familiarity of Microsoft’s ecosystem.

Teams already using Outlook, Excel, Teams, and Word found the transition intuitive, minimizing training time and accelerating adoption.

Because the tools were already part of our daily work, the shift felt natural.

This familiarity fostered early user confidence and reduced change-management friction—crucial for not-for-profits with limited technical resources.

A Connected Data Model That Transforms Fundraising and Engagement

Fragmented data had previously slowed Starlight’s ability to communicate with donors, measure program impact, and coordinate fundraising.

The Microsoft Common Data Model delivered seamless integration:

• Unified supporter data
• Connected marketing and engagement tools
• End-to-End visibility across fundraising, volunteering, and mission delivery

“Everything finally talks to each other,” the team shared, emphasizing how transformative integrated data has been for strategy and outcomes.

Low-Code Flexibility Without the Risk of Over-Customization

Past experiences with heavily customized CRM systems created complexity and high maintenance costs.

Microsoft’s low-code/no-code approach provided the agility Starlight needed—without technical debt.

Teams can now iterate faster, adapt workflows, and maintain control while keeping the core platform clean and sustainable.

Low-code gives us flexibility without locking us into costly custom builds.

A Partnership Model That Strengthens the Entire Not-for-Profit Sector

Starlight’s close collaboration with Microsoft and Barhead played a critical role in shaping the solution. 
When functionality gaps appeared, the partners worked together to refine and enhance features—contributing improvements that now benefit other not-for-profits adopting the same platform.

This partnership-centered model ensures continuous innovation, long-term value, and solutions built with real operational needs in mind.

Enabling a Connected Workforce to Deliver Greater Impact

Starlight’s mission is national, with teams working across hospitals, communities, and remote locations. 

Microsoft Cloud provides a unified, secure environment that:

• Connects distributed staff
• Centralizes information
• Supports real-time collaboration
• Enables smarter, faster program delivery

Technology is essential to helping our teams improve lives wherever they are,” Starlight emphasized.