Case Study: Building autonomous workflows to replace manual tasks

‍Natalie Hoop is a Fractional Strategic Operations Leader who steps in when companies are missing targets, margin is slipping, and teams are burning out. She’s spent 15+ years leading operations across VC- and PE-backed startups, private companies, and public organizations. From sales to delivery to team capacity, Natalie builds the systems that drive results, like a 238% sales increase in 30 days and a 68-point margin gain in four months. 

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Moose’s March is a U.S.-based 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to saving pets and extending family memories through early cancer detection. They fund pre-cancer screening tests for veterinary clinics and shelters serving under-resourced communities, educate pet parents about early warning signs, and ensure every dollar donated goes directly to their lifesaving mission. Their goal: to help pets avoid late-stage diagnoses and give families more time together.

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Why Fractional?

The founder of Moose’s March was stretched thin and recognized the need for operational leverage from someone with proven experience. But, as a lean non-profit, Moose’s March needed to maximize impact while working within tight budget constraints.

By hiring fractional COO-level talent, she gained an immediate partner who could step in without oversight, identify inefficiencies, and build systems that removed bottlenecks. This approach aligned with Natalie’s philosophy on fractional operations: skilled operational leaders make everyone more effective by eliminating friction, centralizing processes, and creating systems that free time for higher-value work.

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Natalie’s Role

Natalie’s core mandate was to evaluate the current systems in place at Moose’s March and find opportunities to save time, improve accuracy, and drive revenue growth. She was brought in for ~5 hours per week, paid on a monthly retainer.

She took on a variety of initiatives, including streamlining new partner application processes and outsourcing product shipment responsibilities. Her work resulted in faster execution, fewer manual errors, and improved revenue. 

Let’s dive into one of the many initiatives that Natalie took on at Moose’s March…

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The problem

Moose’s March uses its badge program to highlight products that are safe and non-toxic, giving pet parents confidence in the shampoos, foods, toys, and other items they choose. 

Before Natalie came on board, the approval process was handled directly by the founder through email threads and personal notes. That meant approvals could take several weeks, and the information needed to make decisions wasn’t easy to access in one place. As a result, the process slowed down how quickly new products could be published and consumed by pet parents, while also pushing back affiliate revenue that Moose’s March relies on to fund cancer screenings for pets.

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The solution

Natalie personally built autonomous workflows that connected Moose’s March’s disparate tools into a cohesive, automated system; implementing all of the integrations and logic and testing the new system herself. 

• End-to-end vendor intake workflow. When a vendor fills out the application form on Wix, Zapier automatically sends the data to a structured Google Sheet. An immediate email with all application details goes to the founder, who can approve or deny with a single click.
• Seamless approval-to-CRM integration. Approved applications trigger an automated email requesting required publishing assets and additional vendor information, and their record is instantly stored in a dedicated vendor folder within Flodesk for easy tracking.
• Centralized system of record. All vendor data, assets, and approval statuses are stored in one repository that serves as the source of truth, making it easy to search, retrieve, and manage records without digging through emails.
• Automated follow-ups for missing assets. If the requested logos or links aren’t received, Zapier launches a reminder loop until the spreadsheet is updated to mark them as received, ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

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The impact

Natalie’s ability to step in from day one, quickly integrate into the team, and independently overhaul the badge approval process delivered transformative results. She didn’t just outline the vision, she personally built the end‑to‑end workflows, linking previously disconnected systems, eliminating manual work, and creating a single source of truth. This operational upgrade not only freed the founder to focus on high‑impact initiatives, but also ensured the new system will continue delivering results long after Natalie’s fractional engagement ends. Natalie did this all fractionally, only working 5 hours per week. Here’s the tangible results that she was able to deliver:

• Turnaround time: Approval cycle time for each new badge was reduced by 75% (4 weeks -> 1 week). 
• Accuracy: Natalie’s system led to a 71% reduction in incomplete submissions. Centralized tracking and automated nudges eliminated missed follow‑ups and reduced errors. Every submission now moves predictably from intake to decision to publishing.
• Revenue: Faster go‑lives mean more affiliate codes in circulation, unlocking more funds for early cancer screenings. Within 6 weeks of launching her system, 7 new partners were onboarded bringing the total to 13. 
• Brand equity: More approved products display the Moose’s March badge, boosting awareness and credibility. Quicker approvals also give vendors more runway to participate in sponsorship opportunities.
• Founder capacity: The founder can now focus more time on strategic growth instead of operations. Natalie’s system led to an 80% reduction in the amount of hours each week that the founder needed to spend on the Badge Program. 

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If you want to hire an exceptional Fractional COO like Natalie, or a fractional anything, book a call with our Founder, here. Fractional Jobs manages the largest network of senior Fractional Talent, globally.