Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Texas Mentors More Children With Money Saved From New Sage Nonprofit Financial Management System

Austin , TX - Sep 08, 2009 - Sage North America helps more than 2.9 million small and mid-sized businesses and nonprofits in the U.S. and Canada, like Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Central Texas in Austin, Texas, increase efficiency and more easily manage their operations. Sage also knows that every nonprofit organization aims to spend as few dollars as possible on running the business, and as many dollars as possible on supporting its mission.

BBBS of Central Texas in Austin, Texas, recently turned to Sage North America for help in automating and streamlining its financial operations. Switching from a combination of Intuit’s QuickBooks® and spreadsheets to Sage MIP Fund Accounting resulted in an annual cost savings of $30,000, allowing the agency to serve an additional 30 young people each year.

In 2008, BBBS of Central Texas provided more than 82,000 hours of mentoring to 1,662 children in Central Texas, as well as $48,000 in scholarship money to 69 Little Brothers and Sisters pursuing higher education. For 37 years, the agency has matched children, ages six to 16, with supportive adult mentors, and is ranked in the top five nationally for match quality.

Insisting on Sage
When Angie Adams joined BBBS of Central Texas as its new vice president of finance, she insisted on the switch to Sage MIP Fund Accounting. Although the agency has a budget of $2 million; “we were still using QuickBooks® and spreadsheets, which made tasks more labor-intensive and reporting more difficult,” said Adams.

“They first asked if I could just restructure QuickBooks to better meet their needs,” continued Adams. “I explained that you can’t get blood out of a turnip. I insisted on Sage MIP Fund Accounting, as I have at other nonprofits where I’ve worked. Everyone here is very glad that I did.”

Significant Improvements
BBBS of Central Texas now uses Sage MIP Fund Accounting to automate all of its finances, including the general ledger (GL), budgeting, accounts payable, and payroll. The software allocates expenses to grants whenever an invoice is entered, and generates sophisticated reports, including month-end and actual vs. budget reports.

Prior to Sage MIP Fund Accounting, the agency employed a full-time accountant, office manager, and vice president of finance. Now, it is operating comfortably with a VP and part-time office manager.

“The bottom-line improvements with Sage MIP Fund Accounting are significant,” said Adams. “We’re saving at least $30,000 annually, which allows us to serve an additional 30 young people each year. Sage MIP Fund Accounting also plays a key role in helping our agency reach its aggressive 2015 goal of mentoring 5,000 kids.”

Fast, Easy Reporting
Sage MIP Fund Accounting makes reporting fast and easy. Before, many detailed reports were impossible or too time-consuming to create. “Instead of spending a full day per month, per grant, preparing monthly reports, I can create a report instantly, with absolutely no effort,” explained Adams.

She added, “Our banker and board are very impressed at the way we can analyze data. It’s simple to compare actual to budget at many different levels, including department, specific grants, or by function. Or, we can view the big picture for the entire agency, all with up-to-the-minute data.”

Streamlined Operations, Clear Accountability
According to Adams, Sage MIP Fund Accounting’s real beauty comes from enhanced allocation capabilities. “Once you have the logic set up the way you want it, the system assigns expenses and virtually takes care of itself,” she said. “I created distribution codes for each staff person based on their workflow, and Sage MIP Fund Accounting allocates their wages, taxes, and benefits according to preset percentages. We do the same with other overhead costs. Electricity, for instance, is split between six different funding entities. When it’s time to reapply for grants, we can demonstrate exactly where every penny went.”

“One of my goals has been to streamline the agency’s administrative and fundraising operations,” said BBBS of Central Texas CEO, Brent Fields “I’m very happy with the positive results from Sage MIP Fund Accounting, because the software makes us a leaner organization, which means we’re better stewards of our donors’ resources.”