FundWare Lets RCMA Focus on Mission: Helping Kids

The User

Redlands Christian Migrant Association (RCMA) is a non-sectarian, non-profit organization in the State of Florida. RCMA’s 1,500 employees in 70 programs located in 20 counties provide quality child care, healthcare, family support, and education to more than 5,700 children. RCMA began in the Redlands area of Dade County where a group of Mennonites provided care for 75 farmworker children at two centers so they would not be taken to the fields.

In 1965, Wendell N. Rollason became involved with the programs and pioneered the team staffing concept of “leadership from behind.” RCMA’s staff was, and still is, hired from within the communities it serves. Staff members are paired with professionals in early childhood development and healthcare. The staff provides the cultural sensitivity and security for parents, while the professionals provide program expertise.

RCMA knows that education is the way to have real choices in life, and early education is critical. The organization wants children to be prepared to enter school ready for a successful educational experience, and able to compete with the mainstream population.

RCMA has in place a strong staff development program so that each staff member is working toward his or her own life goals at the same time they are educating the children. Each staff member has an individual staff development plan.

Parental involvement is another critical facet of all RCMA programs. It is recognized as the key to assuring educational success of children. A great deal of effort is concentrated on involving parents both at RCMA centers and in transitioning their children to public schools.

The combination of children, parents and staff has given RCMA a unique focus, as each group is developed and educated to reach its potential. RCMA opens doors to future opportunities for all involved with the organization.

The Problem

Like most non-profit organizations (NPOs), RCMA needed accounting software that was flexible enough to handle its unique accounting structure. The organization needed an accounting package that was specifically designed for NPOs, not a product designed for commercial businesses that could be “customized” to fit RCMA’s needs. Unlike smaller NPOs, however, RCMA is a large, geographically dispersed organization that needed a powerful, Windows-based accounting system. With 1,500 employees located at 65 locations in 20 counties throughout Florida, RCMA’s accounting needs match those of a large commercial business in terms of sophistication and robustness. RCMA evaluated several accounting systems designed specifically for the non-profit sector, but it had difficulty finding one that offered the right combination of power and flexibility.

Of specific concern, according to Ernest Reid, RCMA’s network administrator, was the organization’s desire to expand its accounting structure to facilitate additional account numbers and types. “Any change in accounting technology, however, was considered risky because we needed our operations to continue without major interruptions,” Reid said.

The Solution

After a thorough search, RCMA selected FundWare as its accounting system, and it’s been a satisfied customer for the past nine years. Originally deployingFundWare Pro Edition, the version of the product designed for smaller organizations with five users of less, RCMA recently upgraded to FundWare Enterprise Edition, which is designed for organizations with more than five concurrent users. According to Reid, a two-year RCMA veteran, the upgrade to FundWare Enterprise Edition was “absolutely successful.”

Award-winning*FundWare is accounting software that delivers the unique functionality required by non-profit organizations and government agencies, all for the lowest total cost of ownership as compared with competing products.FundWare is comprised of a suite of easy-to-use software modules that let clients better manage and report on their business, stay in compliance with government regulations, and improve productivity so they can focus on their mission rather than their accounting system. Available modules include General Ledger/Project Grant with Budget Control, Accounts Payable/Purchasing, Payroll, Budget Preparation, Cash Receipts, Allocation Management, Fixed Assets, Bank Reconciliation, Reporting, and Import/Export tools.

FundWare has been installed at over 4,000 client locations worldwide. These clients are supported by a direct sales force and a national network of value-added resellers. The company also offers a professional services group that will install and customize FundWare to a client’s exact specifications for a fee.

Benefits & Results

When asked about FundWare’s best feature, Reid said, “its ability to mask information on reports provides flexibility and scalability that permits us to customize our reports.” Further commenting on FundWare’s strengths, Reid said, “it allows our organization to pull together all funds into one report. FundWare also permits us to run reports by fund types.” The result of this functionality is thAt FundWare is powerful and flexible enough to facilitate RCMA’s account structure, making the entire accounting operation more efficient and productive.

Regarding the upgrade to FundWare Enterprise Edition, Reid said it was “relatively painless.” The accounting department was down for about a week while the installation and training occurred, but otherwise there was no major disruption. “The Enterprise version afforded us even greater power and flexibility, and the transition to a Windows-based system was relatively easy for our end users,” Reid said. Greatly facilitating the upgrade was the fact that FundWare provided consulting services and training to all of RCMA’s end-users, meaning Reid’s IT department wasn’t burdened with installation or other questions about the software.

Client Satisfaction

FundWare views its clients as partners, each working together toward the same long term goal. As such, customer satisfaction is of the utmost importance. In that regard, Reid said the company is performing well. “Since we’ve been FundWare clients for the past nine years, it is difficult to single out one specific problem that the software has solved. Suffice it to say, however, that FundWare has solved every record keeping issue or problem that has arisen during that time, which is why we’ve been so satisfied with the product.”

When asked about his overall impressions of FundWare, Reid said, “the company appears to have a strong knowledge of the fiscal reporting needs of non-profit organizations and provides excellent software and training to support them.” He went on to praise the product support group specifically: “The help desk staff works very hard to answer questions and address problems in a timely manner. While issues are not always resolved instantly, I appreciate the honest effort.”

*FundWare was ranked #1 by the Nonprofit Financial Center in its independent review of 19 accounting software packages. In addition,FundWare recently received the top rating (5-Star) from CPA Software News in its annual review of NPO software packages.