Quickbooks Wasn't Working for TJR. They Turned to JMT Consulting for a Solution. Now, their System Meets Their Needs But Also Provides All the Reporting Required.
After struggling through the aches and pains of working with a system unfit for their growing organization, Glenn Hale, Staff Accountant at TJR, began his search for a more robust nonprofit accounting system. Glenn felt the organization had outgrown Quickbooks because its system could no longer keep up with their needs—rather, it slowed them down and held them back from what they really needed in nonprofit accounting software. Glenn had difficulty processing payroll. He couldn’t format financial statements to meet the board’s needs. He often ended up putting in extra hours to do financial reports manually.
To find the right financial management solution, Glenn says he looked specifically at consulting firms focused on nonprofit accounting software. After researching several consulting firms, Glenn chose JMT after attending various webinars. Everyone Glenn interacted with at JMT impressed him with their knowledge and experience in fund accounting. He was also pleased with the solutions they presented for his organization.
“JMT looked at our needs and provided an accounting solution that would work for us,” said Glenn.
Glenn worked with Dagi Stanton, Project Consultant at JMT Consulting Group. Dagi helped implement the MIP Fund Accounting for TJR. From the beginning, Dagi could see Glenn’s frustration with Quickbooks and its inhibiting financial reporting system.
“Quickbooks did not provide good audit trails for [TJR] and creating the monthly financial statements for their board was very painful,” Dagi said.
TJR’s old accounting software had another weakness in its functionality. Glenn needed a single financial software solution—not a separate system for Accounts Receivable billing and another system for Fixed Assets and so on. In addition to these issues, TJR needed to expand their chart of accounts with a system structure that actually allowed them to do it.
Tulsa Jewish Retirement (TJR) is a continuum of care facility offering independent living, assisted living, and full-time nursing care and health care services for seniors. The organization has been serving seniors in Tulsa for over 30 years and continues to grow. With this steady growth, TJR’s accounting software struggled to keep up.
ALSO SEE:
BLOG POST: MIP vs. QuickBooks: Affordable Accounting Software for Nonprofits
BLOG POST: How to Know When it’s Time to Ditch Quickbooks
BLOG POST: The 3 Most Compelling Reasons Nonprofits Should Consider Switching from QuickBooks
In JMT’s more than 25 years of experience serving nonprofits, their top goal has always been to help clients achieve their missions. According to Dagi, one way JMT would reach that goal was with nonprofit accounting software implementation and streamline their back office systems. This would help TJR streamline success from the start, another goal of JMT’s. Dagi wanted TJR to “have the ability to run any financial report with the push of a button, as well as a more streamlined data entry process,” from the moment they went live with the new system.
“Quickbooks did not provide good audit trails for [TJR] and creating the monthly financial statements for their board was very painful.”
Glenn Hale,
Staff Accountant at TJR
Glenn also needed the solution to have the ability to send Accounts Receivable invoices and create journal entries automatically. All this combined with the ability to budget at whatever level of detail the organization desired. And JMT made it happen.
After JMT completed the implementation process, TJR reaped the benefit of successful financial management solution tailored for their nonprofit including:
- Custom Financial Reports: With their old accounting system, Glenn found it difficult to format financial statements the way he needed to for himself and the board. But MIP’s built-in financial report writer put Glenn in control of financial reporting. Now, Glenn can run a financial report whenever he needs without going into Excel to manipulate the report manually first. He can customize reports to show the data he and his board need to see in a way they can analyze best. This was not something he could do in Quickbooks.
- Streamlined Process with Integrated Systems: Siloed systems for functionalities like Accounts Receivable billing and Fixed Assets affected productivity for the accounting team. The integrated financial software system streamlined the accounting process. MIP Fund Accounting offers built-in systems with flexible reporting capabilities that are comprehensive yet easy to implement and use.
- Restructured Chart of Account Codes: Glenn couldn’t expand TJR’s chart of accounts as needed. To streamline TJR’s financial reporting process, JMT worked to restructure TJR’s Chart of Account codes. This included adding more account code segments with MIP’s segment structure. The new account code structure lets Glenn to track more detailed budgeting. With the Accounts Receivable Module integrated with the General Ledger, Glenn can now generate AR invoices and have the system create the journal entries for him.
Currently, JMT is working with Glenn to implement the MIP Fund Accounting Fixed Assets module. This module will let him to keep track of his Capital Assets and run depreciation from within MIP. He no longer has to go through a manual process involving an Excel spreadsheet and manual journal entries for depreciation.
Glenn is grateful for the solutions JMT brought to help streamline TJR’s financial reporting systems. They are “professional, helpful, and concerned about your success,” Glenn said.
Thanks to JMT’s implementation of their new financial management solutions, Glenn and his team have streamlined systems, more options in financial statement processing and consolidation, and quicker processing time.
“The people I’ve talked to and worked with from the consulting to implementation have been exceptional. They not only sell you a system, but they continue to work with you to accomplish your goals. JMT has been great in every way!”
Ready to optimize your back office processes?
Nonprofits count on us to deliver the finance, development, and productivity solutions that these unique organizations require to meet their goals of sustainability and mission effectiveness. Let us show you how we can help your organization, too.
