Calxa Case Study – A Start in Life

The process of preparing forecasts is now very easy. In fact the time taken to produce budgets has been reduced by 50% or more.

Stephen Floyd

Accountant, A Start in Life

The Problem

These trends led Stephen Floyd to review the way the organisation managed and reported on their finances. He wanted to provide more efficient and timely reporting to management. The previous budget involved a series of spread sheets. All of which were cumbersome and not easily changed.

There were then challenges with transferring and matching data from the accounting system with the budgets. As a result, the reporting and management system that was less than ideal: It was time-consuming to manage, time-consuming to update each month and difficult to respond to rapidly changing needs.

 

The Solution

Stephen came across the Calxa software on the Connecting Up Donations website, where it was featured as part of their donation program. Reviewing its capabilities he quickly saw that it would be a good way to improve his processes. He downloaded a trial from the Calxa website and was up and running in no time at all. The software was easy to configure and learn and Stephen had no need to contact the Customer Support line. Though, it was a comfort to know it was there, just in case.

As a small Not-for-Profit organisation, A Start In Life was able to take advantage of the donation program. They followed a very simple application process and had a full licence ready to go when their trial period ended.

 

Stephen says, “The process of preparing forecasts is now very easy. In fact the time taken to produce budgets has been reduced by 50% or more”.

 

Calxa has brought greater flexibility to the charity’s budgeting process. Especially the ability to develop multiple budgets as change occurs. This provides timely information to management, enabling them to respond quickly to challenges and opportunities. The professional quality of the reports and the ability to easily email PDF documents to the management team streamlines the process.

We asked Stephen if he would recommend Calxa to other Not-for-Profits. “Definitely!” was his prompt response.

 

About A Start in Life

Sydney-based charity A Start in Life has been providing financial support for the educational needs of children since 1923. The economic climate over the past few years has impacted the organisation in two ways: Donations are lower than expected and requests for assistance are up three fold.

A Start in Life is an Australian charity with over 89 years of experience in providing support to thousands of disadvantaged families. We know that education is fundamental to breaking the cycle of poverty, so we financially assist these families to ensure their children have the access to the same learning opportunities as their peers.

 

The Organisation