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Background
Established in 1952, the San Diego Blood Bank (SDBB) is a non-profit independent blood center serving some 50 hospitals in the Southern California Region and averaging 100,000+ donors per year. Throughout the years, SDBB has stayed in the forefront of transfusion medicine, added donor centers and bloodmobiles to cover all of the region's neighborhoods, diversified the blood bank's donor base and formed lasting partnerships with organizations from all over the San Diego community.
Situation
Keeping accurate track of financials is essential for a nonprofit organization. Being a non-profit meant that SDBB had to follow certain state and federally mandated accounting practices. Stricter FDA regulations and the need for more mobile blood drives had created a significant need for a more flexible and adaptable accounting solution. However, the accounting software the chapter used did not allow it to easily analyze financial results. They needed the ability to produce a variety of financial reports for different audiences, all with differing standards of financial expertise.
In 2002, SDBB decided to upgrade to the latest version of Microsoft Great Plains. In looking for a new Microsoft partner, they wanted to find an organization that understood its business processes. Because of SCG's success working with other non-profit organizations and technical expertise using Microsoft products, they selected SCG as their partner of choice in San Diego.
Key Goals
- Generate accurate financial reports
- Upgrade Great Plains software
- Streamline accounting processes
Solution
SCG carried out a Great Plains Assessment. During interviews and workshops with key personnel, SCG validated business requirements including goals and priorities to produce a solution assessment that would provide both a financial reporting solution and streamlined business processes. After reviewing, and evaluating SDBB's business and system requirements, SCG determined that the Great Plains upgrade to Version 7.5 would require the General Ledger module with FRx Professional which included Multidimensional Analysis, Intercompany Processing, and Account Level Security with Report Writer, Explorer, and eView. Also, the solution included Receivables Management with National Accounts, Payables Management with Bank Reconciliation,
Inventory Control with Bill of Materials, Sales Order Processing and Advanced Invoicing, Purchase Order Processing with eRequisition, and
Integration Assistant for Excel.
Results
One of the major improvements SDBB has experienced since the implementation of its new system has been in the area of reporting. Using the FRx(r) report module, the organization has been able to quickly establish a series of formats and frameworks for the reports it needed. The system allows for reports to be generated and emailed to recipients automatically. Rather than issue a 'one-size-fits-all' reporting format, the new reports have transactional data embedded in them, allowing readers to drill down to a level of detail that is right for them while keeping the top-line information easily digestible for all users. Issuing reports by email has given great efficiency gains and is a far more enjoyable way of working. Also, the upgraded to Great Plains 7.5 has streamlined the accounting and bank reconciliation processes. The organization has been able to reduce time spent on auditing, budgeting processes, improve reporting, and dramatically increase visibility and accuracy in its finances.
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Financial visibility |
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Reporting processes |
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Change of VAR |
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| technologies |
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Great Plains 7.5 |
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General Ledger with FRx with Report Writer, Explorer, and eView |
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Receivables Management |
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Payables Management |
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Inventory Control |
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Sales Order Processing and Advanced Invoicing |
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Purchase Order Processing |
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Integration Assistant for Excel Results |
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| results |
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Accurate financial reports |
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Streamlined accounting and budgeting processes |
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Increased transparency |
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