How Unit4 helps nonprofit organizations move to the cloud
Nonprofit organizations need an affordable, scalable, easily deployable Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform that can adjust to the changing needs of their business. These solutions can help nonprofits streamline and improve their financial management, workforce management, process management, and other capabilities.
Unit4 provides next-generation enterprise solutions for people-centric, mid-market organizations worldwide. The cloud software brings together financial, project management, HR, procurement, and FP&A capabilities to a unified platform capable of sharing real-time information with users. Unit4 has a suite of people-centric solutions for nonprofit organizations that combine enterprise resource planning, human capital management, financial planning, and other capabilities for optimizing funding allocation, improving compliance, delivering business impact, and reducing costs.
Here we take a look at some of our customers’ stories:
War Child
War Child is an independent nonprofit organization committed to supporting millions of children worldwide who have been impacted by armed conflict. They rely on donations to deliver services to these children. The complexity of their compliance and donor reporting needs was growing and becoming more difficult to manage. They needed a solution that could simplify their operations and allow them to focus on their mission.
They were relying on several standalone ERP systems in different countries that were not connected or in the cloud. It was impossible to get live information and reporting from those systems. They chose to work with Unit4 so they could have all of their information in one place that any of their people could access from anywhere in the world.
The Unit4 solution is flexible and allows War Child to track the funding and grants for all their different projects, which enables them to comply with donor requirements. This helps them to utilize their funds more efficiently, track spend, and ultimately the system frees up time so they can focus more on their projects.
“When we met the people at Unit4, we were impressed by their true understanding of the sector. We were convinced they would be able to help us get this very complex implementation done successfully.” – Fiona Buruma, Director of Finance and Operations, War Child
Oxfam America
Oxfam America is part of a global organization that fights inequality to end poverty and injustice. They offer life-saving support in times of crisis and advocate for economic justice, gender equality, and climate action. They demand equal rights and equal treatment so that everyone can thrive, not just survive. Along with their supporters, they are fighting to guarantee a life of dignity for every person in crisis and to challenge billionaires, corporations, governments, and international financial institutions to do better.
Oxfam America was looking to replace a fragmented suite of legacy ERP systems and disconnected, manual people and finance processes. They had to contend with data silos, poor collaboration, and time wasted on outdated processes. The Unit4 solution has increased their control over financial processes, improved accountability, allowed them to meet funding restrictions and requirements, and limited their risk of overspend.
They have now optimized productivity and lowered costs by eliminating routine, repetitive data entry, freeing up their people to innovate. Talent Management has connected employee performance and engagement insights from across the organization and throughout each employee’s journey.
“When Unit4 came along and showed us how integrated their solution was, it was eye-opening for us. Cross-functional teams designed the system, so we achieved the goal of breaking down silos right from the implementation stage. And now we are able to build on our reporting; we have become more flexible and agile, and we save a lot of time due to the connected, integrated system.” – Farah Abbas, Director of Technology and Information Management Systems, Oxfam America
National Oceanography Centre
The National Oceanography Centre (NOC) wants by 2025 to be seen as the world’s most innovative oceanographic institution. Their main mission is to make sense of changing seas, upon which future human prosperity and wellbeing depends. They intend to achieve this by undertaking and enabling world-class science and technology development, providing large research facilities and access to data and samples for the benefit of UK science, and creating value and public benefit by supporting, with scientific evidence, the development of public policy, hazard assessment, ocean governance and regulation, and sustainable development.
The NOC has recently gone from government funded to an independent nonprofit institution, and as part of this change, they needed a modern ERP platform to replace the finance, HR, procurement, and other systems previously provided by the UK Research and Information government body through an Oracle shared services model.
Their goal for this switch to the cloud is to deliver complete visibility and control over operational processes, automating low value tasks so the NOC can focus on strategic responsibilities. They have since achieved a 20% increase in productivity – automated and intuitive email notification has reduced employees’ outstanding tasks by 20%. The unified HR platform is enabling them to engage and support their people, and the adaptive platform allows them to integrate new modules and adapt workflow processes quickly and efficiently more effectively.
“The NOC is on an exciting voyage with Unit4 to create an ERP platform for the future. As the platform is rolled out, more resources will be free to focus on oceanographic research, and we will have timely, complete financial insights.” Sean Barrett, ERP Manager, NOC
How Unit4 can help
Unit4’s next-generation smart ERP software solutions are built for people in the business of helping people. With us, you can ‘Experience Real Purpose’ with an adaptable solution that’s right for you, now and in the future.
Check out the Unit4 People Experience Suite or download our Nonprofit eBook here for more information. You can also learn about more great Nonprofit customer stories here.
