Ensuring Non-Profit Operational Continuity with JD Edwards Managed Services
America’s 1.5 million nonprofits provide vital support to communities, such as animal welfare, reduced-cost childcare, and homelessness prevention. In some areas, a nonprofit may be the only resource available for specific needs, like addiction treatment, which makes it all the more important that they be able to maintain operations and serve their target audience.
However, nonprofits have one thing in common: slim budgets and scarce resources. Of those 1.5 million nonprofits, 1 million have annual revenues under $50,000, which must be used on supplies, fundraising, paid staff salaries, and marketing. Applying for grants, running donation drives, and providing your basic services require careful orchestration, strong communication, and a laser focus on how to benefit from every last penny you have.
As such, nonprofits need robust software platforms that help to reduce their overhead and streamline their services without adding additional costs, which is where JD Edwards comes in. This Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software is a critical ally for small organizations that need to stretch their small budgets to reach as many needy individuals as possible.
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An ERP is Cost Efficient
While many organizations do their best to rely on freeware for many of their applications, this can cause problems. These programs are usually not scalable, which can become a problem if your organization expands in the future; additionally, they rarely allow third-party integration, and they don’t have robust data protections.
With an ERP, you don’t need to manage multiple subscriptions for different facets of your organization, nor do you need to worry about data breaches due to using freeware. Instead, you’ll have everything available to you on one platform exactly matched to your organization’s specific needs.
Another benefit is that you don’t need to pay for tools that you don’t use. JD Edwards is modular, so you select what facets of the platform you need and only pay for those. If you provide low-cost therapy, you don’t need to add inventory management, instead focusing on invoicing and customer relations management.
You’ll Enjoy Resource Optimization
ERP software allows you to manage nearly all business activities from one platform, reducing the need for multiple third-party programs. You can also keep track of inventory, donations, invoices, payroll, donor relations, and client management all from one place, which allows all staff members to communicate more easily.
For example, instead of one volunteer tallying up donations on an Excel spreadsheet while another works on pen and paper, each can input the information onto the platform for automatic updates, reducing duplication that may imperil your product supply.
Likewise, you can note underutilized programs with your funds and choose how to address the issue. If this is a core service, you can direct your marketing, or you may phase out the program if you believe it is no longer as helpful to your client base.
Reduce Your Downtime With Real-Time Updates
You’ll also be able to see where you are utilizing the most resources and quickly adjust as necessary. If your inventory is running low on diapers, you’ll be able to reach out to other organizations to coordinate a new shipment or make a social media callout requesting more donations, thus avoiding frustrated clients who cannot access the services they need.
By getting a holistic perspective of your operations, you can see where you may need to direct your attention and more effectively manage your money and manpower. Most nonprofits are volunteer-powered, and as none of your helpers have unlimited time, you want to derive the most benefit from their assistance. Nothing is more frustrating for a nonprofit manager than accidentally overstaffing one event, leading to bored volunteers with nothing to do, then finding your next event understaffed, overworking those who chose to graciously donate their time.
With JD Edwards, you develop a schedule that allows for the optimal allocation of your volunteers, ensuring that all the work gets done in a timely manner and your volunteers feel that their time was well spent.
Work With a Qualified JD Edwards Consultant for Best Results
All nonprofits fret about funds and want to ensure they derive the most benefit from every donation. This means you need to balance the utility of a given program, like an ERP, with the cost of implementing and maintaining it.
A slipshod implementation of JD Edwards, relying on untrained volunteers, can cost more over time due to downtime and errors. As such, working with a consulting firm like getgsi.com will set you up for success and, therefore, more efficiency over time.
Medium-sized nonprofits, that orchestrate large amounts of donations and activities, need robust software that reduces inefficiencies and improves organizational agility. JD Edwards, when properly implemented by skilled consultants, can help you work smarter, not harder, so that can continue providing excellent services to their clientele for years to come.
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