# Forest YMCA standardises entire operation using NetSuite

- Link: https://fundraising.co.uk/2004/05/29/forest-ymca-standardises-entire-operation-using-netsuite/
- Published: 2004-05-29T23:00:00+01:00
- Author: Howard Lake

London-based Forest YMCA has standardised all its business operations, from finance
to customer relationship management, on NetSuite, the online integrated business
package for small to medium-sized organisations.
Like many charities, Forest YMCA
previously used DOS-based accounting, and a range of standalone spread-sheets and
Access databases. In order to resolve its IT and business problems it evaluated 
software such as Microsoft Great Plains, Siebel CRM and SAP Business One, and chose
NetSuite.

 

 

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NetSuite claims that, within two months of implementating NetSuite for the charity’s
250 users, Forest YMCA has been able to eliminate 60 spearate departmental databases
and cut IT costs “in half”, from £200,000 to £90,000 annually. It also says that
with ‘dashboard’ access that offers one view of every YMCA client, supporter and
partner, the charity is now “on target to increase turn-over from supporters by 
70%”.

 

 

James Nicola, volunteer ICT strategic director for Forest YMCA. “We investigated
the use of various applications, but they were discounted because of the lack of
functionality, the cost of managing disparate systems, and a complex and costly 
upgrade path. NetSuite offered us a much better value proposition with a high degree
of integrated functionality, that has replaced the many disparate software applications
we had. NetSuite is now used at the YMCA across the whole organisation from accounting
to customer relationship management.”

 

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