The Wildlife Trust chooses Accounting, ERP and Business Management solution, IRIS Exchequer
Howard Lake | 26 May 2009 | News
The Wildlife Trust, a wildlife conservation charity working for a better future for local wildlife and habitats, has chosen the IRIS Exchequer Accounting, ERP and Business Management solution, to provide itself with a better and stronger financial future.
Operating across Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire and Peterborough, the Wildlife Trust is one of 47 Wildlife Trusts across the United Kingdom. All independent charities, they work together to protect and enhance the natural environment. Their strong ethical and environmentally responsible approach is supported by ‘cost conscious’ aims.
Before placing the order with IRIS (www.iris.co.uk/exchequer), the Trust consulted with other organisations who like them, had outgrown the capabilities of Sage Line 50. The team was particularly impressed that its own umbrella organisation, the Royal Society of Wildlife Trusts, had upgraded to IRIS Exchequer in the last eighteen months. Their endorsement, along with others who had moved to Exchequer from Sage, persuaded the Trust to place an order for a full financial system, with integrated payroll, that is to be implemented in two phases.
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IRIS Exchequer’s excellent reputation within its user base of c200 UK not-for-profit organisations was an important factor in the Trust’s decision. This is reinforced in the results of the latest independent survey (February 2009) conducted amongst charities using accounting software who rated IRIS as the supplier they are most likely to recommend to other charities.
Terry Hazeldine, Resources Director commented on the selection of IRIS Exchequer: “We have heard some very good reports about Exchequer and believe that it will equip us with access to the high level of detailed financial information we now need.”
The Trust’s decision to implement ‘Management Dashboards’ that deliver financial data, key performance indicators and operational reports directly to the team’s Microsoft Outlook screens will provide unprecedented access to a continual flow of reliable information. Other key features of the IRIS Exchequer system that attracted the Trust included its project costing abilities, its budget centre analysis and its ability to deal with the partial exemption of VAT; a vital feature for any not-for-profit organisation.
Terry said: “The system went live in April and we are looking forward to having complete visibility of cost centres so we can measure return accurately.”
The Trust’s environmentally responsible approach is reflected in the decision to implement the Exchequer paperless module that will deliver the dual benefits of helping to reduce the costs involved in using and storing paper and will lower the Trust’s carbon footprint.
Terry finished by adding: “IRIS Exchequer’s reporting capabilities are extremely impressive and the ability to ‘drill down’ will provide us with a highly accurate and current view of the organisation. The time savings are expected to be substantial, especially in the production of management accounts.”
Ends
There are 47 Wildlife Trusts across the whole of the UK, the Isle of Man and Alderney working together for an environment rich in wildlife. It is the largest UK voluntary organisation with 765,000 members dedicated to conserving the full range of the UK’s habitats and species, whether they be in the countryside, in cities or at sea. 2,256 nature reserves covering more than 90,000 hectares are managed by the Trusts.
About IRIS Accounting & Business Solutions
With over 20,000 medium sized organisations as clients, IRIS is a leading provider of mid-market accounting and business solutions. IRIS’ objective is to empower those operating in clearly defined sectors that include wholesale and distribution, retail, construction, not-for-profit, architectural practices, engineering, and management and IT consultancies with the tools and services to optimise operational efficiency and enable the best chance of competitive advantage.
Within the IRIS product portfolio are a wide range of business critical solutions including the ‘flagship’ product, IRIS Exchequer, project management and professional services automation software and HR and payroll products; all underpinned by superior managed hosted and Saas service offerings.
Personal service is a key factor that has helped IRIS to secure consistent success in independent user surveys and in industry award programmes.
IRIS Accounting and Business Solutions is part of IRIS, one of the fastest growing and now the largest privately owned software and services business in the UK. It has revenues of c£120m p.a. and c1,200 employees servicing over 60,000 UK businesses from a national network of offices.
About Howard Lake
Howard Lake is consultant editor of UK Fundraising. He founded the site in 1994 and successfully sold it in 2022. As director of Giving X Ltd he is exploring growing giving on a massive scale.
He is the founder of Fundraising Camp and co-founder of GoodJobs.