HOME
REQUEST INFO
CONTACT US
"A little piece of our business deals with the federal government-the Allocations Management module simplifies compliance with the Office of Management and Budget cost allocation plan and allows me to be consistent all the way across the board."
With over 50 million people in the United States who say they enjoy boating and fishing, recreational boating and fishing are among this country's favorite pastimes. Historically, there has been steady growth in recreational boating and fishing. Lately, however, recreational boating and fishing participation rates have not kept up with the nation's population growth and recent economic prosperity.
If fishing and boating traditions and their related stewardship ethic are to grow and be passed on to future generations, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service knows these trends must be reversed. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation was established to reverse the declining trends.
Chief Financial Officer Steve Knell said theRecreational Boating and Fishing Foundation's biggest operational challenges come from being so new-it was incorporated in October 1998. "The organization is just getting things off the ground-I am involved with the nuts and bolts of getting an organization up and running," Knell said.
Knell's relationship with Sage MIP Fund Accounting, however, is not new. Knell has been a user of Sage MIP Fund Accounting software since 1994. "I decided to use Sage MIP Fund Accounting again because I liked it so much," Knell said. "I am a fiercely loyal Sage MIP Fund Accounting user. I try to recommend Sage MIP Fund Accounting to the various nonprofit organizations I do business with. I tell them how good it has been for us and how easy it is to start up."
"I have seen an $80,000 general ledger package that cannot do half what Sage MIP Fund Accounting does. Organizations will buy a sophisticated program and have it customized for them unnecessarily-Sage MIP Fund Accounting is just as powerful," Knell said. "Of course, Sage MIP Fund Accounting can be tailored to an organization's specific needs."
"Our grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the most detailed I have ever seen, with a detailed budget and detailed line items and functions. Sage MIP Fund Accounting helps me categorize the object/natural type expenses in the grant and code expenses according to those various functions.
"We have two grants in our program. Sage MIP Fund Accounting allows us to track grantors separately and perform cross-fiscal year reporting," Knell said.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation has tremendous reporting responsibilities due to its federal funding. "I submit monthly reports to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service," Knell said. "The Sage MIP Fund Accounting report writer is easy to set up and use and it executes reports fast. With the report writer a whole series of reports are now printed and provided at the touch of a button."
The Bank Reconciliation module is a timesaver for Knell. "I can do bank reconciliation in less than ten minutes," Knell said. "If I had the Bank Reconciliation module at my last place of employment, I would have saved several days a month."
Knell is a fan of the Accounts Payable module and Sage MIP Fund Accounting's manuals. "I really like having the ability to run expense reports by vendor with the Accounts Payable module. I set up the Accounts Payable module myself using the manual," Knell said. "I love Sage MIP Fund Accounting's manuals. They are so clear-the best I have ever seen," Knell said.
"Sage MIP Fund Accounting certainly makes my life a lot easier. When I can be freed up from fiscal duties I can get involved with our fishing and boating programs," Knell said.
"We are supposed to get $36 million in funding over the next five years. I am the CFO-but, I am also the only accountant on staff-so, I am the accounts payable clerk, cash receipts clerk, etc. It is important that I have a good system because I cannot spend my time fixing problems."
Knell knows he can rely on Sage MIP Fund Accounting's Client Services department if he does encounter a problem. "With just one call to the Client Services department, I get wonderful technical support always," Knell said. "You could say I am a real happy Sage MIP Fund Accounting user."
Knell has relied on his Sage Software Authorized Business Partner since 1994 as well-CBIZ-Kaufman Davis Business Services, Inc. of Bethesda, Maryland.
RECREATIONAL BOATING AND FISHING FOUNDATION
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation is a nonprofit organization with a mission: to increase participation in recreational angling and boating and thereby increase public awareness and appreciation of the need for protecting, conserving and restoring this nation's aquatic natural resources. The foundation is funded primarily by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, with matching and in-kind contributions from other sources. The foundation offices are in Alexandria, Virginia.
Over 50 million Americans enjoy recreational boating and fishing and the aquatic resources that support them. However, participation rates have not kept up with the growth in population-with some states experiencing actual declines in recreational boating and fishing.
In a move to reverse this trend, the Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 dedicated $36 million of Sport Fish Restoration Program funds for a five-year national outreach and communication effort. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation was formally established in October 1998 to carry out a strategic plan for the National Outreach and Communication Program of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
For more about the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, visit their Web site.
