Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind

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"We receive no government assistance, and technology by itself is a great help to us in managing our donations."

Wells Jones
Chief Executive Director
The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind

Sage MIP Fund Accounting helps Guide Dog Foundation Improve Lives

The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, Inc. is dedicated to improving the quality of life for people who are blind or visually impaired. More recently, the Foundation also offers specialized training and dogs for people with disabilities other than sight-related, through its new Capable Canines or assistance dogs program. Over the past decade, the Guide Dog Foundation has increased its contributions from $1.3 million to over $6.5 million under the entrepreneurial direction of Wells Jones.

Upon Jones’ arrival in 1989, he immediately assessed the management of the Foundation’s funding (purely donated dollars). He knew that technology would have to play a role to help increase efficiency and infuse life into the organization’s financial structure. “My first move was to go to the board with a proposal to spend about 10 percent of the total budget on technology,” said Wells. “With the board’s support, we were able to install a system that has allowed us to manage, utilize and report on the information flowing into the agency.”

In 1990, Wells also initiated The Guide Dog Foundation’s implementation of nonprofit accounting software using Sage MIP Fund Accounting, which gives the organization current information on its finances. Current financials allowed Jones to initiate a cash management program that has improved the Foundation’s overall financial status and reputation with the board. “Our board and community acknowledge that we are a well-managed and thriving organization,” Wells explained. He added, “The Foundation is proud of its reputation as a charitable organization, consistently receiving high marks from charitable watchdog organizations, such as the American Institute of Philanthropy, the Better Business Bureau and Charity Navigator.” The Guide Dog Foundation was also named the best charity in the category of organizations serving people with disabilities by Reader’s Digest magazine. This list acknowledges the most highly regarded, well run, and trustworthy charities in the nation.

Under Wells’ leadership the Foundation has also increased its marketing options, including a line of guide dog-related gifts and a Guide Dog Foundation credit card system. Each time a cardholder uses his or her puppy-adorned credit card, the Foundation automatically receives a 25-cent donation. The organization also runs a series of public service announcements, advocating public access and the rights of people who are the blind or visually impaired to be accompanied by guide dogs. The office could not have managed this variety of activities and garnered such accolades without the strong technology support that includes Sage MIP Fund Accounting, which has grown with the Guide Dog Foundation to meet its expanding needs.

“We receive no government funding.” Wells says. “Technology helps us facilitate and manage our donations. We are using technology to be a leading resource and provider of premier services to foster independence for people who are blind and visually impaired.”

For more information about The Guide Dog Foundation for the Blind, visit their Web site: www.guidedog.org.

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