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Brenda Marotto has seen a sharp reduction in federal support for legal assistance to the poor during her five years as Finance Officer at Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS). "Never having enough money, time or resources to serve the number of people we need to serve is a significant challenge in our organization," Marotto said.
With 20 employees and a $1.5 million budget, Marotto tries to use most of the program's resources to serve clients. "Resources are not placed in the area of administration. We have to be careful with scarce resources and stretch management dollars," Marotto said.
"Since we purchased Sage MIP Fund Accounting even fewer resources have had to go into management-it has made us efficient," Marotto said. "Sage MIP Fund Accounting software allows me, the financial officer, to dedicate more time to the mission. I know our records are being well-kept and we are on top of things.
"With the efficiency Sage MIP Fund Accounting has given me to get fiscal work done, I have more and more time to put into client services. I am now running a client program. If I were back in the old system that required three times the number of entries, I never would have been able to do that.
"This year I ran a tax clinic for low-income people. As a result, those 250 low wage workers received over $365,000 in tax refunds and earned income credits." Marotto does grant writing for the organization as well. "The more NPS frees me up, the more time I have to assist with grant writing. Sage MIP Fund Accounting has allowed me to become so efficient that I have been able to reallocate some of my time to do more fund raising and grant writing," Marotto said.
When it came time to upgrade from DOS to a Windows product, Marotto knew she needed software that could do fund allocation. The financial software NLS was using would not allow them to do fund accounting. Marotto also found many nonprofit accounting software packages were useful only for organizations with donor bases. NLS needed a software program to handle funding that was primarily based on government and foundation grants.
Marotto found Sage MIP Fund Accounting exceeded each parameter she required. "I was a consultant with nonprofits before working with NLS. Everyone I consulted for who was using Sage MIP Fund Accounting talked about it being very user-friendly. They said people who were not trained in accounting could use it to assist with data entry. Sage MIP Fund Accounting users also talked about great service," Marotto said. "I knew that MIP was leading the way in Windows and that Sage Software provided a product that was great for nonprofits funded by foundation and government grants."
Marotto continued to do her research. "I looked at many demos. Sage MIP Fund Accounting was the first one that had a user-friendly screen and a common-sense format," Marotto said. Implementing Sage MIP Fund Accounting was no problem. "I put the data in and created accounts. I called the Customer Support department and found them very accommodating," Marotto said. "We have had many changes, including the retirement of very experienced staff. With all of the changes, we find Sage MIP Fund Accounting to be a program new people learn very quickly. It is very easy to train new people," Marotto said.
"Several organizations in New England have contacted me for recommendations. I recommend Sage MIP Fund Accounting. Some people think they can use Peachtree or Quickbooks. I tell them those programs are not the same and it will cost them more in the long run because they will need to spend more on staff salaries. Sage MIP Fund Accounting is cost-effective over time," Marotto said. She tells others, "You have to think of it as an investment—a worthwhile investment." Marotto values Sage MIP Fund Accounting because of its flexibility, grant reporting capability, efficiency and time saving quality.
"The ability to report over different fiscal years is wonderful. The online help is wonderful. The reporting mechanism is good-I can alter a report to get what I need," Marotto said. "There is a tremendous amount of flexibility overall."
Marotto commends Sage Software for maintaining the quality of the product as well. "Sage Software is very quick to get a new product out and great about getting products upgraded," Marotto said.
Marotto said she values Sage MIP Fund Accounting because she can count on consistent and reliable communication. "Sage Software is great at communication. They communicate with me through email, note cards, newsletters and the Web site. There has never been a surprise. If there is a problem, I have been notified.
"Sage Software is not a company that you buy something from and never hear from. I have had a lot of positive contact with the company. I feel like they are a company I will be doing business with for a long time because of that.
"It is a great feeling to deal with a company where you can go back and ask for advice—that is what I feel I am getting from Sage MIP Fund Accounting," Marotto said.
NEIGHBORHOOD LEGAL SERVICES
Neighborhood Legal Services (NLS) was founded 33 years ago to serve clients in Southern Essex County, Massachusetts. The program's main office is in Lynn, the largest community in the area. Recently, NLS expanded its service area to include all of Northeastern Massachusetts and opened a new office in Lawrence, Massachusetts. Their basic mission is to provide free civil legal help to low income residents of the area.
NLS has a staff of 12 attorneys, two paralegals, a finance officer and five support staff members. These resources are supplemented by the services of more than 100 volunteer private attorneys who provide assistance to clients of NLS throughout the region. Local attorneys donated more than $250,000 in volunteer resources during the last year.
Currently NLS focuses on five areas: housing, family law, economic development, employment law and public benefits. NLS has a separate project devoted to providing legal assistance to elders who are eligible for services without regard to their income.
Most of the organization's financial resources come from the state and federal government, private foundations and individual donations. For more about Neighborhood Legal Services, visit their Web site.
