Public safety organizations are no strangers to doing more with less. For many of these nonprofits, budget and funding cuts are often a fact of life.
Given how these agencies already face immense challenges around data management, personnel, and processes, that's a problem.
Poorly integrated, insecure legacy systems introduce unacceptable delays to scenarios where every second counts. Information sharing between units is disjointed at best, held back by communication and data silos. Cumbersome data entry and records management solutions reduce both productivity and situational awareness.
The good news is that cloud enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can help public safety organizations overcome many of these challenges.
The bad news is that many of these agencies still subscribe to many myths and misconceptions about the technology. Let's clear the air.
Below are five of the most common myths about cloud ERP usage in the public safety sector — all debunked.
One of the most widely-held misconceptions about cloud ERP software is that it's difficult to use and implement.
The problem, we're told, is that these solutions have a steep learning curve and introduce considerable administrative overhead. Introducing such a platform to an already resource-constrained public safety organization would be a disaster waiting to happen.
There probably are a few ERP solutions that are needlessly complicated. But Sparkrock 365 isn't one of them. As the only ERP solution hosted in the cloud and tailored specifically for public safety, Sparkrock is simple to both use and deploy. With the ability to connect with reporting tools like Power BI, making data-driven decisions is easy. More importantly, it considerably reduces administrative overhead, consolidating data to establish a single source of truth while also automating repetitive manual processes.
When a private sector organization suffers a cyberattack, it might lose money or experience reputational damage. When a public safety organization is compromised, though? That could cost people their lives.
With that in mind, it isn't particularly surprising that the public safety sector is a bit leery of cloud ERP. After all, cloud systems are less secure than on-premises systems, right? You've probably already guessed — that question is rhetorical.
This misconception probably dates back to the earliest days of the cloud. Back then, cloud adoption was a trade-off between security and agility. These days, however, cloud platforms can actually offer superior security to on-premises systems thanks to features such as continuous updates, 24/7 monitoring, and expert third-party support.
Because Sparkrock is powered by the Microsoft Dynamics 365 ecosystem, it benefits from Microsoft's industry-leading security. It's can also be compliant with a wide range of regulatory frameworks, including HIPAA and PCI-DSS. Factor in robust, role-based permission systems, and you've got a platform that's exactly as secure as you need.
As mentioned, public safety organizations are constantly expected to do more with less. This means they might be a bit wary about how and where they spend their budgets. And, like it or not, plenty of platforms and solutions come with hefty upfront costs and licensing fees, meaning there is a bit of truth to this one.
We developed Sparkrock with public safety organizations in mind — not just their needs but also their budgets. That's why Sparkrock is both streamlined and cost-efficient. Your agency will pay only for the features it needs and uses, with no hidden fees or unexpected costs.
Not only that, but by using Sparkrock, you can do away with many of the costs associated with on-premises systems, such as hardware maintenance, while also unlocking new operational efficiencies and automation that significantly reduce your overhead.
When you hear the phrase enterprise resource planning, you don't really think of fire departments, paramedics, or police stations. It's an acronym that brings to mind corporate boardrooms and the private sector.
Even within the same industry, two organizations of the same size might have wildly different use cases for ERP software. It's why we designed Sparkrock 365 to be both adaptable and flexible. We recognize that for an ERP platform to be effective, it needs to align with your organization's needs and workflows, from reporting and collaboration to administration.
For many IT professionals, legacy is a dirty word. These outdated systems, we're told, have no place in the modern business world. Public safety is a little different in that regard — many agencies may have no choice but to use legacy software and hardware since it's all that's available for their use case.
You can see, then, how the idea of a new software platform that's incapable of integrating with older software and hardware would be off-putting, even if it's patently false.
It doesn't matter what software and hardware your agency uses. Because Sparkrock provides access to the Dynamics 365 ecosystem of applications and APIs, it can integrate seamlessly across various systems. We’ve also designed our platform to support integrations through partnerships and APIs.
Public safety organizations are no strangers to constrained resources. Fortunately, that's exactly what Sparkrock 365 is built for. Automation and simplified, consolidated scheduling, budgeting, and reporting help agencies allocate resources and operate far more efficiently.
It's the perfect tool for doing more with less — whether you're a police department, fire station, or something else entirely.
Want to explore how Sparkrock 365 can help your public safety organization operate more efficiently and effectively? Reach out to schedule a demo, and we'll show you.
Community development has a pretty straightforward objective. You want to help a community reach its full potential, thereby improving quality of life for its residents.
Sounds easy, right? Not exactly.
There are many stakeholders involved in the process, everyone from local businesses to government agencies to individual community members. You need to facilitate collaboration between these people and groups while also keeping them engaged. And that only scratches the surface of what's involved.
You'll also need to manage multiple projects, identify opportunities for improvement, measure progress and performance, and navigate through a mire of legal and regulatory complexity — all while ensuring you have enough money in the bank to see your initiative through to the end.
To say that trying to tackle all of those responsibilities manually is a little challenging would be putting it lightly. To make matters worse, this administrative work is a huge drain on resources. The more time you spend juggling people, schedules, projects, and finances, the less time you'll have to see your initiative through.
Let's discuss how our enterprise resource planning (ERP) software, Sparkrock 365, can help.
Grant management is among the most significant roadblocks facing any nonprofit initiative. Documentation aside, you'll likely end up having to navigate a veritable labyrinth of regulations. Complicating matters further is the fact that in some cases, grant criteria changes year-over-year.
But let's say you manage to get through the application process and qualify for the necessary grants. Even once you've gotten through the mountain of paperwork that entails, you're not done. You also need to track where and how you spend each grant, down to the last cent.
Sparkrock streamlines the grant management process in a few ways:
Your organization likely needs to keep track of many moving parts. You not only need to track your budget and manage your employees, but also volunteer scheduling, project details, and documentation. The end result is a complex, intricate ecosystem prone to data and communication silos.
Each silo represents not only a massive inefficiency, but also the potential for incomplete or inaccurate data. These problems grow with your initiative, especially if you have multiple departments or divisions. Eventually, you might be left with an organization that operates less like a well oiled machine and more like one held together by desperation and duct tape.
Sparkrock can help in a few ways:
Grants aren't the only regulatory quagmire you'll likely have to navigate. Each of your projects will have its own set of ordinances, rules, and regulations. That means you could easily end up dealing with multiple sets of reporting and data governance requirements.
Cybersecurity is another bugbear you'll have to contend with, as well. Your organization will need to strike a delicate balancing act between convenience and access control, keeping systems and data safe without impeding workflows. That might sound next to impossible — but not to worry.
Sparkrock's got you covered:
Want to learn more about how Sparkrock can help your community development initiative achieve its goals? Book a demo today and we'll show you.
Gym use compared to pre-pandemic levels has nearly doubled. More people are purchasing wellness products and services and watching and engaging in sports and local leagues than ever before.
Most importantly, in a survey conducted toward the end of 2023, 90% of respondents said they wanted to spend either more time or the same amount of time at their local community center.
All this translates to one simple truth: People are more interested in health and wellness than ever before, and as a result, nonprofit sports and recreation organizations are experiencing a surge of interest. But supporting this influx of new arrivals isn't exactly easy. Running even a small community center can be a pretty complex undertaking — and the different departments historically haven't always worked well together.
Let's talk about how enterprise resource planning (ERP) software can change that.
Running a community center or local sports organization is no small task. Managing multiple amenities like pools, squash courts, climbing walls, gyms, and basketball courts requires a complex web of scheduling systems to track bookings, availability, and usage. Add to that courses, programs, membership accounts, rental payments, and administrative tasks, and the workload becomes overwhelming.
As interest surges and memberships grow, the need for streamlined operations becomes critical. That’s where tools like Sparkrock 365 can make all the difference. By consolidating key areas of your operations into a single platform, Sparkrock 365 helps you simplify and optimize your workflows.
With Finance and Procurement, Sparkrock 365 enables effective management of project and grant accounting, fund accounting, cash management, accounts payable and receivable, and more. Its robust reporting and forecasting tools provide the insights needed for smarter budgeting and better financial decisions.
For Human Capital Management, Sparkrock 365 handles position management, employee onboarding, benefits tracking, leave management, and expense claims. It features a self-service portal that empowers managers and employees to handle tasks efficiently, saving time and reducing administrative back-and-forth.
Sparkrock 365 also integrates seamlessly with the Microsoft ecosystem—syncing with Outlook, Teams, Word, Excel, and Power BI—allowing your team to work more collaboratively and make data-driven decisions in real time.
What sets a modern ERP system like Sparkrock 365 apart is its ability to work alongside specialized systems. With API integration, Sparkrock 365 connects seamlessly to your existing registration, booking, and course management platforms. This ensures a smooth flow of information across systems, eliminating data silos and reducing manual effort. Specialized tools for registration and scheduling often lack a robust ERP backbone, but Sparkrock 365 bridges this gap, offering the scalability and efficiency required to handle the complexity of modern operations.
By streamlining these critical functions and enabling integration with your key systems, Sparkrock 365 ensures that all parts of your organization work together cohesively. With fewer administrative hurdles, your team can focus on providing exceptional experiences to your members and meeting the growing demands of your community.
We've already touched on the fact that your average community center or sports league is potentially going to have a ton of different revenue sources and expenses to juggle. There are plenty of organizations that rely exclusively on bookkeeping software to manage their cash flow. Thing is…that's not really what it's designed to do.
It's right there in the name. Bookkeeping software is meant to help you maintain accurate financial records. It doesn't integrate with your business processes, nor is it capable of managing things like purchase orders, vendor agreements, and or membership renewals.
Never mind the number of manual entries you'll have to commit to making — leaving ample room for error.
An ERP solution like Sparkrock provides an integrated system that seamlessly consolidates your finances. Through intelligent automation, our software streamlines your organization's financial management, eliminating tedious administrative tasks while reducing both errors and duplication in everything from membership fees to payroll. What's more, through cash flow forecasting, your community center can plan out its budget and make better long-term financial decisions.
Take a moment to think about all the inventory you might find in an average rec center, from sporting equipment to cleaning and office supplies. Keeping track of everything can be incredibly daunting, not to mention time-consuming. And again, just like accounting, there's significant potential for error.
Sparkrock lets you automate your inventory management in much the same way as automating your budget. Rather than having to manually keep track of your assets, you can use Sparkrock to efficiently note where every piece of equipment is at a given time. And that's not even the most exciting part.
We've also designed Sparkrock for easy integration with a variety of software, making it easy for you to start embracing the Internet of Things and other popular technologies.
People expect a great deal more of community centers these days. They expect more of all organizations with which they interact. It's not enough for your organization to simply provide them with service while they're at your facility.
You also need to provide them with amenities like online booking and virtual fitness classes. More importantly, you need to meet them where they are, providing them with personalized service and building strong relationships with them in the process. Sparkrock facilitates this in a few ways.
First, because your team's going to be spending less time on manual administrative tasks, they'll have more time to dedicate toward community and member engagement. Some of Sparkrock’s robust budgeting features include grant accounting that’s directly tied into the Microsoft Suite, comprehensive reporting, and seamless integrations with Power BI to improve decision-making. Plus, with multiple pre-built templates, real-time updates an intuitive interface, self-service portals for managers and employees, and remote access — Sparkrock goes well beyond a standard ERP, freeing up your finance and HR teams to focus on other important parts of their job.
Is it time for your sports & rec organization to embrace ERP software? Reach out for a demo, and we'll help you find out.
Although invaluable for nonprofits, the request for proposal (RFP) process can also be extremely complex.
To ensure you do things right, you need to know what questions to ask yourself at the outset and what mistakes to avoid during the process.
We've listed seven of the most common RFP mistakes below and how to avoid them.
Who are you?
You know what your business needs. You know what you want. You've put together a complete list of your requirements.
You're ready to submit your RFP, right?
Not exactly. Remember that you're communicating with an organization that presumably knows nothing about you. They're going to need background details:
Make sure vendors know the basics of your organization and use case.
What do you actually need?
Another mistake we see organizations make all too often involves going overboard with requirements. They throw together a massive list that includes everything and the kitchen sink. This often results in them asking for stuff they don't actually need.
Our recommendation? Organize your requirements by priority. Start with the features that are absolutely non-negotiable, followed by what you're willing to compromise on, then things that, though nice to have, aren't deal-makers.
Map out your requirements, but be realistic about them.
What happens after deployment?
You know what your organization needs today. But what about tomorrow, and the day after, and in the years that follow? Do you have a roadmap of what your future looks like?
If not, define one. Think about how your needs might change as your use case evolves. Share that information with prospective vendors when you submit your RFP — that way, you're more likely to find one that'll grow alongside your organization.
Do you know how the RFP process works?
Given how complicated the RFP process tends to be, it shouldn't come as any great surprise that many organizations don't have a realistic understanding of it. As a result, they end up going in without a clear vision. Generally, this causes them to fall short in the following areas.
When are things meant to happen?
A lot of organizations don't really have a timeline in place for their RFP. They have no idea when they'll choose a vendor, sign their contract, start their project, and go live. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you've got organizations who want things to happen way too fast.
Before starting the RFP process, make sure you have a basic understanding of the different stages it will involve.
Map out each step, including outreach, engagement, and implementation, but remember that you're not the expert. Vendors will communicate a realistic timeline to you. Your role is to align your objectives to that timeline and understand the different milestones that need to happen at each stage.
Who will make things happen?
It's all too common for organizations to move forward without defining their key stakeholders. Who owns the project, who drives it, and who will oversee implementation? Who is accountable for keeping things moving and making sure nothing falls through the cracks?
Define the people who will ensure the project fulfills each milestone, keeps people accountable, and troubleshoots challenges as they arise. Not doing so can derail everything.
What do you need in order for things to happen?
Any engagement, no matter the scope, needs resources to succeed. Unfortunately, this is where a lot of organizations fall short. They either lack the necessary internal resources or forget what resources they're going to need to push things forward.
Think about your people. Who are they? What do they do? How available are they, and how will assigning them to this project impact your business?
To put it another way, you need to ask yourself if you have the internal capabilities to support both your day-to-day and this project — and if the answer is no, you need to think about how you're going to find them.
Are you blinded by dollar signs?
Plenty of organizations have a tendency to place way too much emphasis on pricing. As a result, they frequently rule out the best vendors simply because they're too blinded by costs. Fortunately, there's a simple way to fix this.
Put pricing to the side at first and nail down the best vendors based strictly on what they can provide.
Once you've created a shortlist of the top vendors for your project, you can compare them with one another based on pricing and how well they fulfill your requirements to find the best fit. If you're realistic with your requirements and willing to work with prospective vendors, you may even be able to secure a discount.
How are you approaching your budget?
Money might not be everything, but it still plays a huge part in your decision-making process. You need to do the necessary legwork to secure the budget for your project. Start by identifying the market.
You might consider submitting a request for information (RFI) to vendors so that you can get a gauge for market rates and realistic pricing. Once you've gotten a response from a few vendors, take the information to your board to get a budget range. Your budget range should cover how much you ideally want to spend and how much you're able to spend.
Are you asking the right questions?
As we've mentioned before, one of the most important keys to success in the RFP process is asking specific, highly targeted questions. Too many organizations either ask too many questions or use generic copy and paste templates filled with irrelevant questions.
Eliminate anything that isn't specifically related to your use case and requirements. That way, you can get the best information possible and position your RFP for success. Wondering how Enterprise Resource Planning software can help you improve your RFP process? Reach out to our team to learn.
Is your nonprofit facing the challenges of outdated legacy systems like Microsoft Dynamics GP or QuickBooks Desktop? As these platforms approach the end of their life cycles, it's crucial to explore secure, innovative solutions that can support your organization's growth and stability.
Watch our on-demand webinar, "Future-Proof Your Nonprofit: Navigating the Transition from Your Legacy ERP System with Microsoft Business Central and Sparkrock," where we’ll uncover the benefits of upgrading to a modern cloud ERP solution. Discover how Sparkrock and Microsoft can enhance your operations with advanced security, mobile accessibility, and AI integration.
Don’t miss this opportunity to empower your nonprofit with the tools to adapt, grow, and make a greater impact. Watch the webinar now to start your journey towards a more secure and efficient future!
Many people don't realize how much work goes into running a senior living facility. There's a great deal more to it than providing medical care and a place to live. Residential care organizations must not only provide support to the people living there, but also to their families.
And that's not even getting into the operational side of things. A long-term care home must adhere to both HIPAA and state-level regulations, including required reporting. At the same time, the organization responsible for managing the home must also manage its employees, finances, and marketing.
All told, you're looking at coordinating potentially hundreds of staff across multiple teams, departments, and sites. To call that a complex undertaking would be putting it lightly. The good news is that the right technology can make things a great deal easier, which is where Sparkrock 365's Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solution comes in.
Here are five ways Sparkrock can help assisted living organizations operate more efficiently and effectively.
Assisted living facilities are regulated at the state or provincial level. Unfortunately, every state and province has its own set of requirements for reporting and assessments. While that's not much of an issue for a smaller organization, operators at larger assisted living providers might find themselves having to juggle multiple sets of regulations.
Sparkrock makes government compliance reporting through a combination of paperless automation and access to a comprehensive list of reports and assessments directly out-of-the-box. Better yet, the platform integrates seamlessly with Power BI, which combines powerful data analysis with the ability to generate custom reports for improved accuracy, simpler auditing, and fewer errors.
Data silos often plague larger, more complex organizations. Not only does every department tend to have its own way of doing things, different locations may also have different approaches to data storage and data management. Accounting and human resources are two areas where these silos most frequently seem to manifest — and they're also where data silos can be the most damaging to operational efficiency and effective management.
Sparkrock provides a fully-integrated solution, allowing your organization to establish a single source of truth for critical operational data. Rather than having to deploy a patchwork of different solutions, your team can manage accounts payable, accounts receivable, income, attendance, payroll, and more, all within a single solution.
There are very few people who actually enjoy filling out paperwork. It's tedious, it's time-consuming, and in a world that's increasingly shifting toward digital media, it's arguably a waste of paper. This manual work also shifts attention away from other important tasks, either delaying them or requiring someone else to pick up the slack.
To make matters worse, we as humans don't tend to do well with menial repetition. Eventually, our attention will wander and our concentration will start to slip, making us more prone to mistakes. You can probably already guess why that's a bad thing in the context of assisted living.
Sparkrock's cloud-based ERP software improves both efficiency and productivity through a combination of smart automation, pre-built templates, auto-fill settings, and self-service capabilities for staff, residents and their families. It allows your organization to streamline both administrative tasks and workflows, freeing up valuable time that you can then direct elsewhere.
You'll also spend less money on office supplies such as paper and printer ink. Better yet, because Sparkrock connects directly with your organization's finances, it might even help you discover new cost efficiencies and opportunities. And it'll do all this while also reducing duplication, errors, and delays across the board.
One thing a lot of businesses tend to forget is that a software vendor's conduct is just as important as the solutions that vendor provides. As a result, they're frequently left to figure out onboarding on their own. In the worst case scenario, this leaves them saddled with complicated, expensive ERP software that they struggle to use effectively.
With Sparkrock, that's not an issue. We provide comprehensive training and support to ensure that your organization knows everything it needs to use our software. Better yet, our team is experienced in working with assisted living facilities and other human services organizations
In addition to providing easy access to our support team, we've developed a comprehensive online knowledge-base that includes guides, webinars, and more.
At the end of the day, your goal is to provide residents with the best quality of life you possibly can. One of the best ways to accomplish that is through close, personalized attention — especially if that includes proactively anticipating and fulfilling their needs. That's something else Sparkrock can help you with.
We already mentioned how our platform empowers managers and staff alike to focus on mission-critical tasks through smart automation. But that's not all it can do. Through integration with solutions like Power BI, it enables data-driven decision-making and helps you identify patterns you might otherwise miss, such as early warning signs that a resident might be experiencing health problems.
Interested in learning more about how our ERP software addresses the pain points of human services organizations? Book a demo today.
From professional associations and trade unions to clubs, all member organizations tend to share a common problem: Management. Keeping track of people and memberships is easy enough when you've only got a few dozen members. But as your organization grows, that job's going to get increasingly challenging and time-consuming until eventually doing everything by hand just isn't possible anymore.
Maybe you're here because you saw it coming. Maybe you've already hit that threshold. Either way, you've figured out that you need membership management software.
Let's talk about how you can find the right solution.
Could you go through the selection process and choose membership management software entirely by yourself? Probably. But should you?
Probably not.
You'd be better off working with a well-rounded team drawn from across your organization. Include people with expertise not just in communication and administration, but also event management, finance, and IT. That'll allow you to look at prospective software from a ton of different angles — and make it much less likely that you'll miss the mark with your choice.
With all that said, you'll also want to make sure there's one person on the team who has the final say. They'll be the point of contact for vendors. If you decide not to step into the role yourself, choose someone who's both organized and skilled at communication, then make sure they've a solid understanding of what you're looking for.
Next, you need to figure out how much you're able to spend on your software. More importantly, you need to make sure whatever budget you come up with is realistic. Unfortunately, this is where things get a little complicated, as the price structure for association management software isn't always cut-and-dry.
There are a few different factors that can impact cost.
First, how many people will be using your software? How many members does your organization currently have, and how fast is it likely to grow? While some vendors charge based on membership volume, others might bill you at a flat rate or only charge you for internal seats.
You'll also need to think about implementation. Are you going to need to update any of your existing infrastructure? How difficult is the software to deploy and configure, and does the vendor charge for installation?
Finally, there's operating costs. These could include support fees, additional licensing fees, and hosting expenses.
Now it's time to think about what you need your membership management software to do. Working with your team, put together a list of high-priority features and characteristics. You'll want to consider:
For example, a small trade association that regularly hosts events will probably want to look for something with robust event management functionality but baseline member management. On the other hand, a global professional association that works with multiple industries is going to need something with a great deal more flexibility and customizability.
In addition to managing memberships and dues, association management software can also help with:
Once you've brainstormed a list of features, separate them into two categories: "Must-haves" and "nice-to-haves." The former is what you absolutely need the software to do, your deal-makers and deal-breakers. The latter category includes features that you can live without, even if ideally you'd like to find a vendor that offers them..
With your feature-list in mind and your needs established, it's time to start looking for a vendor. While you'll probably cast a wide net initially, eventually you'll want to narrow things down to no more than five or six vendors. In that regard, there are a few questions you can ask:
Once you've put together your shortlist, you can start scheduling sales demos with each vendor. Make sure you come prepared with any questions you might want to ask, features you want to see, and concerns you have about the software. More importantly, don't commit to any of your prospective vendors until you've seen demos from all of them — just because one vendor wows you, it doesn't mean it's the only one that fits.
Once you've seen all the demos, it's time to confer with your team again. Your goal now will be to figure out which vendor offers the best value at their price point. Ideally, you'll also want to choose a vendor that regularly innovates and updates their software, both to keep with changing market trends and improve their product.
There's a lot that goes into running a membership organization. It can be challenging to find the right software, especially if you need to manage multiple programs and fee structures. Sparkrock can help.
We offer the only SaaS-based Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) software specifically designed to help associations not only manage their memberships, but also simplify purchasing, reporting, budgeting, and scheduling. Sparkrock combines intuitive financial, inventory, and project management with member engagement so that it's easier than ever to help your organization grow and thrive. Here are a few ways our purpose-built ERP solution helps membership organizations:
Is it time to upgrade your association management software? Book a demo today, and we'll show you exactly what we can do.
First Nations Tribal Councils often rely on grant funding from a variety of sources to sustain their communities. In addition to economic development, grant programs may support everything from critical infrastructure to healthcare, education, housing, and other community services. In addition to improving quality of life for tribal members, grant programs are also used for cultural preservation and wildlife conservation.
As you've probably guessed, managing the intricacies of applying for and complying with grant programs tends to be extremely complex. They tend to be uniquely challenging even for someone experienced in grant management. Adding to this issue, many tribes have limited resources or operate out of smaller communities — meaning they have access to fewer people who understand the intricacies of the various grant programs.
As a result, they may encounter roadblocks that impede or even prevent access to grant funding. We're going to go over a few of these roadblocks before explaining how best to overcome them.
When a tribe receives funding, it's crucial to not only allocate the funds correctly but also ensure proper documentation and record-keeping. At the same time, the council must maintain awareness of and adhere to the grant program's criteria. This can be challenging for several reasons.
Regulatory standards in both Canada and the United States are not only complicated but also have a tendency to change from year to year. Even if you've managed to get a handle on how grants work this year, there's no guarantee you won't have to relearn things next year. Case in point: The processes and criteria for Federal funding in the United States have, until fairly recently, prevented many governments from accessing funding altogether.
Even those governments that did qualify were often overwhelmed by the grant's administrative burden.
Legacy software is a better alternative than manual grant management — but only just barely. Frustrating and cumbersome interfaces aside, older software often lacks the necessary reporting capabilities for efficient and effective grant management. What's more, integrating these legacy solutions with modern systems can be a logistical nightmare in its own right.
Effective grant management also requires that your government be able to communicate effectively not just with internal stakeholders, but also with third parties such as government representatives and auditors. This requires a clear division of roles — there should be no doubt as to each stakeholder's responsibilities in the grant process. Moreover, you need a standardized approach that'll allow you to maintain comprehensive records of all communication.
This also applies to performance measurement. Many governments lack an effective means of determining the return on investment (ROI) of their grants. In addition to making it more difficult to properly allocate funds, this also makes it more challenging to know if you've received enough funding and to identify areas where a grant may have fallen short.
Ideally, your grant portfolio should be stored in a central location, fully digitized and accessible only to authorized stakeholders. In practice, this is often easier said than done. Many Tribal governments are forced to combine virtual and physical record-keeping, increasing their already considerable administrative load while also increasing the potential for mistakes or inaccuracies.
The grant management process becomes even more complicated when one accounts for how many different types of grants and programs exist. To make matters worse, many of these programs are limited in both category and scope, making it difficult to discern which ones are the best fit for a community and its needs. In Canada, for instance, Tribal Council Funding is divided into three separate tiers based on member nations, on-reserve population, and the number of ongoing programs.
In addition to Tribal Council Funding, there are more than thirty different programs, services, and initiatives geared toward Indigenous communities, each one falling under one of the following categories:
Complicating things even further, many Tribal Councils already have ongoing grant programs with which they must comply.
Between changing regulations, the huge variety of available programs, and the sheer complexity of documentation, adhering to each grant's criteria can make it difficult to actually use those grants. You can't really maximize the positive impact of your grant money if you spend all your time making sure you receive it, after all.
A modern ERP platform like Sparkrock provides the necessary technology to more effectively manage not only grants, but also your entire community. Accessible from within a secure, cloud-based government, Sparkrock is designed specifically to meet the needs of Tribal Governments. To that end, it includes tools for both pre-award and post-award grant management.
For pre-award management, Sparkrock 365 allows your organization to set up its grant cycle stages, with extensive tracking at each stage and a clear overview of the full funding pipeline. This is further augmented by comprehensive data analysis that enables more strategic decision-making. Sparkrock also offers a specialized project and grant accounting module that helps maintain compliance, particularly when managing the intricacies of multi-year grants.
A few other ways our purpose-built ERP helps include:
Is it time to upgrade how you manage your grant programs? Book a demo today to see how Sparkrock can help you do so.
Canadian nonprofits are under “immense pressure to reduce programming, diversify funding sources, or, in the worst cases, close their doors." Faced with shrinking budgets and increasing operational costs, CFOs of nonprofits need tactics and tools to weather the storm.
This guide explores five strategies to help CFOs sustain their nonprofits using data-ready Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.
CFOs can't have hindsight that's 20/20; they need proactive intuition that anticipates future challenges and opportunities. They adapt strategies in real-time to guide their organization through financial instability. They're visionaries who foresee risk and do what they can to mitigate it.
By staying current on trends and the economy, CFOs have the advantage of making more accurate, forward-looking decisions that align with their nonprofit's goals, but that can only take them so far. Internal, accurate data supplies CFOs with real-time analytics needed to make informed financial decisions, optimize resource allocation, and strategically drive the company's growth and profitability. Sparkrock 365's ERP offers comprehensive forecasting tools, like cash flow forecasting, that allow CFOs to analyze historical data, predict future trends, and plan accordingly.
Previously burdened by an outdated and labor-intensive ERP system, the Canadian Museum of History faced significant challenges in generating timely and accurate reports. The old system was not user-friendly and required extensive manual labor to transfer data into usable formats for analysis.
With the implementation of Sparkrock, CMH experienced a seismic shift in its forecasting capabilities:
The time it takes to generate quarterly reports has drastically reduced from days to minutes which gives CFOs the speed and accuracy of data available for forecasting.
With more accessible and timely data, the museum's management can now make informed decisions quickly based on the most current financial insights.
The integration of Sparkrock provided end-to-end visibility from procurement to payment. This visibility supported precise budget management and forecasting accuracy.
CFOs must grasp the nuances of their organization's financial structure, particularly in managing diverse revenue streams that may be unrestricted or restricted based on donor stipulations.
Right to Play faced significant challenges in managing donor data and harmonizing funds across their global operations. They implemented Sparkrock 365's ERP due to its customized reporting capabilities. The ERP system aligned donor intentions with organizational needs for transparent and optimized fund allocation. This integration demonstrates the tangible impact of donations and supports strategic decision-making in fund management.
Sparkrock 365's ERP supports CFOs with detailed financial reports and dashboards. These tools help streamline the analysis of unrestricted vs. restricted funds which ultimately improve financial oversight and strategic planning. For nonprofits like Right to Play, proper management of unrestricted and restricted revenue enables the nonprofit to sustain their operations and expand their impact.
While securing funding is necessary for nonprofit survival, CFOs should guard against the allure of conforming to every funding opportunity. Not all funds are created equal, and the most accessible or lucrative offer might not align with the organization's mission. An adept CFO understands the value for money but also recognizes that the bidding process can sometimes favor those who excel at making appealing proposals over those best suited for project execution.
Enhancing Vendor and Funding Management with ERP Features:
To manage different funding sources and maintain strategic alignment, CFOs can use advanced ERP functionalities for the following:
With Sparkrock 365, CFOs can set up and manage comprehensive vendor records in one place. This includes multiple addresses, bank accounts, preferred items, and payment terms. Centralizing all this information streamlines procurement processes and aligns financial commitments with the nonprofit's goals and compliance requirements.
Easily track and manage multiple contacts for each vendor, complete with notes and comments. This feature enhances communication and collaboration, which is important for maintaining strong relationships with donors and funding partners who are aligned with the nonprofit's mission.
Automated workflows and real-time visibility into vendor activities allows CFOs to maintain tight control over financial operations. Every dollar spent or received advances the organization's objectives and supports sustainable growth.
There's a persistent myth in nonprofits that lower overhead costs are always better. However, this sentiment stifles genuine progress. The default expectation that expenses will exceed revenue, and it's the organization's responsibility to bridge this gap, often leads nonprofits to neglect essential infrastructure—overhead costs like administrative salaries, office space, and utilities—which are necessary for sustained operations. After all, can a doctor do their work without an office, electricity, insurance, receptionist, or accounting staff? The same can be said for the nonprofit space–overhead is operational.
Investing in overhead should be viewed not as a necessary evil but as an investment in the organization's capacity to deliver on its social purpose. CFOs should advocate for this understanding among their donors and stakeholders, helping them recognize that a well-funded infrastructure supports long-term success and impact. Accenture's latest findings show that "organizations with an advanced digital core, investments in strategic innovation, and a balanced approach to their technical debt achieved 60% higher revenue growth rate and 40% higher profits."
Action Group's experience echoes the necessity of re-evaluating operational strategies. Before Sparkrock 365, they struggled with disconnected systems between finance and human resources. Payroll processing and employee scheduling were as disjointed as they were time-consuming. By integrating their processes into Sparkrock 365, Action Group
An ERP system simplifies financial management so CFOs can accurately track and justify overhead costs. With sophisticated analytics and reporting capabilities, ERP systems provide a clear picture of how these investments contribute to the organization's efficiency.
Effective internal controls are not just a regulatory necessity—they maintain a nonprofit's accountability. Internal controls support financial checks and balances to uphold procedures and protect assets.
The Sacramento Area Council of Governments (SACOG) previously struggled with disjointed systems. It hindered their ability to oversee financial operations. The adoption of Sparkrock 365 marked a turning point. The ERP system enabled SACOG to:
Features such as electronic approval workflows and contract attachments in Sparkrock 365 have notably improved transparency and accountability to manage public funds. The ERP system also supports and monitors internal controls by providing automated checks, like spending limits and vendor verification, to prevent fraud and errors. Its comprehensive reporting features also allow for ongoing oversight and detailed internal audits of all financial activities.
There is no shortage of challenges for CFOs of nonprofits. That's why leveraging a digital, centralized hub like Sparkrock gives CFOs the advantage during mounting financial pressures. Sparkrock 365 supports CFOs with the tools they need.
| ERP Features | How It Supports CFOs |
| General Ledger & Dimensions | Manage data with a dimensional structure for entries, inquiries, and reporting to align with funding-based account structures. |
| Financial Reporting | Gain rich insights with easy-to-use interfaces and flexible report structures for financial statements and government compliance. |
| Fund Accounting | Maintain balanced financial statements by fund, for accurate inter-fund entries and compliance with fund accounting requirements. |
| Commitments & Encumbrances | Integrated with purchase orders and budget checks, automatically adjusting encumbrances to streamline financial commitments. |
| Requisition Management | Enhance control over procurement with real-time budget checks, authorized vendor interactions, and streamlined requisition approvals. |
| Vendor Management | Manage vendor relations comprehensively, from price negotiation to contract management, enhancing operational control. |
| Cash Management | Manage bank accounts and transactions efficiently, with features like EFT, cash flow forecasting, and bank reconciliations. |
| Cash Flow Forecasting | Predict liquidity with greater accuracy, integrating expected receipts and disbursements to optimize financial planning. |
As your organization looks towards sustaining and expanding its impact, consider how an integrated ERP system can benefit your financial management practices. Surviving current challenges isn’t viable. Pave the way for future success. Schedule a demo to see how Sparkrock 365 can be tailored to meet your nonprofit's unique needs.