The Women's Fund Success Story
The Women's Fund for Health Education and Research
Nonprofit Fund Accounting Software Success Story - Women's Health Education and Research in Houston, Texas
"The biggest strength of the system is having the support. You just do not find support people who will walk you through answers to your questions like you do at Sage Software ... Every time I have a question I am able to call and within two hours have someone call me back and walk me through the answer to my question."
Barb Devetski
Executive Director
The Women's Fund for Health Education and Research
Barb Devetski, Executive Director of The Women's Fund for Health Education and Research in Houston, Texas, started with the organization in 1983.
"We faced our largest operational challenge when our auditor suggested we go to fund balance accounting. I do the accounting in-house and after hours. Sage MIP Fund Accounting streamlined the process. It has been very effective for us," Devetski said. "At the time I must have looked at six or seven different software packages. In 1996, Sage MIP Fund Accounting led the way with Windows, so we gave it a try. I think we were fairly early users of the Windows system. Every new upgrade has been wonderful."
"Sage MIP Fund Accounting is user-friendly, which is important because I am not a bookkeeper or an accountant and we produce some complex financial statistics," Devetski said.
"I was hoping to keep the expense for auditors down and help the trustees and boards understand how our funds are raised and spent. All of our endowed programs are set up as funds. Trustees and boards can look at our financial statements and see the interest on funds and expenditures against each fund. This makes it easier to show what we do," Devetski said.
Devetski said she would recommend Sage MIP Fund Accounting to other organizations with no reservations. The primary reason is because of the support she has received. "The biggest strength of the system is having the support. You just do not find support people who will walk you through answers to your questions like you do at Sage Software," Devetski said. "I looked at a few other (software packages) that would have worked for us, but there was no comparison in the area of support. Every time I have a question I am able to call and within two hours have someone call me back and walk me through the answer to my question. The Customer Support department is outstanding. I am happy with their level of expertise."
The Women's Fund recently utilized Sage MIP Fund Accounting to set up a new organization, "Women's Fund for Her Foundation."
"The spin-off organization is working very well. The new organization's purpose is to manage our endowed funds. We set up the books and transferred the funds with ease," Devetski said.
"We have Sage MIP Fund Accounting set up to fulfill our needs," Devetski said. "We send our financial statements to foundations we are approaching (for funding) as well as to our board. With Sage MIP Fund Accounting statements, it is easy for board members and trustees to interpret our financial information and understand what we are trying to accomplish."
THE WOMEN'S FUND FOR HEALTH EDUCATION AND RESEARCH
The mission of The Women's Fund for Health Education and Research is to fund medical research and to provide health education for women of all ages.
The Women's Fund was founded in 1979 in Houston, Texas. The stated goals were: to educate the public, to obtain funds for teaching and research and to distribute these funds to institutions or single individuals striving to find new information and solutions concerning women's health. The goals remain essentially the same today.
Since 1979 The Women's Fund has provided more than 135 educational lectures and seminars for its members. Over the past eighteen years 128 research grants have been funded for a total of more than $831,000. Besides formal research, several outreach service programs with far reaching effects have also been funded.
In 1985 The Women's Fund published the award winning A Primer on Women's Health.
The Women's Fund initiated "Women and Girls' Good Health Day" in 1993 to encourage healthy lifestyles. In a few months they will have a new guidebook for girls age 12-16. The Women's Fund also publishes a quarterly newsletter and offers women in corporations free onsite health information seminars.
Visit their website to learn more about The Women's Fund for Health Education and Research.
