Cornell Cooperative Extension

Intuitive Platform and Centralized Database

CCE’s long-time technology partner Prelude Consulting Inc. recommended Acumatica because the future-proof ERP platform could accommodate strict non-profit requirements while facilitating quick and easy user training.

“We did look at other solutions, but we found that Acumatica was definitely far and above the best,” Churchill says.

The evaluation team determined Acumatica could flex to track specific government grants and programs and handle non-profit accounting.

Acumatica’s subaccount structure and Open API also proved essential during the evaluation process, while the unlimited user licensing helped seal the deal.

Before implementing Acumatica, CCE revamped its chart of accounts, creating a statewide account list that consolidated all 65 entities. Each county finance member agreed to clean up their data to avoid keeping more than one set of books.

“(throughout the implementation) No one was down more than three days, and it went extremely well,” says Donna James, an SBN Regional Finance Lead. “We spent an hour with the users to walk through everything and also had what we called Show and Tells before the implementation to showcase Acumatica’s features.”

Rapid Implementation

 CCE deployed Acumatica during the pandemic and did so on time and under budget. “We implemented about three tenants per week. Tenants were easily converted and successfully operating in Acumatica within 1-2 weeks,” Klug says.

In less than six months, the non-profit had 65 tenants up and running with Acumatica’s financial functions.

“Implementation went so smoothly it was ridiculous; there was no downtime. All of a sudden, we were getting things much more quickly,” says Orleans County’s Executive Director Batt.

Coordinated Training Advances Employee Adoption

The statewide finance team of Elizabeth Klug, Donna James, and Roxanne Churchill conducted a training program that resulted in a smooth transition.

“At times, there were over 100 people just watching us walk through everything,” says James, an SBN Finance Lead. “Then we started user group meetings every week for an hour, where we showcase items, different ways of doing things, and shortcuts. Now we do one every other week and have 50 to 60 people staying on for the whole hour.”

Klug adds, “People are also learning from each other. We have users from assistants to manager levels, so the skill sets vary tremendously throughout the state.”

Full Financial Transparency

Cornell Cooperative Extension instantly gained real-time information access and streamlined processes. Acumatica also provides self-service access to critical financial data, significantly improving CCE’s customer response times for officials and residents seeking reports.

Now Batt answers questions and responds to requests in a minute. “I can look at a receipt from a 4H club or look at a scholarship on my smartphone and approve it instantly. The Acumatica mobile app is fantastic.”

CCE automated many processes and improved customer service. In many cases, they reduced report creation and distribution from weeks to minutes. They also gained instant access to financial status and could take deep dives into real-time data to identify trends and opportunities.

“Acumatica is amazing. There isn’t software out there built specifically for non-profits, but Acumatica is pretty close to handling everything we need. We haven’t found anything we can’t do with Acumatica,” says Klug.

Batt adds, “Educators didn’t have access to financial information, they couldn’t generate reports, and they were totally dependent on others for this information. Now with Acumatica, they have a great deal of independence, know what their programs are doing, know what budget they have left to spend, and they have more instant decision-making power.”

Acumatica’s self-service functionality, along with Velixo, a third-party plug-in, allows users to create any report they want so they can see the results instantly. The centralized solution eliminated most manual work and redundant processes.

“Now they (county employees) can set up dashboards exactly how they want and monitor it for themselves using different time periods and different grant periods that often aren’t on calendar years,” says James.

The training helped county-level employees revise processes and understand the importance of entering information when they receive it rather than recording it later and posting it in batches. “If they input data in a timely manner, it’s there all the time so that all reports are live and up-to-date when a person requests it,” says Klug. “Before, I had to tell people they needed to wait for two weeks because I was still closing a month. Now they can just run a report for themselves. It frees us up to do other things.”

Real-time Reporting

For CCE assistant director Dayton, Acumatica’s real-time platform dramatically reduces report generation and increases response times. “There were times when I had to collect data, and it literally took people months to respond,” she says. “I remember a specific report a dean wanted on youth and family programs in five counties. It took three days to get the data. When I sent the report, he said it was too late. Now I can get that information in minutes.”

For example, creating reports on state agriculture programs like maple syrup production or dairy programs previously took months and were outdated when delivered. “Now I have easy access to that information, and I can meet legislator’s deadlines that sometimes are just a couple of hours opposed to a couple of days,” says Dayton.

Ability to Close Staffing Gaps Fast

The new standard chart of accounts and standardized processes allow CCE to create instant staff redundancy as needed. For example, when someone goes out on leave, they can find a temporary replacement because they have a single application, the same processes, and the ability to access information remotely.

Further, having a cloud platform expanded its job candidate pool to a broader geographic area. “If we have a vacancy, we don’t have to deploy someone in the next county; we can hire remotely,” Klug says. “We also have some redundancy in finance, so no one county is left shorthanded.”

With countless open positions and a competitive job market, CCE can now offer positions that use the latest technology. “Our previous system was really old and not pretty, functional but not fun,” says Dayton. “Early career candidates have high expectations and expect to use modern technology. Acumatica is very appealing to users, and it’s fun and easy-to-use.”

Higher Participation and Revenue

Having Acumatica running during the pandemic allowed CCE to pivot and respond to new business priorities. The new modern platform helps them efficiently work from home, reduce paper costs, and reach more participants.

Rather than limiting programs to onsite, CCE now offers various programs online, attracting participants nationwide and boosting revenue.

Modern Platform Empowers Mission and Improves Resident Support  

 CCE uses Acumatica Cloud ERP to manage financials for its 12 Taste NY retail sites with plans to implement the Acumatica for Big Commerce Connector for online store sales. It will also deploy Acumatica’s embedded CRM to unify customer relationship management capabilities to drive efficiency throughout the organization.

“CRM is going to be huge. It’s a huge time saver,” says Klug. “And when we have everyone up and running, it’s just going to free up more time for us to concentrate on more important issues.”

With Acumatica supporting the entire CCE operation, the non-profit can respond quickly to the changing needs of its communities.

“So much of our work is driven by grants and contracts so having a solution that more easily manages the information, data and documents reduces human labor and the burden of managing contract information,” says Dayton. “It also makes it easy for educators to see how they can grow because they have a modern solution to support them.”