Concordia Theological Seminary: Transforming Budgeting with Martus

The Challenge

Prior to adopting Martus Solutions, Concordia Theological Seminary managed its budgeting process through spreadsheets and manual paperwork. Each of the 40 departments worked in silos, printing out Excel sheets and recording budget projections by hand. This approach led to inefficiencies, limited version control, and a lack of real-time data visibility. The manual workflow not only slowed down the budgeting process but also increased the risk of errors and made it difficult to ensure consistency across the institution. As CTSFW expanded, the complexity of managing and consolidating budgets intensified, and the need for a secure, collaborative, and integrated cloud solution became critical.

The Solution

Recognizing the need to modernize its budgeting practices, CTSFW explored solutions that could centralize, automate, and streamline financial planning while integrating with their existing Sage Intacct accounting software. After evaluating various options, Martus Solutions stood out for its nonprofit-focused capabilities, user-friendly cloud platform, and robust integration features. As Claudia Burns, Chief Financial Officer, noted: "Before using Martus, everything was done via Excel. People printed an Excel sheet, then they documented by hand, everything they thought was going to be their budget. All they knew was the totals from the prior year, or two or three years." Martus empowered CTSFW to collaborate effectively across all 40 departments, enabling users to input monthly figures, add documentation, and perform specific calculations without unnecessary complexity. Claudia Burns highlighted this benefit: "What I really liked most was that the Martus software didn’t force you to do a lot of things that weren’t adding value. It was like, put your numbers in here by month. Here’s how you put your notes and documentation. If you want some specific calculations, you can do that but there’s no need for added complexity with Martus." Implementation included comprehensive staff training and a cultural shift towards transparency and collaboration, supported by Martus’ dedicated customer service.

The Results

Since implementing Martus Solutions, CTSFW has experienced transformative results in its budgeting process. The seminary reduced budgeting time by 50%, resulting in significant time savings and operational efficiency across all 40 departments. The cloud-based platform increased accuracy, improved documentation, and facilitated seamless collaboration between finance and ministry leaders. As Claudia Burns shared: "Using Martus has definitely saved us time and prevented many headaches and frustration." The finance team also praised Martus’ responsive customer support: "I get the feeling the Martus support team doesn’t treat us any differently because we’re big or small. I get the impression you’re here for me right away. With other software I use I have to wait for an answer on the phone 40 minutes just waiting to talk to somebody in customer service." With three years of successful use, CTSFW now enjoys a streamlined, transparent, and strategic budgeting process that supports its mission and ensures effective stewardship.