A faith-based nonprofit running 40+ programs across three states moved budgeting out of complex spreadsheets and into Martus.
Organization
Volunteers of America Northern Rockies
Faith-based nonprofit running 40+ programs across Wyoming, Montana and Western South Dakota. Sage Intacct.
Challenge
Sage Intacct's budgeting tools fell short for 40+ programs, so budgets lived in complex, error-prone spreadsheets.
Solution
Martus alongside Sage Intacct, with employee and salary allocations, budget notes and a simple interface.
In their words
"It has been a very user-friendly tool that multiple users can use and get up to speed on very quickly."
Doug Cherry, CFO
As a large nonprofit operating more than forty separate programs and businesses across multiple states, the organization's budgeting needs were complex, and its accounting system, Sage Intacct, wasn't built to handle that complexity on its own. Budgeting was still done through extensive, time-consuming spreadsheets prone to error.
Since adopting Martus, CFO Doug Cherry and his team have cut hours of manual work out of every budget cycle and can now make mid-year revisions without a full budget overhaul.
The Challenge
As CFO of a large nonprofit operating in multiple states with more than forty separate programs and businesses, Doug Cherry was managing a budgeting process that had outgrown its tools. Sage Intacct handled the organization's core accounting well, but its budgeting capabilities fell short, forcing the finance team into extensive, complicated spreadsheets. That approach was time-consuming and left too much room for human error — a real risk for an organization managing dozens of distinct program budgets at once.
Why Martus
When evaluating options, Doug found that Martus filled a niche that Sage's own budgeting tools didn't: a purpose-built budgeting solution that worked alongside Sage Intacct rather than trying to replace it. It was reasonably priced, and the implementation and training team was professional and followed through on its commitments — factors that made the decision, in his words, "a no-brainer."
The Solution
Martus gave Doug's team a way to manage budgeting across the organization's many programs without relying on spreadsheets:
- Employee/salary allocation features that streamlined a previously manual, error-prone process
- Seamless integration with Sage Intacct, connecting budgeting directly to the organization's existing accounting system
- Note-taking functionality that keeps budget details and context accessible and referenceable throughout the year
- A simple, intuitive interface that let both experienced staff and new users get up to speed quickly
The Result
Since implementing Martus, Doug describes the shift in financial clarity as "night and day". He no longer has to go on what he calls a "data scavenger hunt" to find the numbers he needs. The system has also made the organization's budget process meaningfully more agile.
- Financial data is now clear and centralized — no more searching across spreadsheets
- Mid-year budget revisions can be made without a full overhaul
- Budget edits and changes can be made and rolled out across 40+ programs far more rapidly than before