How the Diocese of San Bernardino Improved Financial Accountability

About the Diocese of San Bernardino

The Diocese of San Bernardino oversees more than 120 parishes and schools across Southern California, along with a Pastoral Center that houses diocesan leadership. For CFO Jorge Montenegro, financial stewardship is central to the diocese's mission.

"For any diocese, budgets are a key tool to understand where we are financially," said Jorge. "It is vital that we have a clear picture of the financial health of every parish, school, and outreach ministry so that we can effectively receive and distribute funds to meet our mission and serve our communities."

Before Martus, managing budgets across multiple locations was a time-intensive, manual process that left the central office overwhelmed and local parishes struggling to understand their finances in real time. Since implementing Martus, the diocese has streamlined budgeting and reporting, saved 40 hours per month in administrative work, and gained the real-time visibility its leadership needs to make faster, more informed decisions.

The Challenge

Managing finances across more than 120 parishes, schools, and a Pastoral Center is no small task. Before Martus, the Diocese of San Bernardino's budgeting process was heavily manual and time-intensive, making it difficult for the central finance team to maintain a clear picture of the organization's financial health.

The diocese needed a solution that would work for everyone, from local parish budget managers with limited finance backgrounds to diocesan leadership who needed detailed, real-time reporting.

Why Martus

The decision to choose Martus wasn't made blindly. Jorge had worked with Martus at a previous diocese and knew firsthand that it could meet the organization's needs. He also knew that the bi-directional integration with Sage Intacct would streamline manual processes. The software’s straightforward design, competitive pricing, and track record with religious organizations made it a clear choice for a diocese wanting to make every dollar count.

Key features that stood out to Jorge: 

• Intuitive interface: Martus' user-friendly design allowed budget managers at every level and location to learn the system quickly and without extensive training.
• Real-time financial insights: Up-to-date data gave leadership faster, more confident visibility into the organization's financial position, whether in the office or on the road.
• Cost-effectiveness: Martus delivered the functionality the diocese needed at a price point that fit a nonprofit budget — and has continued to improve functionality without imposing hefty add on costs.
• Customized user permissions: Each individual sees only what they need, giving local parish leaders access to their own budget data without exposing the broader organization's financials.

The Solution

Martus’ rapid implementation and Sage Intacct integration enabled the diocesan finance team to hit the ground running without disrupting established workflows. And because Martus looks and feels like a spreadsheet, the learning curve was minimal, allowing more than 185 users across the diocese to see and update their budgets in real time.

The diocese also used Martus to update its manual and time -intensive reporting process. Instead of mailing monthly budget reports that were already outdated by the time they arrived, the finance team taught parish leaders how to access real-time reporting in Martus. 

The Result

The results have been overwhelmingly positive at every level of the organization. Users are more responsive, budgets are being prepared and submitted on time, and Jorge and his team can review financial reports in real time. Other results include:

• 40 hours saved per month: The central office no longer needs to create, print, and send individual financial reports to its 120 locations.
• 2x faster decision-making: Real-time data access means Jorge and his team can make informed financial decisions at twice the speed, ensuring parish requests are assessed quickly and efficiently.

Most importantly, the Diocese of San Bernardino now has a clear, consolidated understanding of its finances across every parish, school, and ministry, giving leadership the visibility it needs to better serve its communities and carry out its core values of hospitality, collaboration, faith sharing, and reconciliation.

"Martus stepped up our financial process for budgeting, integrating smoothly into our existing systems. Their intuitive budgeting and forecasting platform has made it easier for us to craft and adjust our financial plans. As a CFO, I appreciate the real-time data and comprehensive reporting features — they're not just handy; they're crucial for making strategic decisions swiftly,” said Jorge.