Bruno Duréault

Director of Finance and Operational Support, Finn Church Aid (FCA)

Finn Church Aid (FCA), headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is the largest Finnish international aid organization. FCA specializes in humanitarian aid and development cooperation, supporting communities in 11 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The organization is committed to empowering people through quality education, sustainable livelihoods and peace.

Supernova Award Category: 
Tech Optimization and Modernization
The Problem: 

In 2022 and prior to that, Finn Church Aid faced significant challenges in maintaining the agility and efficiency of its financial operations across its global programs. The existing patchwork of separate financial systems led to inefficiencies, delayed reporting, and increased operational costs. This reliance on manual processes for payroll, procurement, and reporting hindered timely decision-making and transparency, necessitating a more advanced, automated system to enhance operational flexibility and financial management.

The Solution: 

To address these challenges, FCA transitioned to the Unit4 Cloud Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform. This next-generation, multi-tenant SaaS ERP solution was chosen for its robust capabilities in process automation and seamless user experience. The migration was meticulously planned with minimal customization, focusing on integrating Unit4's functionalities to optimize financial operations. The solution facilitated real-time data integration, improving decision-making and operational efficiency across the organization, aligning with FCA's strategic goals for scalability and enhanced impact.

The Results: 

The implementation of Unit4 ERP marked a transformative phase for FCA, automating key financial processes and driving operational efficiency. The platform enabled faster financial reporting, and improved general ledger management, resulting in significant time savings and resource optimization. This transformation empowered the finance team to focus on strategic tasks, contributing to better decision-making and supporting the organization's humanitarian mission.

Key benefits included:

  • Reduced financial reporting time from weeks to hours
  • Provided agility to adapt quickly to changes in international aid programs
  • Enabled complete visibility and control over finances in projects and legal entities across the globe
  • Streamlined and improved time management and budget planning

FCA reduced financial reporting time from weeks to hours, enhancing operational agility. By standardizing on Unit4 Cloud ERP, FCA achieved a unified view of finance across multiple countries, driving intelligent automation and freeing more resources to focus on its core mission: humanitarian aid.

Metrics: 
  • Before ERP Implementation:

Financial operations involved labor-intensive manual processes with an average response time of several weeks, contributing to inefficiencies and higher operational costs.

  • Post-ERP Implementation:
    • Automated processes reduced response times to an average of hours, significantly improving efficiency and transparency.
    • The finance team was able to handle increased operational demands without expanding headcount, demonstrating a notable improvement in productivity.
  • Operational Costs:

Significant reduction in operational costs due to decreased reliance on manual processes and improved procurement efficiencies.

  • Time Savings:
    • Overall reduction in time spent on financial reconciliations, allowing reallocation of resources towards strategic humanitarian initiatives.
    • Financial reporting time reduced from weeks to hours, enhancing operational agility.
The Technology: 

The Unit4 Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platform was utilized to manage and optimize various financial operations at FCA. This platform provided comprehensive solutions for general ledger, project management, and analytics. Its cloud-based, multi-tenant architecture facilitated seamless integration across departments, enhancing real-time data access and decision-making capabilities, thereby supporting FCA's goal of operational excellence and humanitarian impact.

Disruptive Factor: 

The integration of Unit4 ERP at FCA challenged traditional financial management practices by automating repetitive tasks and enabling real-time data access. This shift disrupted manual workflows, significantly enhancing efficiency and agility. Despite initial resistance due to concerns about job displacement and system integration complexities, the project proved to be a game-changer. The new platform fostered a culture of continuous improvement and technological advancement, setting a new standard for financial operations within the nonprofit sector and positioning FCA as a leader in innovative financial management.

Shining Moment: 

FCA's most notable ERP project achievement was the seamless migration process, completed without disruptions. This highlighted their strategic planning, execution, and team resilience. The enhanced financial agility and operational efficiency from Unit4 ERP allowed FCA to focus more on their humanitarian mission, solidifying their reputation as a pioneering force in the nonprofit sector.

About Finn Church Aid (FCA)

Finn Church Aid (FCA), headquartered in Helsinki, Finland, is the largest Finnish international aid organization. FCA specializes in humanitarian aid and development cooperation, supporting communities in 11 countries across Africa, Asia, and the Middle East. The organization is committed to empowering people through quality education, sustainable livelihoods and peace.