Next-level Cloud Accounting for Nonprofits

Despite a flood, a pandemic, and an economic downturn, Leach Botanical Garden will be opening up the first phase in its ambitious capital investment—consisting of new event and program spaces called the Upper Garden—in the spring of 2021. 

Revolution Accounting & Advisory enabled the Garden to level up their accounting and reach for a $30 million capital fundraising campaign as the nonprofit’s Sage Intacct partner and with its fractional accounting service. 

Tom Bland, CPA and board treasurer, attributes part of their success to Revolution’s team and Sage Intacct’s platform for nonprofits. If your nonprofit is struggling to define a clear path for your vision of a better future, keep reading.  

Invest in your vision with cloud accounting 

Leach Botanical Garden is a “place like no other” for the City of Portland, lovers of native species, and newlyweds alike. A horticultural gem in Southeast Portland, the 16.5 acres of carefully cultivated native plant species was bequeathed to the City by John and Lilla Leach in the 1980s. Since then, the Garden has been a place of horticultural education and discovery and a popular wedding venue. Rental revenue accounts for 20% of the organization’s modest $650,000 annual operating budget. This is why it took quite a hit after Johnson Creek flooded in December 2015. 

When accounting is over your staff’s head

The flood washed out the 122nd Avenue bridge and, with it, the connection between the parking lot and the Garden. Without access to parking, the garden’s rental income stream from events and weddings was also washed out.

The organization had a real operational nightmare on its hands, and it wasn’t just the washed-out bridge. They didn’t have accurate, clear, and timely financials.

“The string of codes became too cumbersome for QuickBooks.” Bland explained how the Garden’s bookkeeping and accounting needs had outgrown its existing software capabilities. “The board decided to get a new accounting system that our staff could use. So, we brought Tom [Achor] in.”

During the migration from QuickBooks to Sage Intacct, Revolution’s team realized that the staff at Leach were spending way too much time on the books with no ROI and needed outsourced accounting services. 

“No one using [QuickBooks] was trained in accounting. The tax people would always have to reclass and adjust to make 990s work.” Bland recalled particularly stressful year-ends: “At times, the executive director would be doing data entry.”

For some time, the Garden had been making do with month-to-month financials that were late because of misclassified expenses, irregular deposits, and an overwhelmed staff. To further complicate things, the rentals department used a separate QuickBooks file from the rest of the Garden’s operations. The staff needed professional help to get the proper processes and procedures in place and easy-to-use technology enabling a single source of truth. Within three months after the implementation of Sage Intacct, the financials were right and on time. 

“Oh! Happy day!” Bland said about the first time the month-to-month report was presented to the board of directors without errors. 

In the meantime, armed with a cash runway, the organization knew it could survive without rental income and revenue from their popular annual plant sale for over a year. The bridge was reopened for pedestrian traffic just in time for the Garden’s well-attended annual plant sale in the spring of 2017. 

Also now with accurate financials, they proceeded to make a case to grantmakers to help them move thoughtfully forward with their 10-year vision for the garden and the significant lift needed for fundraising while revenues were limited.

Find a partner who knows nonprofits 

In 2016, Joanne Shintani was hired as the Garden’s rental and sales coordinator and started working with Revolution and Intacct. In 2019, Shintani became the Garden’s assistant director and the main point of contact with Revolution’s team, which she has grown to think of as a part of the Garden’s team. 

“It’s great to be working with the same two people this whole time,” Shintani said. “Especially accountants who specialize in nonprofit clients.”

Revolution’s expertise in nonprofits, fund accounting, and cloud accounting with Sage Intacct enabled the Garden to fundraise with confidence. The nonprofit could produce timely reporting that rolled into straightforward production of their 990s that assured grantmakers of its capable management. 

“Anyone who uses foundation grants can tell you there is a wide range of requirements to meet the reporting. With Sage Intacct, a huge part of it is automated by the coding we can do,” Shintani said. “The process of showing deferred revenue [their rental system] is pretty complicated at fiscal year-end. I don’t know how that could happen without Intacct.”

Mission-driven accounting solutions 

Leach Botanical Garden returned to full capacity, not even a year before the coronavirus pandemic closed them down again. They applied for salvation grants and a Paycheck Protection Program grant, held off on big-ticket items, and pulled back on hiring for their capacity expansion. Shintani appreciated the value of being able to access financials remotely and work with outsourced accounting experts who knew the organization and their core values.

“As a nonprofit organization, we keep an eye on strategy that reflects our core values,” Shintani said. “We kept investing in education and horticulture programming, which are closely aligned with our mission. To [be able to] pull a report on what we’re spending on those two programs helped to prioritize cuts and not damage those core programs.” 

Tom Achor understands and appreciates the accounting and reporting needs of nonprofits.

“We want nonprofits to succeed in their missions because they make for richer community life for all,” Achor says. “Getting timely and actionable financial data is key to getting through the rough waters that nonprofits are navigating these days.”

Are you ready to level-up the visibility and efficiency of your financials – and help drive your organization toward a better future? Get in touch for a demo!