Established in 1848, the Catholic Diocese of Auckland (CDA) operates six entities and over 50 schools and 70 parishes, small and large, across its network.
From the outside, the CDA’s asset-heavy, close to a billion-dollar balance sheet rivals the inner workings of any large organisation. However, as a not-for-profit, it relies heavily on donations, government funding and the work of many parishes and support services to maintain the faith and growth of their community.
Same systems for almost two decades
Amit Prasad joined the CDA Finance team right in the thick of COVID-19.
“Talk about going from a frying pan into the fire kind of scenario!” he laughs.
Previously, Amit worked at the University of Auckland’s Business School as Director of Finance. Coming from an environment where cloud-based technology and online dashboards were used every day, it was more than just a new job Amit needed to wrap his head around.
The CDA hadn’t upgraded its systems for the last 17 years, and this needed to change for many reasons, Amit says.
Too many systems not talking to each other
Six entities, multiple systems, lots of manual intervention
When Amit joined the CDA, he was faced with not one, not two, but multiple systems. They were all server-based, none of them integrated well and when it came to reporting, there was no standardised format.
For a complex organisation like the CDA, where each entity had its own reporting deadlines and requirements — things were all over the show.
“I had, on an annual basis, approximately 59 board and committee meeting-related packs that needed to be done. If you map that out on an annual timetable, that’s more than one a week,”
- Amit Prasad, Finance Manager, Catholic Diocese Auckland
Amit and his team were “basically chasing their tails every week”, using manual workarounds to extract data from systems that “effectively don’t talk to each other”. They lacked the time and resources to provide critical, high-level financial information the organisation needed for decision-making.
“We were constantly focusing on the production of board packs, which are historical reports of what has happened – not what is going to happen,” Amit adds.
Move from MYOB Greentree to MYOB Advanced Business
Organisation upgrades existing MYOB system
When choosing a new system, Amit says the decision came down to three factors.
The system needed to be cloud-based, so the finance team could work from anywhere and still support the network’s stakeholders. Being a not-for-profit, the budget was limited, but they also wanted to add customisations and integrations.
Finally, it had to manage the organisation’s many complexities including the variation between each entity’s tax requirements, user restrictions and financial reporting.
One of the many systems they’d been using was MYOB Greentree. Based on CDA’s requirements, it made sense to transition to MYOB Advanced Business.
“It was suggested to us by our existing business partner that MYOB Advanced Business was the right option for our organisation…and so far, so good.”
Consolidated, streamlined, efficient
Six entities, one system - less manual intervention
Now that the CDA and all its entities are on the same system, business processes are simpler, streamlined and more efficient. It means that despite being small and lean, Amit’s team can focus on analysing the numbers — rather than manual data entry.
“This is an organisation that relies heavily on donations, bequests, government funding, and with the ongoing impact of COVID-19, that’s a challenge we can provide valuable information for when it comes to decision-making,” he says.
For day-to-day operations, Amit and his team have full visibility of all transactions across the organisation. They can easily access the data they need and consolidate it within one system — significantly reducing or eliminating previous manual workarounds.
“Probably 90% of what goes through accounts payable relates to our various construction projects. We have a lot more visibility of what things are falling due, which helps us ensure we’re meeting our contractual obligations as well.”
"Things are a lot easier, a lot more transparent and people can get in and out of the system without any issues."
Improved – and more accurate – reporting capability
The finance team used to spend a lot of time preparing reports for multiple board meetings. They’d pull data for each entity from various customer and supplier databases, then use customised Excel spreadsheets to consolidate their findings. It was an admin-heavy process that relied on manual data entry.
“We had different versions of balance sheets and profit and loss statements as to how they looked. Now, we can customise our reports within MYOB Advanced Business,” Amit says.
This has also minimised the risk that comes with a system subject to too many manual interventions, he adds.
"With MYOB Advanced Business we have one standard format across all our entities. As long as we’ve got the right data in, we’ve got the right level of output."
“There’s also a clear audit trail of changes…it’s not about looking over people’s shoulders, it’s about having a level of comfort that the system has a control element for what you want a financial system to do.”
While it’s still early days, Amit is confident that MYOB Advanced Business will help propel the organisation towards its long-term goals.
“I'd like to get to a point where some of our stakeholders go into a board meeting with a dashboard they can click on – rather than printing reports. [We’re] looking at it from a sustainability perspective long-term which aligns with our mission goals,” he says.
A snapshot of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland
Not-for-profit organisation established in 1848
One of six dioceses throughout New Zealand
Large complex property portfolio: six legal entities, over 50 schools, 70 parishes and some commercial buildings
Consolidating multiple systems with MYOB Advanced Business
Cloud-hosting makes data more accessible
Consolidated system eliminates manual workarounds, reduces human error
Business processes have been simplified for increased efficiency
Standardised reporting across all six entities despite business variations
Room to grow — more modules and customisations to be added later.
