PairSoft Helps the United Way of Miami-Dade Eliminate File Cabinets and Reduce Costs

The Client

United Way of Miami-Dade is focused on improving education, financial stability and health for citizens of Miami-Dade and Monroe counties.

The Challenge

Carlos Molina, CFO and senior vice president of finance and administration for United Way of Miami-Dade was encouraged to go paperless in an effort to save in paper cost and increase efficiency in office space. Because the office also handles the operations for Monroe County (the Florida Keys) and another satellite office for a philanthropic foundation nearby, document management became a key initiative.

The Solution

According to Molina, “More than seven years ago, United Way of Miami-Dade became one of the first to use PairSoft to save in paper cost and increase efficiency in office space, We realized it wasn’t just that; it was the ease with which we could communicate with each other.”

The Results

The organization uses PairSoft in concert with Blackbaud® software. “This is the great thing: You scan the documents somewhere else and you process the actual data in a centralized office,” Molina explained.

Molina said his annual audit process was made a lot more efficient since a number of the auditing entities his organization deals with are already using electronic, paperless systems. And preparing reports was made simpler since PairSoft helps his employees instantaneously pull information without having to dig through file cabinets.

“Everyone in my department has a scanner and two screens, so every process they do is paperless,” he explained. Now he can fit more employees in valuable space. “We started realizing we had some real estate in our office that we could use more efficiently if we scanned the documents and got rid of all those file cabinets. That’s what sold us on it: The ability to file in real time.”

Now he provides each employee 60 square feet instead of 80: “They don’t need to have files and a credenza. Just the fact that I was able to get three extra offices … that’s like, wow!”

United Way of Miami-Dade also saves costs associated with managing and filing paper, and storage. Plus they were inspired to create a paperless system for payroll and accounts payable, while the newest version of the software will eventually help make the whole invoice payment cycle paperless. His organization created a paperless donor management system, too. “Now all that is done electronically,” he says. “PairSoft led the way.”

Measures of Success

• Since paper storage has been eliminated, three more office spaces have become available.
• Costs associated with purchasing paper supplies, postage and storage have virtually disappeared.
• PairSoft inspired the finance department to implement paperless processes throughout the organization.
• United Way of Miami-Dade’s auditing process was made much simpler.