Microsoft-American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland

Vendor: Microsoft (NYSE: MSFT)
Channel Partner: CBIZ Technologies, Inc. www.cbiztechnologies.com
Customer: American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland www.redcross-cleveland.org   
Vertical Markets: Charities and philanthropic services

Technology Used: Microsoft Dynamics CRM, Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0, Microsoft Forecaster, Microsoft FRx

Solution: The Cleveland chapter of the American Red Cross has been serving the local community for more than 100 years. The charitable organization provides disaster relief services and helps 1.7 million individuals prepare for and respond to emergency situations.

When the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland began experiencing funding difficulties due to worsening economic conditions, they began searching for technological solutions that would allow them to lower overhead costs without sacrificing the quality of their services. 

With the help of Microsoft Gold Certified Partner CBIZ Technologies, Inc., the Cleveland chapter of the American Red Cross upgraded to Microsoft Dynamics GP 10.0 to streamline internal operations. They also deployed Microsoft Dynamics CRM to help with volunteer management, training management, and sales and marketing. In addition, CBIZ Technologies helped implement an online portal, allowing individuals to easily interact with Microsoft Dynamics GP.

Since deploying the Microsoft solutions, the American Red Cross of Greater Cleveland has been able to cut costs significantly by reducing the number of paid staff by over 50-percent, from 115 to 55. Over this period, the chapter’s ability to fulfill its mission has remained unaffected. Using Microsoft Dynamics GP to route approvals and notifications has resulted in a 40-percent reduction in lead time for sales orders, allowing the chapter to reduce inventory levels by one-third. The new systems have also given department heads a greater insight into the charity’s finances, allowing them to pinpoint issues and better understand how and where money is being spent. Finally, because the Microsoft solutions have made performing administrative tasks less time consuming, the organization is able to concentrate on its core mission: helping the 1.7 million residents of the Cleveland area.  

Further details: http://www.microsoft.com/casestudies/casestudy.aspx?casestudyid=4000003696