A Growing Organization in Need of Better Expense Management
YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg experienced significant growth, with annual revenue increasing from $20 million in 2021 to approximately $35 million today. This growth, particularly in their childcare division which now represents over half of their revenue, created new challenges for financial management and expense tracking.
With over 100 employees using corporate credit cards—60 to 70 of whom work in child care—tracking expenses became an administrative challenge. YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg relied on a slow, manual process that required paper receipts, spreadsheets, and multiple layers of approval. “We were spending far too much time on something that should be simple,” Simundson recalls. Recognizing the need for a digital transformation, YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg implemented ExpensePoint in December 2020 as part of a broader initiative to streamline financial operations.
“Before ExpensePoint, everything was paper-based and manual,” Simundson explains. “People had to fill out spreadsheets, attach receipts, send them to the head office, and then we had to manually review and enter the data into our accounting system. If there were errors or missing information, the process would start all over again.”
This outdated process created several key challenges:
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Time-consuming approval processes: Physical expense reports often got delayed or lost in transit
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Excessive administrative burden: Finance staff spent countless hours on manual data entry and error correction
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High storage costs: Government regulations required storing financial records for seven years, leading to costly annual file storage expenses
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Compliance and audit challenges: Meeting detailed reporting requirements for government funders and board oversight became increasingly difficult
Solution
A Fully Digital, Automated Expense Management System
In December 2020, as part of a broader initiative to streamline operations during the pandemic, YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg implemented ExpensePoint after evaluating several expense management solutions.
“ExpensePoint transformed how we handle expenses,” says Simundson. “Now, employees take a picture of their receipts, submit them, and the system does the rest.”
The organization selected ExpensePoint for three key reasons: its user-friendly interface with intuitive workflow made adoption easy, even for less tech-savvy employees; it offered superior value with the most competitive pricing among evaluated solutions; and its exceptional customer support team helped ensure successful implementation.
The solution introduced a fully digital workflow where employees now capture receipts with their smartphones and submit reports online. The system facilitates proper expense coding and general ledger alignment, while supervisors can review and approve expenses in real-time from anywhere. Transaction data automatically imports from YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg’s banking system, eliminating manual data entry.
Results
Measurable Time and Cost Savings
Since implementing ExpensePoint, YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg has experienced significant improvements. The finance team saves 40 hours monthly by reducing manual data entry. The month-end reconciliation process has shortened by half a day, and digital record-keeping has begun to reduce the organization’s $30,000 annual file storage costs. Government audits are easier with all necessary data accessible in one place, and board members have improved visibility into financial data.
Perhaps most importantly, the system has helped transform how the finance team is perceived within the organization.
“ExpensePoint has moved our finance team from being the stodgy paper pushers to being a modern, hands-on, solution-oriented service provider,” Simundson explains. “We knew this was an issue for people. We found a tool that helps them, that they see the value of. It helps them see us more as a business partner rather than somebody sitting in the background keeping score.”
Building Digital Confidence
One unexpected outcome was how the implementation fostered digital confidence among childcare staff, who were initially less comfortable with technology.
“One of my biggest concerns was getting less tech-savvy members to use it,” Simundson recalls. “But they picked it up quickly. In fact, they started coaching each other, which was a huge success.”
This peer-to-peer coaching created a breakthrough moment for staff who might normally be hesitant to adopt new technology. “They were reaching out and supporting each other, building up their confidence on the computer,” says Simundson. “Four and a half years later, it still stands out as such a success.”
A Foundation for Future Growth
As YMCA-YWCA Winnipeg continues to grow, ExpensePoint provides a solid foundation for efficient financial management. The system has enabled the organization to focus more on its core mission of serving the community.
“ExpensePoint has allowed us to focus on what we do best—serving our community,” concludes Simundson. “This was one of the best operational decisions we’ve made. It’s helped us become a smarter, more efficient organization, and I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend it.”
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