Gleaners, Billhighway Move From Transaction Processing To Transforming Donor Relations

TROY (WWJ) -- Billhighway, creator of cloud-based automation software that simplifies finance and fundraising operations, Wednesday announced it is implementing its enterprise system at Gleaners Community Food Bank of Southeastern Michigan, providing payment processing and integration with donor management and accounting systems.

Gleaners, which will provide 41 million pounds of food to people in need in 2013, receives 90,000 individual donations per year. Each transaction represents a donor's commitment to making a difference and Gleaners wanted to partner with a company that would honor those commitments at the highest possible level. Earlier this year, Gleaners launched a bidding process to vet processing systems that could enhance donor relations beyond simply managing transactions. Billhighway emerged as the organization with the most value-added services at the right cost.

"In any business relationship you look for smart people who are dedicated to helping you accomplish your goals," said Gerry Brisson, senior vice president of advancement at Gleaners. "Billhighway has a team of people we can trust, who are innovative and have a vision for how they can impact our business in the future. They understand our business beyond the transactions. They are adaptable, respond quickly and are visionaries in their industry. With their help, we know we can do a better job of engaging our donors to feed hungry people and nourish our community."

Billhighway's Enterprise financial management system includes Lockbox 360, a proprietary payment processing center that supports both online and offline payments. It directs funds and donor data back to Gleaners quickly, using auto-matching intelligence to expedite follow up and thank you notes. It integrates with The Raiser's Edge to reduce data entry, duplicates and errors, and frees up fund developers to focus more time on building donor relationships.

"If you are focused on donor relations, not all gifts mean the same thing. A memorial gift is not a transaction, it's a tribute," Brisson said. "With Billhighway, we don't need to worry about handling transactions properly on the back-end; we can focus on more impactful, positive donor experiences."

More at www.billhighway.com or www.gfcb.org.