Ultimus BPM suite to help nonprofit replace paper-based processes, achieve greater efficiencies
Cary, NC — November 14, 2005 — The W.K. Kellogg Foundation said today it is using the Ultimus business process management (BPM) suite to automate nearly 20 paper-based processes.
The W.K. Kellogg Foundation (WKKF) selected Ultimus after evaluating solutions from several other vendors, but picked the Ultimus BPM Suite because of its flexibility and ease of use, as the organization looks to automate additional processes. In fact, the organization foresees extending the use of the Ultimus BPM Suite as a platform in which to better integrate with partners and grantees.
WKKF is a nonprofit organization whose mission is "To help people help themselves through the practical application of knowledge and resources to improve their quality of life and that of future generations." Its founder W.K. Kellogg, the cereal industry pioneer, established the Foundation in 1930.
Since its inception, the Foundation has funded projects in the United States, Latin America and the Caribbean, and seven southern African countries, including Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, South Africa, Swaziland, and Zimbabwe. It ranks among the largest private foundations.
Immediately after implementing the Ultimus BPM Suite, the Kellogg Foundation said it began to get better visibility into the activities around each funded project, not to mention a single point of access for program management activities. Because it knew that all process functions would be integrated into its custom-developed Encompass software, WKKF wanted a BPM system with a strong, clean, .NET-based API.
For example, by automating its grant payment process, WKKF said it has realized a faster processing of payments to those organizations receiving funds. The elimination of paper and physical signatures has allowed payments to be processed faster, and has reduced errors during processing. And, it has also led to a reduction in physical mail the company has to send.
"The Foundation now has more 'awareness' of many of its business processes and in the event that any change, we're well equipped to handle these adjustments," said Tim Dechant, director of Technology at WKKF. "Because of the results we've seen with Ultimus, we're considering more widespread deployments, so that other processes can be managed more effectively."
Because of the benefits already brought on by BPM, the Foundation said it will integrate processes into its SharePoint portal, driving the benefits of BPM to its partners and grant recipients. Furthermore, the organization has a vision of online management for its giving programs, and it foresees full integration of partners and grantees in various business processes.
