The Challenge

Operating a global charity organisation is an expensive business. To support as many people as possible and offer as much help in the community as they can, they need to raise a great deal of money through their charitable operations. Therefore, any innovations that will help improve their service and increase their income will inevitably be considered. However, technological innovations can come with complications, and with almost 190 stores, each with its own team of staff and volunteers, it can be difficult to find a solution that will be as hassle-free as possible, let alone improving the day-to-day operation of the stores and their integration in the company.

The BMc Azurri Solution

BMc Azurri is an established supplier of Gift Aid solutions to the charity retail sector, supporting a wide range of charity and not-for-profit organisations, nationwide. BMc Azurri is able to provide a completely managed service, which for the Salvation Army means that all of their Gift Aid administration is handled for them. This allowed them to implement the system quickly with no additional resource requirement or disruption to their usual operations. This option was important for the Salvation Army, as it gave them the ability to continue running their charity smoothly without adding to their workload or requiring new staff with specialist skills. As well as this, due to the ability of BMc Azurri to meet user requirements, the Salvation Army has been able to customise its interfaces to the SAGE Financial system without interrupting their existing infrastructure.

Accessibility across the board

The BMc Azurri touchscreen-based Toshiba C10 system was selected by the Salvation Army for implementation throughout their stores. Being used to cash registers, there was an understandable level of apprehension amongst the shop staff and volunteers, but they soon found that the basic operation of the touchscreen was identical to that of the old cash register system and in many respects easier to use. Within minutes they had become fluent and confident in the sales process. The C10 systems also allow for email facilities and introduced much-needed security levels making reconciliation of any discrepancies significantly easier.

Embracing Changes in Gift Aid Legislation

Since implementing the BMc Azurri system in their stores, the Salvation Army has grown to 63,000 Gift Aid donors, and have achieved £3.1m through Gift Aid sales, generating an income for the organisation of around £750,000. The Salvation Army working with BMc Azurri are currently making plans, including further expansion and projects to implement loyalty schemes and EFT. “The incorporation of an email facility for authorised users has noticeably improved communication within the Company, meaning the stores and head office can communicate more clearly, and we no longer rely on ‘word of mouth’ risking messages being misconstrued”. “We have now run the system for over 2 years and found it to be totally reliable and easy to use. The stability of the system has been a major factor in enabling us to increase our estate by over 50% since having the BMc Azurri system” Beverley Phillips, Deputy MD, SATCOL.

“The Salvation Army project has been very important to our growth in the charity sector. The project has proved that the managed service is scalable and suitable for larger charity operations. The challenges presented by their ambitious expansion plan have been met, endorsing the reliability and stability of our software solution.” Alastair Petrie, General Manager, BMcAzurri.