Tyneside tech firm in Elton John AIDS Foundation win

Newcastle-based tech firm ION has announced completion of the first phase of a financial and business transformation contract to help the Elton John AIDS Foundation (EJAF) rebuild its suite of business management tools, using Sage Financials and Salesforce.

The Elton John AIDS Foundation was set up 25 years ago and since then has raised more than £290m to raise awareness, support programs and policies, and provide services for people with or at risk of HIV. It is one of the 20 largest private philanthropic HIV/AIDS grant-makers in the world.

Launched in 2016, ION specialises in Salesforce, the world’s number one customer relationship management system (CRM), as well as Sage Financials, a fully integrated cloud accounting solution which is also built on the Salesforce platform.

ION’s 16-strong team have implemented a customised version of the CRM, specifically tailored for non-profit organisations, to integrate Sage Financials giving the Elton John Aids Foundation real-time visibility and control of its financial operations, including donation and gift management.

The second stage of the project will involve implementing a sophisticated event management solution including ticket bookings, seat planning and auction management. This will provide deeper integration with the accounts solution as part of a bid to support the Foundation’s plans.

ION managing director Rob Mathieson said: “We are delighted to be working with such a prestigious global organisation that does such amazing work.

“EJAF is a multi-million pound organisation which is required to process a significant number of transactions. By developing a customised Salesforce and Sage Financials solution, ION is aiming to provide a seamless integration of core activities undertaken by the Foundation.  This integration can speed up processes and allow for more sophisticated performance analysis.

“The Foundation is improving the quality of life for many thousands of people. It receives funds from corporations, governments and individuals and via special events, and distributes grants to hundreds of organisations around the world so by providing a fully integrated, end-to-end technology platform means that managers have complete visibility of financial and operational data, as well as donation management and event management.”

The latest project forms part of ION’s plans for continued national expansion with a number of significant client wins around the UK.

EJAF’s Finance Director Fiona Russell added: “ION’s combination of expert technical knowledge and understanding of our aims and how we could use the latest technology to achieve them, were crucial factors in our decision to award the contract.

“With their help we can better develop our systems to support the work that we do, which will allow us to help many more thousands of people living with and at risk of HIV, to live better lives.”