This tasty analogy is especially fitting when it comes to Billhighway customer support.

For nonprofits – or any organization, for that matter – the challenge with business software is making the solution work for all users to address their specific needs.

Nonprofits turn to Billhighway because it easily configures to meet unique requirements.  Organizations benefit from the highest level of customer care through multi-tiered support, online help, learning centers and a US-based expert Client Care team available via phone, online chat or email.

Billhighway Client Care Experts are well-versed in nonprofit financial management. Nonprofits enjoy a 95 percent service level and superior support response times.

One-Stop Support

A  24/7 Knowledge Base is now an important means for nonprofits to access one-stop support anywhere, anytime.

The Knowledge Base is available within the Billhighway service via the “Help” link in the top right corner and offers:

• Timely articles about new features, functions.
• A searchable answer library to locate specific answers to common questions.
• A browse function to view the contents of support topics.
• The ability to submit, view support tickets.

To ensure the Knowledge Base meets expectations for support, Client Care experts continually assess and upgrade content and functionality.

Sweet Success

Nonprofits are wise to make an investment in improving the financial management process.

Now these organizations can achieve a return on that investment from ongoing customer support, access to subject matter expertise, and one-stop support via the Knowledge Base. Visit today!

Then an informative best practices webcast set for Tuesday May 22, from 2-3 p.m. ET is a can’t-miss event.

The webcast showcases how nonprofits and associations benefit from cloud-based financial management that combines payment processing, accounting and online banking solutions in one application.

See how to work smarter during the customized webcast, the first in a three-part series, on Tuesday, May 22, from 2-3 p.m. ET. 

The webcast series focuses specifically on the ten ways Billhighway helps nonprofits spend more time on their mission, not on financials.

See how to address the challenges many nonprofits experience, including:

• “We want to work smarter with existing resources.”  Working with Billhighway, nonprofits normally shorten transaction-related processing time by 54 percent, freeing up precious staff time and other resources.
• “We have to get better control of our entire financial situation.” Our special sauce is the unique way we standardize and automate complete accounting, payment processing and online banking so clients can trust the entire financial management process.
• “We want to reduce the time it takes to collect our funds and improve our accounts receivable.” Nonprofits typically shorten their member/donor payment processing times by 30 percent and achieve accounts receivable above 90 percent.

Register today for this informative best practices webcast.

Billhighway announces the delivery of data security and safety through BillhighwaySAFE technology.

Over 3,500 non-profit organizations benefit from Billhighway’s proprietary, state-of-the-art technology which ensures that financial data is protected 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Continuous monitoring, advanced encryption technology, independent verification, and other security measures ensure safe, secure and compliant transactions. Nonprofit organizations enjoy a level of safety, continuity and security that is impossible to match on their own.

As part of this commitment, Billhighway successfully completed a Type II examination under Statement on Standards for Attestation Engagements No. 16 (SSAE 16), which is consistent with the International Standard on Assurance Engagements, Assurance Reports on Controls at a Service Organization (ISAE 3402).

“When it comes to processing accounting, payments and online banking financial data for nonprofits, security is non-negotiable. Nonprofits demand the highest degree of safety, security and recoverability,” said Billhighway founder and CEO Vince Thomas. “The SSAE 16 examination adds to the already comprehensive list of BillhighwaySAFE features, including PCI compliance, McAfee Secure, Verified by Visa, MasterCard Secure Code, and VeriSign Secure.”

About SSAE 16

SSAE 16 is an internationally recognized reporting standard developed by the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) for reporting on controls at a service organization which are relevant to user entities’ internal control over financial reporting.

A service organization is considered to have successfully completed an SSAE 16 Type II attestation when an independent service auditor issues an unqualified opinion after obtaining assurance that (i) the description of controls fairly presents the system that was designed and implemented during the period under review, (ii) the controls were suitably designed throughout the period, and (iii) the controls tested operated effectively throughout the period under review.

This examination was performed by UHY LLP in Michigan, one of the leading firms of independent service auditors for such examinations.

About Billhighway

Billhighway is the foremost cloud-based financial management system designed for nonprofit organizations that combines accounting, payment processing, and online banking solutions in one application, providing straight-through financial processing. We help nonprofits and member-based associations improve their financial health, increase their operational efficiency, and reduce their risk of fraud – making it possible for them to accomplish more with fewer resources so they can focus on advancing their mission. Over 3,500 nonprofits trust Billhighway to seamlessly manage $5 billion in transactions with world-class customer service and industry-leading data security.  www.billhighway.com

Written by The Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University, the report is entitled “Financial Literacy and Knowledge in the Nonprofit Sector” 

What’s “Financial Literacy”
The researchers define financial literacy as “the knowledge and skills of basic economic and financial concepts… the ability to apply this knowledge to manage financial resources effectively.”

The report emphasizes the need for nonprofits to take stock of their financial monitoring capabilities, especially in the face of increasing reporting requirements.

Why Financial Literacy?
You well know the challenges faced by nonprofits, especially related to the financial management of their organizations.

It can take many resources for nonprofit boards and leadership to effectively manage financial operations.

The challenge is to put in place processes to accurately and efficiently manage nonprofit finances.  This approach gives organizations ready access to timely financial data that improves their decision-making.

On the Road to Financial Literacy

Over the years, we’ve seen nonprofits improve their access to robust and timely financial data.

These organizations avoid the hassles of managing multiple bank accounts, overlapping software spreadsheets and disconnected systems.

They standardize their financial management process to integrate accounting, payment processing and online banking.

This approach helps nonprofits take an important step in improving overall financial literacy.  Intrigued? Read the full report.

The Center for Philanthropy at Indiana University finds that for nonprofits with revenues of less than $1 million, only 26 percent answered the financial literacy questions correctly. 15 percent did not know the answer to all three questions. Source: Center on Philanthropy at Indiana University

The conversation covers Billhighway’s involvement with Start Up America, and the company’s market expansion and innovative developments on the horizon.  Vince also gives a good description of the Billhighway technology platform.

As Vince notes, with Billhighway, nonprofit organizations streamline banking relationships, cash management, and financial management with one easy-to-use system. Billhighway is the one solution available that totally automates complete accounting, payment processing and online banking so organizations can trust the entire financial management process.

The interview concludes with a look into how nonprofits can integrate Billhighway with other powerful nonprofit technology.

Enjoy an archive of the Business Beat interview here. 

Billhighway, foremost provider of cloud-based financial management solutions for nonprofit organizations, announces the strategic expansion of its team with the addition of Charles Medcoff, Senior Developer, and Lisa Van Giesen, Marketing Leader.

As Billhighway’s Senior Developer, Medcoff will help drive design and development of Billhighway’s comprehensive suite of financial solutions that fully integrate financial processing and banking, fundamentally improving how nonprofits operate. Medcoff brings over 20 years of software engineering experience in product development and consulting. As a proven software architect, Medcoff demonstrates technology leadership and skill in developing quality software solutions.  Medcoff most recently served as Principal Consultant for RCM Technologies (formerly NuSoft Solutions).

Serving as Billhighway’s Marketing Leader, Van Giesen will manage marketing and business development programs aimed at nonprofit and membership-based organizations. Van Giesen will also lead marketing automation processes and event coordination. Van Giesen has over two decades of software marketing and business development expertise.  Her deep marketing and channel experience in technical software helps companies expand brand awareness and sales. Van Giesen comes to Billhighway from her role as Director of Marketing for FISHER/UNITECH.

“We’re thrilled to welcome these talented and passionate professionals to the Billhighway team,”  notes Vincent Thomas, CEO of Billhighway. “With new product innovations and market expansions on the horizon, both Lisa and Chuck will support Billhighway’s mission of helping nonprofits become financially healthy and do more to advance their missions.”

About Billhighway

Billhighway is the foremost provider of cloud-based financial management solutions tailor-made for nonprofit, donor and member-based organizations. Billhighway’s suite of nonprofit financial management solutions lets organizations dramatically improve accounting, payment processing and online banking. The cloud financial management solution easily configures and scales to address donor, membership and financial processing needs. Nonprofit organizations use Billhighway’s financial management system to reduce expenses, increase cash flow and mitigate risk. Over 3,500 nonprofits trust Billhighway to seamlessly manage $5 billion in transactions. Billhighway is recognized for award-winning customer service and industry-leading data security. www.billhighway.com

Fraud happens.  We know it does.

According to the Association of Fraud Examiners’ (ACFE) 2010 Report to the Nations on Occupational Fraud and Abuse:

A typical organization loses 5% of its annual revenue to fraud. Applied to the estimated 2009 Gross World Product, this figure translates to a potential global fraud loss of more than $2.9 trillion.

Fraud happens in nonprofits too.  Despite their honorable missions and dedication to helping others, nonprofit organizations are not immune to occupational fraud.

In an economic climate that makes every dollar precious, no nonprofit wants to lose 5% of its annual revenue to fraud.

Precautions for Nonprofits

But while few organizations can be as secure as Fort Knox, there are some concrete precautions every nonprofit can take to safeguard against fraud.

Organizations have a range of preventive medicine at their disposal, from the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 that legislated new accounting standards to external audits performed by experts.

In addition to formal oversight processes, there are some proactive steps organizations can take to help eliminate any low-hanging fraud fruit.

One Version of the Truth

As an example, by standardizing financial processes and procedures across all entities of a non-profit organization, fraud is reduced since all stakeholders have a “single version of the truth.”

Consistency puts more control in the hands of organization leaders to manage finances.  Increased transparency reduces exposure to fraud and abuse.

A Fraud Case Study

A nonprofit that regularly took credit card payments over the phone was growing so quickly that management hired temporary employees to keep up.

When a member called to report fraudulent charges on her credit card, the company quickly followed up with banks and local police.  Though it turned out that the fraud had occurred as a result of a transaction with another organization, police recommended that future credit card payments be automated.

Now the organization takes credit card payments through a secure online system or through an automated pay-by-phone option.

Employees have been carefully trained to never take credit card information over the phone. Not only does payment automation protect employees but it also creates a record of the transaction that can be verified if needed.

While the suggestions given here are not meant to be exhaustive or replace a formal audit process, this strategy may help organization executives rest a bit easier at night.

We’ll look at other strategies to reduce fraud in upcoming posts.

Photo by Steve Robert, in attendance at April 5, 2012 Rose Garden Signing Ceremony.

For the second time this year, Billhighway is in attendance at the White House.

Billhighway’s CIO Steve Robert was invited to witness President Barack Obama sign the long-awaited Jumpstart Our Business Startups (JOBS) Act at a signing ceremony in the Rose Garden.

Earlier this year, Billhighway CEO Vincent Thomas participated in a conversation on jobs and the economy as led by the White House Business Council and Business Forward.

About the JOBS Act

The newly crafted legislation is designed to spur investment in the nation’s emerging growth companies.  Highlights of this new bill include:

1. Easing the initial public offering (IPO) process for “emerging growth companies” and reducing their regulatory burden.
2. Improving the ability of companies to access capital via private offerings and small public offerings without Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) registration.
3. Allowing private companies with a substantial shareholder base to delay becoming a public reporting company.

Steve is part of Startup Michigan’s regional leadership team, a regional implementation of Startup America Partnership, the national effort dedicated to helping startups grow and jumpstart job creation throughout the country.  Through Steve’s involvement, the White House felt Billhighway exemplified the purpose and promise of the new bill and invited Steve to attend the historical signing, including remarks from the President.

Startup America

Startup America is a White House initiative that was launched to celebrate, inspire, and accelerate high-growth entrepreneurship throughout the nation.  Leaders in the private sector launched the Startup America Partnership, an independent alliance of entrepreneurs, corporations, universities, foundations, and other leaders, joining together to fuel innovative, high-growth U.S. startups. Within just one year, the Partnership has mobilized to make over $1 billion in business services available to a national network that will serve as many as 100,000 startups over the next three years.

Many congratulations to Steve on his efforts, and this distinct honor.  Learn more about Startup America here.

What would your nonprofit organization do if you had more time on your hands?

Many of the nonprofit groups, associations and organizations we talk to find it challenging to meet their many responsibilities in a given week.

From developing and running member programs and services, to soliciting funding sources, nonprofit leaders face a time crunch in terms of getting it all done.

Cut the Crunch

An effective strategy to avoid the time crunch is to take wasted effort out of your organization’s financial management and accounting.

By streamlining financial management and eliminating duplicate data entry and manual handling, organizations using Billhighway divert more time and resources toward mission-related programs.

In fact, we’ve found that organizations typically shorten transaction-related processing time by 30 percent.

Working Smarter

Billhighway removes the need for duplicate financial data entry into multiple systems.

Staff members save time and effort, letting them better serve the organization with more meaningful tasks such as overall strategy management.  This lets nonprofits do more without adding resources.

After all, your priority as a nonprofit is to deliver on the promise of your mission.

Find out more about how you can put time on your side by working smarter. 

The free, informative webinar is hosted by Advanced Solutions International (ASI), global provider of web-based software for member- and donor-based not-for-profits.

Seamless Integration

Billhighway is part of the iXtend Development Partner Program. Billhighway’s group/chapter financial platform has Silver-level status as an iMIS add-on application.

The March 29^th webinar is part of the iXtend Partner Solution Showcase series.

Webinar Provides Timely Info

Nonprofits with group/chapter organizational structures will learn how to save time and resources by seamlessly managing their finances from one integrated system using Billhighway’s add-on iMIS application. Those attending the webinar will see first-hand:

• The benefits of seamless integration to ensure the organization is using real-time, accurate information from the iMIS system as your database of record.
• Features to manage all aspects of your financial lifecycle. With the Billhighway add-on application, customers can accept multiple forms of payment for multiple entities.
• Methods to collect funds and manage financials at the chapter/local level — independent of headquarters.
• Features to automatically route/separate funds from member payments between local and headquarter accounts and significantly reduce fraud exposure.

Register Today!

Register for the March 29 webinars here.

We at Billhighway recently read about this critical security issue in CNN Money, and were interested to learn that one of the most common password used on business systems is “Password1.”

Hackers love passwords like this, because they are easy to crack.

In fact, a recent survey revealed that over 5% of passwords involve a variation of the word “password.”

Intrigued? Horrified?  Then take a moment and read “If You’re Using ‘Password1,’ Change It. Now.

More Resources

The IT industry publication InformationWeek recently provided useful tips about password security policies.  The article makes the following point, especially relevant to resource-challenged nonprofits:

 “Smart password practices require next to no budget. They don’t need to take up much time, either, especially once your policies and procedures are in place.”

The article poses a great question:  how often do you require users to change their passwords? Smart nonprofits should set a policy of having users change passwords on a quarterly basis.

So be smart, take a hard look at password security at your non-profit organization.

Then, to be safe and secure, take the time to set some policies.

Billhighway is excited to be part of Challenge Detroit, a national initiative focused on revitalizing Detroit by retaining and attracting tomorrow’s leaders.

Note that Applications for Challenge Detroit have been rolling in with over 500 applicants. 

Deadline Now March 25^th

To accommodate this interest, Challenge Detroit recently extended the deadline to March 25th to give everyone an opportunity to apply.

Billhighway encourages recent and upcoming college grads to apply.

How it Works

Those selected have the opportunity to work with and learn from top companies and non-profits in and around Detroit while helping to make a difference in the region. Billhighway is a participating company.

Challenge Detroit will select 30 innovative leaders from throughout the United States to live, work, play and give in Detroit for one year beginning this September. Participants will:

• Engage in monthly team challenges, in partnership with area non-profits, designed to positively impact the city and region
• Live in Detroit, supported by a $500/month housing stipend
• Receive a $30,000 salary to work at one of the top companies in the region
• Experience the city through organized social and cultural events

Billhighway encourages you to visit ChallengeDetroit’s website for more information and to begin the application process.

Steve Robert, Billhighway CIO, shares advice for start-up entrepreneurs.

I had the distinct pleasure of being a judge at the recent Startup Weekend Detroit, which took place at the newly renovated Madison Building downtown, home of Detroit Venture Partners.  While every Startup Weekend is unique, a couple things stood out to me this time around – first, the space, which as successful entrepreneur Dug Song rightly puts it “Detroit’s Madison Building is the best startup office I have ever seen, from SF to Boston, Boulder, Austin, Shanghai, London, Tokyo, Zurich.”  Second was the crowd, each event gets bigger & better with more and more new faces.  I spoke with several people from out of the area, including Chicago and Philly, some having moved away from Detroit after grad school and referencing they wished this community existed a couple years ago, they may not have left!  There’s no doubt, the startup environment taking shape downtown is infectious.

As this was my 3^rd time judging, I’d like to offer the following to aspiring entrepreneurs.

1. Avoid creating another “me too” product, unless you can demonstrate a significant gap in their offering and a barrier to entry, you’re going to get eaten alive.  You should aim to bring something really useful and new to the market – something that people say to themselves “oh, wow, I’d consider paying for that.”
2. Get as many strangers (ideally potential customers) as possible to give you feedback. If you can’t offer a demo, a brief interview will suffice.  Listen carefully.  Validate what’s minimally required to address their pain and how much they’d consider paying for it. Customer signups, deposits and pull-ahead sales can add notable momentum going into the presentation.  Judges want to see evidence of potential customers, market research, focus groups along with anticipated acquisition advice
3. Explain how your team is uniquely skilled and able to execute on your idea.  Don’t be afraid to get personal, show passion, highlight the interest, dedication and capabilities your team has in solving the specific problem.  Relevant IP/domain knowledge is extremely helpful (but not necessarily required) and confidence never hurts.
4. Describe what you believe it will take to get your business to $1-3M in revenue.  This helps prove you’ve thought about how this could be possible, how many customers you’d need, how much they might pay, what investment(s) may be required, etc.  None of it needs to be correct, but it needs to be plausible.  If you already have some traction, perfect – lead in with that.
5. Demonstrate your vision is “fundable.”  Ensure the business model is plausible, then go on to explain why it’s probable.  Avoid any perceptions of a hobby, side-project, or lifestyle business, unless of course you already have serious traction.
6. Have a hacker co-founder.  If it’s a technology business, a resourceful developer can help bring the idea to life.  Having an MVP validated by even five people is far more valuable than a PowerPoint demo of its potential.
7. Discuss potential exit strategies.  Investors like to minimize risk and judges want to see vision – both like to know you intimately understand your space, how you align strategically or financially with it, and how big you’re thinking.  Is there a short/medium or long-term exit opportunity and who would be interested in acquiring you?  Again, be plausible, anything else is a red flag.
8. Sharpen your pitch.  Aim to achieve clarity and brevity; demonstrate to judges or future investors that your product/service can solve their pain, in a way that any potential customer can immediately understand.  Try to keep your verbal pitch to under 60 seconds, if possible intertwine the “story” with your demo.  Do an equipment/tech check in advance.  At Startup Weekend you get 5 minutes to pitch and they go fast, no sympathy is offered for botched presentations.

Next Steps.  If you are fortunate enough to have formed a great team and a compelling product or service (maybe even winning at Startup Weekend) – it’s time to start thinking about gaining traction, meeting investors and familiarizing yourself with Series Seed docs, which can help keep legal costs to a minimum.

It’s a lot to cover in five minutes, but an artfully crafted pitch by a charismatic presenter that incorporates the above items will help you stand out from the pack.  Be sure to also read How to Win at Startup Weekend and remember, it’s never personal – take the feedback and learn from it, iterate and use it as motivation!

Hope to see you at a future Startup Weekend or Grow Detroit event.

TROY, Mich., February 13, 2012 – Billhighway, the cloud-based financial solution for organizations, has announced two new hires to their executive team, Tracy-Ann Palmer as Chief Growth Officer and Michelle Lange as Chief Marketing Officer.

Palmer is leading sales and growth opportunity efforts for Billhighway with Lange in charge of all brand building initiatives in pursuit of ongoing rapid growth. Dominating the Greek market has enabled Billhighway to ramp up its sales and marketing teams to continue to grow the company on a national level.

“Michelle and Tracy-Ann bring a strong dynamic to our team,” says Vincent Thomas, CEO of Billhighway. “With exciting new product releases and enhancements on the way, we’re pleased to add Michelle and Tracy-Ann to our team to honor our commitment to help even more nonprofits become financially healthy and do more to advance their missions.”

Michelle is a proven business leader and marketing professional, having successfully grown brands from Michigan-based companies to global entities such as General Motors, Louis Vuitton-Moet Hennessey, Dow Chemical and ConAgra as well as founding SilverTree to help nonprofits. Prior to Billhighway, she was the director of The Walsh Institute, where she focused on accelerating growth in Michigan through education and entrepreneurship resulting in the Blackstone LaunchPad amongst other initiatives.  Michelle has been recognized by Advertising Age and BrandWeek as a top marketer in the U.S.

Prior to joining Billhighway, Tracy-Ann served as a Senior Alliances Manager of Salesforce.com where she was responsible for all channel strategy and management and assisted global Salesforce.com partners to dramatically increase their revenues, by meeting the needs of over 100,000 customers.  Tracy-Ann also held several positions with companies including Nu Metro Entertainment (license holder of all Fox, Warner, Disney productions in South Africa) and ARZIKA, an experiential marketing company awarded Corp! Magazine’s 2010 Best Michigan Small Business which Tracy-Ann founded.

About Billhighway

Billhighway is the foremost cloud-based system designed for nonprofit organizations that combines payment processing, and banking and accounting solutions in one application, allowing for straight-through financial processing. We help nonprofits and member-based associations improve their financial health, increase their operational efficiency, and reduce their risk of fraud – making it possible for them to accomplish more with fewer resources so they can focus on advancing their mission. Over 3,500 nonprofits trust Billhighway to seamlessly manage $5 billion in transactions with award-winning customer service and industry-leading data security.   www.billhighway.com

TROY, Michigan (February 9, 2012) – Billhighway CEO Vincent Thomas will participate in a conversation on jobs and the economy to be held at the White House on Friday, February 10, 2012.  Led by the White House Business Council and Business Forward, the conversation will focus on how the Obama Administration and the Detroit business community can work together to create jobs and grow the economy.

“Innovation, customer service, and a focus on financial health and efficiencies have been the linchpins of Billhighway’s success as a company,” said Thomas. “I’m looking forward to sharing the Billhighway story and my thoughts on creative, strategic ways non-financial institutions can improve financial operations for nonprofits and member-based organizations.”

According to the event’s organizers, feedback from sessions with other business groups have had a direct impact on the Administration’s business policies and on the President’s efforts to improve job growth nationally.  Results have included tax cuts for business owners, hiring incentives, and programs that help small businesses make the most of federal resources.

“I’m glad that the Administration is looking for ways to help businesses like Billhighway grow,” said Thomas. “But in many cases, what high growth businesses need most is for government to get out of the way and let us do what we do best.  Extensive regulations and too much oversight can put a damper on growth.”

Thomas will be tweeting throughout the conference, which runs from 2 to 6 p.m. on Friday afternoon. Follow the conversation on Twitter @billhighway. A more comprehensive discussion of the topics discussed at the conference will be posted on the Billhighway Blog at http://blog.billhighway.com/.

About Billhighway

Billhighway is the foremost cloud-based system designed for nonprofit organizations that combines payment processing, and banking and accounting solutions in one application, allowing for straight-through financial processing. We help nonprofits and member-based associations improve their financial health, increase their operational efficiency, and reduce their risk of fraud – making it possible for them to accomplish more with fewer resources so they can focus on advancing their mission. Over 3,500 nonprofits trust Billhighway to seamlessly manage $5 billion in transactions with award-winning customer service and industry-leading data security.  www.billhighway.com