Pacific American Foundation

The Pacific American Foundation is a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving the lives of Pacific Americans. Established in 1993, the Pacific American Foundation has developed over a dozen different programs, created a variety of culturally based curriculum for public schools, and has touched the lives of thousands of Pacific Americans in Hawai’i and abroad.

The Pacific American Foundation partners with local communities, support agencies and funding organizations to collaboratively develop and conduct programs that make a difference in the quality of life of Americans who trace their ancestry to the indigenous peoples of the Pacific islands. The foundation relies on contributions from corporations, private foundations, individual grants and yearly membership dues to support its projects, programs and operations. Prior to switching fund accounting systems, the agency managed their consultants through eight different checking accounts and exported data into complicated formats. Louis Perez, the agency’s CFO, knew it was time for a change.

Louis selected Wipfli as a business partner for the implementation of Sage MIP Fund Accounting because, “they offered the whole package. We needed someone who understood IT, accounting and audit in the nonprofit world.” Having Wipfli’s professionals in-house for the install and initial training was, “invaluable,” Louis said. “Every step of the way was completely professional and delightful. They hit a homerun on every one of our key criteria.”

Sage MIP Fund Accounting helped consolidate the multi-branched accounting of the past and streamline the data formats and reporting. The new system helped form a more efficient finance team. Louis compares their accounting software switch as “going from high school to a graduate degree. It was tough. But watching Maile (Maile Pa’alani, Senior Manager) is like magic – it was comforting to see someone with that kind of expertise.”  Wipfli provided process documentation to assist PAF in using the software efficiently even after the consultants had left the office, and remained readily accessible for any questions or concerns after the installation was completed.

The Pacific American Foundation now has one checking account and its consultants are given one paycheck – the agency has truly streamlined its accounting procedures. Not only is the payroll staff more efficient, but Louis provides better financial accountability to the agency’s funding sources. He is able to give them solid, easy to understand reports that he knows are accurate.

Changing accounting software can be a daunting task, but Louis feels as though “the difference in the process now from where we were is like night and day. The new system provides a huge benefit for the initial investment, especially for agencies with minimal funding.”

Today, Louis Perez and the Pacific American Foundation continue to learn from and work with Wipfli on updating and creating reports, as well as increasing their knowledge about the capabilities of their Sage MIP Fund Accounting system which put them “light years ahead of where they started.”