Technology ROI Awards recognize companies whose skillful deployment of IT solutions has produced a positive, bottom-line financial return on investment (ROI). Based on Nucleus Research measurements, the ALA achieved 636% ROI in two months using Sage Software's Sage MIP Fund Accounting, and BaySystems recorded 947% ROI in four months using the ACT! by Sage contact and customer management solution. "The American Lung Association and BaySystems case studies are model examples of how IT investments closely aligned to business goals can deliver significant ROI; in this instance, by taking full advantage of Sage Software business applications," said Rebecca Wettemann, vice president, Nucleus Research. "The impressive metrics tallied by each company made their technology implementations clear choices for our award program this year."

The American Lung Association, a century-old nonprofit organization devoted to fighting respiratory ailments, previously used different accounting systems across 120 local and 19 regional offices. The various systems made it difficult for ALA's national office in New York to generate reliable reports. ALA selected Sage MIP Fund Accounting for its budget projecting capabilities and ability to manage encumbrances, endowments, and other cash gifts unique to nonprofit fundraising.

ALA deployed Sage MIP Fund Accounting, with the aid of Sage Nonprofit Solutions, at a third-party commercial data center in New York. All financial data from each office is housed at the center. Employees access data via a Web browser over a Citrix-based thin client network. ALA cites a centralized financial process and improved staff productivity among benefits contributing to its 636% ROI.

BaySystems Spray Insulations and Roofing Materials, a Phoenix-based manufacturer and supplier of high performance insulation, roofing, and coating products, previously relied on manual sales processes and had no centralized system to keep data current. Additionally, there was no reliable way to measure payback on the company's marketing campaigns, and when salespeople left the company, there was risk they could take critical customer information with them.

BaySystems selected ACT! for its ease of use, low maintenance cost, data security, lead management features, and reporting capabilities. BaySystems in-house sales people access ACT! via a Citrix thin client network, and remote employees carry a lightweight copy of the ACT! database on their hard drives to synchronize via the Internet. BaySystems cites increased sales revenue and improved sales productivity among benefits contributing to its 947% ROI.

For more than 25 years, Sage Software has been helping nonprofit organizations further their missions and better serve constituents through the use of technology, by offering Sage MIP Fund Accounting and a range of Sage Fundraising product choices, including Sage Fundraising 50, Sage Fundraising 100, Sage Fundraising 100-Rainbow Edition, Millennium, and Sage Endowment Management, so that nonprofit organizations of all sizes can select solutions best fitting their budget and program needs.

www.sagenonprofit.com

ACT! established the Contact Management software category in 1987 and, today, is the number-one selling contact and customer management solution and preferred choice of over 2.8 million registered users and over 43,000 additional corporate customers to organize, access and manage their customer information. ACT! delivers powerful capabilities that support a full range of desktop, laptop, Web browser and handheld device access methods that can work seamlessly with a centralized database to help individuals, selling teams and corporate workgroups improve productivity and increase sales.

www.act.com

About Nucleus Research

Nucleus Research is a global provider of IT research and advisory services that provides CFOs, CIOs, and their staffs with the real-world information they need to maximize the business returns from their technology investments, including successfully executing their IT deployments and determining the business value of their initiatives. Nucleus Research is the only technology research firm that is registered with the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy (NASBA).

www.NucleusResearch.com