New York, NY, Feb. 11, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- MicroEdge, LLC, the leading provider of solutions to the giving community worldwide, today announced that Alcatel-Lucent Foundation has chosen GIFTS Online to manage its global giving programs.
GIFTS Online is MicroEdge's fully hosted, online grants management system that helps foundations of all types and sizes to maximize the impact and efficiency of their grantmaking with powerful tools for reporting, tracking, collaborating and analyzing the effectiveness of their giving. Its intuitive dashboards allow foundations to maintain insight into their grantmaking at all times. And it is fully hosted by MicroEdge, which eliminates IT costs, ensures data security and lets clients enjoy the freedom and flexibility of working in the system anytime, from anywhere.
The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation runs over 50 grassroots programs in over 20 countries around the world, designed to provide young people--and particularly young women--with educational and life skills to help prepare them to be active and productive participants in an increasingly connected, digital world. Although the foundation's geographical reach is extensive, it operates with a staff of only five full-time employees. Those five staff members live and work in locations across the world, from the US to Belgium to India, so they need a system that can keep everyone connected to the grant process, as well as to one another.
GIFTS Online makes that possible; since the system is fully online, staff members can log in and work with the foundation's data at any time, from anywhere there is an internet connection. The organization's Executive Director, Bishalakhi Ghosh, works remotely from an office in India, so the ability to access the system online is key. Remote access is crucial for many in the organization, including the board of directors. "I need to work remotely from my home office in Belgium," says Alexandra Birladianu, Communication and Employee Engagement Coordinator at Alcatel-Lucent Foundation. "Plus, we have board members in the US, UK and elsewhere, and we all need to be able to access our grants data at any hour of the day. GIFTS Online makes that possible."
Remote access it not the only reason Alcatel-Lucent Foundation moved to GIFTS Online. "Reducing IT costs was a big draw for us," says Mike Lechner, Manager of General Accounting at Alcatel-Lucent Foundation. Personalized dashboards were another deciding factor. These insight providing information summary screens give each staff member instant access to the information they need at a glance, and they help the foundation's team of five work as dynamically as they need to, given their size. "If it wasn't for the visibility that my dashboards provide, my job would be slower and more cumbersome," continues Mr. Lechner. "It's great to be able to log in and immediately see where everything stands." Overall, Alcatel-Lucent Foundation is very pleased with their decision to move to GIFTS Online. "Having an online system is great," says Alexandra. "And it's very easy to use. Plus, we had a great implementation experience with the MicroEdge team; their support in getting us up and running was very helpful."
About Alcatel-Lucent Foundation
The Alcatel-Lucent Foundation is dedicated to making a difference in the communities where Alcatel-Lucent and its customers are present across the globe. Its prime mission is to respond to today's global challenge of digital inclusion and sustainability, focusing on providing innovative programs for underserved communities across the world that enable youth, and particularly young women, to access educational and life skills programs. We believe we can make a difference by helping youth contribute as citizens and community leaders in tomorrow's global digital world. To learn more about the Alcatel-
For More Information about GIFTS Online
To learn more about GIFTS Online, visit the MicroEdge website or contact MicroEdge at info@microedge.com or 800.899.0890.
Lucent Foundation visit their website .
About MicroEdge
Established in 1985, MicroEdge, LLC is the leading provider of software and services to the giving community worldwide. MicroEdge solutions deliver a powerful, integrated, and open framework for efficient and effective charitable giving. The company is committed to providing the best technology toolset for foundations, corporations, government agencies, donors, advisors and financial institutions. Together, these tools help organizations to work with one another to raise, invest, manage and award charitable currency. MicroEdge is headquartered in New York City with regional offices throughout the U.S. and supports thousands of clients worldwide. MicroEdge is part of the Vista Equity Partners portfolio of software and technology-enabled companies. To learn more about Vista Equity Partners, visit www.vistaequitypartners.com . To learn more about MicroEdge, visit www.microedge.com .
Media Contact:
Kathy Krais
800.899.0890 ext. 3966
kkrais@microedge.com
