How Non-Profits Get D365 Help, SAXX Men’s Apparel Migrates to F&O, and More

In episode 5 of the “Inside Dynamics Communities” podcast, John Siefert, CEO, Dynamics Communities and Summit NA, Ryan Gonzalez, Senior Sales Director, Dynamics Communities and Summit NA, and Pam Misialek, Community Director, Dynamics Communities and Summit NA discuss the latest going on with Dynamics Communities.

In this episode, the hosts discuss how non-profits utilize Microsoft Dynamics 365, and detail how SAXX, a men’s apparel company, migrates to Dynamics 365 F&O.

Highlights

00:47 — John explains that in today’s episode, the hosts will explore how non-profits use Microsoft Dynamics 365. Additionally, John recently connected with two SAXX employees who underwent a significant migration to Dynamics 365 Finance and Operations. He asks Pam to fill the audience in.

01:31 — Pam notes that non-profits are focused on their work and aren’t equipped to implement a new ERP — this is not part of their day jobs and they do not want it to be. She explains that Armanino is a company that has a team that is exclusively dedicated to doing non-profit work. John emphasizes this point that for non-profits, implementing new ERP systems is “not what they are trying to do.” The Dynamics community is all about connecting legends and new users through story-sharing. Pam adds that she loves the idea that Armanino has “a whole team that can help make their vision true by helping them with their accounting systems.”

03:34 — As non-profits get started, 75% of them have less than six months of capital when they start. Smaller companies, such as Boomer Ally, then start to consider how they can “get out there” and share their story. To Pam’s point, Ryan notes that non-profits are not focused on the “tech part” of the business, which is what makes companies like Armanino even more relevant.

05:00 — In a world of massive division, organizations like Boomer Ally, which is a community of older adults committed to sharing their stories of allyship with LGBTQ+ youth, a key approach is decentralizing intelligence and sharing stories. The fact that Armanino has recognized this and supports Boomer Ally is a feat for this type of story-sharing. John applauds both Armanino and Boomer Ally for their efforts.

06:37 — Circling back to Pam’s point about connecting legends with new users, John shares that at Community Summit NA, there is a “legends” stage that highlights the people who have “been there, done that, and had success doing it,” and connects them with new people who are trying to get their D365 questions answered.

07:47 — Speaking of connections, John and Microsoft MVP Aaron Back recently connected with Wendy Bennison and Christine Livingstone of SAXX. Bennison and Livingstone were curious as to “what their strategy is going to look like going forward.” As part of the advisory services offered by Acceleration Economy practitioner-analysts, John and Aaron helped SAXX executives build a “roadmap” and helped them identify that migrating to Dynamics 365 for Finance and Operations would be the right approach. SAXX is now about to cross the finish line of its F&O implementation and John notes that it has gone “really well.”

09:35 — In the end, the “neat thing” is seeing how SAXX now has a clear look into its own future, specifically around how it is working with suppliers, retailers, manufacturers, and other contractors. “Kudos to Wendy and Christine, for being members of this community and doing some great stuff,” notes John.