How the Area Agency on Aging of Southwest Arkansas Grew With MIP  

From Typewriters

“The auditors came in, and they said, ‘Oh no.’”

It was not an auspicious start when CFO Cindy Lewis joined the
Area Agency on Aging of Southwest Arkansas (AAASWA) as a bookkeeper in June 2009. A new auditor came to examine their finances, and the organization’s fund accounting system was underequipped. Lewis and her team were even writing out some checks on a typewriter.

“I don’t remember the name of [our old fund accounting program] because it causes nightmares,” Lewis said. “It was a program that was not user-friendly. You’d input the information into the computer and then we typed checks on a typewriter.”

AAASWA had just changed auditors at the time, and when the new auditors arrived, they said, “Oh no.” Lewis knew AAASWA needed a change. Four of the other area agencies were already using MIP Fund Accounting®, and they suggested AAASWA do the same.

“Being a nonprofit that is federally and state funded, we must have a secure program that can track each grant separately,” Lewis said. “MIP was recommended by our auditors and several other area agencies use it as well.”