Despite our work being so much about the numbers behind your organization, sometimes the benefits of good numbers can be hard to quantify or explain. What really is the impact of high quality reporting, empowered teams, and fear free finances? These case studies are visualizations of our services at Chickadee – real world examples of the impact on real world nonprofits, just like you. 

June 23, 2026

PROBLEM & RISKS

We quickly identified that the organization was struggling with budgeting & forecasting, which prevented them from spending their surplus and stole precious time from the ED. In order to figure out how much grant money was left for a project, the ED had to spend hours manually adding up transactions from multiple program spreadsheets, and retyping them using the funder’s categories. She needed a quick & easy way to view how much money was left in their grants, and how much of their annual budget they had already spent. The ED knew there was a surplus, because it was stated in previous years’ Financial Statements, but she didn’t know how to access it. Without a clear picture of their financials, it was challenging for the Board and ED to make strategic decisions about their funding or spending goals.

CHICKADEE’S APPROACH

Chickadee was excited to offer this organization a smoother budgeting experience with our human-centred approach, which prioritizes the staff’s needs. We started by listening deeply to how they make financial decisions, and who is in charge of keeping track of what. We wanted to make sure that we were building a tool for them that blended into their existing workflows, rather than trying to get overworked professionals to learn an entirely new thing. 

Over the next 5 months, we collaborated to design, build, and implement a new budget tool and process for the nonprofit. Based on what leadership told us was most important to them, we input all their numbers and set up a tech solution that would automatically bring their numbers from QuickBooks straight into their Budget spreadsheets – no manual retyping required! This meant staff could save one link to their master spreadsheet and access accurate, complete, and timely data in the same location every month. We met once or twice a month to check in, deliver hands-on training to 4 program managers, and answer their questions. It was important to us to ensure that key staff members felt comfortable to regularly update their program numbers in the budget spreadsheet, and were confident in their ability to talk about what they saw there.

THE TRANSFORMATION

We’d set off with a mission to help the ED avoid annoying data entry, and more easily plan her fundraising and staffing strategy with her Board. We were thrilled to hear that her new, easy-to-read budget helps her communicate complex planning decisions to the Board in a clear and confident way. This one-stop spreadsheet allowed the ED to check her original budget, compare it with actual spending, and see how many of her grant applications had been successful in the year to date. Her improved financial literacy helps her build better relationships with funders, who can trust in the transparency of the organization’s financial tracking.

We continued to support them with monthly automatic updates of Actuals from their QuickBooks software.  Program managers felt empowered and informed to manage their program finances in line with available funding. An accessible budget made this organization’s workflows both more efficient and more accurate. They were even able to make a plan to invest their surplus funds! With the time we saved her, the ED can focus more directly on delivering the organization’s mission and programs.

More case studies coming soon!