Summary
United Peace of Organization (UPO) – Sudan, a nonprofit dedicated to humanitarian aid and peacebuilding, faced critical challenges operating in conflict-affected regions. Their dependence on manual workflows and limited digital infrastructure hampered decision-making, transparency, and effective crisis response. To overcome these obstacles and ensure sustainable growth, UPO partnered with Matiyas Solutions to implement ERPNext, a powerful open-source ERP platform tailored for nonprofits. The result was a comprehensive digital transformation that enhanced operational efficiency, donor accountability, and real-time resource management.
Challenges
Operating in Sudan, a region frequently affected by socio-political instability and humanitarian crises, UPO encountered significant operational challenges. These challenges limited their ability to respond efficiently and scale their mission. Key difficulties included:
Limited Funding and Donor Dependency
With limited funding and a heavy reliance on donor grants, UPO needed to maximise every dollar spent. Manual financial management processes often led to inefficiencies and misreporting, risking donor trust.
Complex Logistics in Conflict Zones
Delivering aid and executing projects in conflict-affected regions required precise logistics and coordination. The lack of integrated tools for planning and tracking hindered their ability to distribute relief efficiently.
Manual Operations
Processes such as inventory management, procurement, payroll, and project tracking were manually handled using spreadsheets and paperwork. This not only slowed down workflows but also increased the risk of data errors.
Absence of Real-time Visibility
UPO’s leadership lacked real-time insights into projects, financials, and operations, making it difficult to make timely and informed decisions.
Compliance & Reporting Burden
Meeting international nonprofit compliance standards and generating reports for donors and regulatory agencies required extensive manual effort, resulting in delays and increased administrative burden.
Solutions: ERPNext Implementation by Matiyas Solutions
To address these challenges, UPO engaged Matiyas Solutions, a trusted ERP implementation partner with deep expertise in nonprofit digital transformation. The solution was a tailored deployment of ERPNext software, a cloud-based ERP platform optimized for NGOs.
Unified ERP System
A single ERPNext instance was implemented across departments to consolidate all critical functions finance, HR, procurement, project management, and donor reporting on one platform.
Phased Implementation
Matiyas Solutions rolled out ERPNext in multiple phases to minimize disruption and ensure adoption. Key departments were onboarded in stages with continuous support.
Staff Training & Support
Training sessions were conducted to equip UPO staff with the necessary skills to use ERPNext efficiently. Ongoing support ensured the team remained confident and self-sufficient.
Customized Modules for NGO Operations
Modules were customised to meet the unique operational needs of UPO, including grant tracking, beneficiary management, remote area inventory monitoring, and real-time project dashboards.
Real-Time Monitoring
With ERPNext, UPO gained the ability to monitor field operations, track inventory movement, and analyze fund usage in real time, empowering leadership with data-driven insights.
Impact of ERPNext on UPO’s Operations
The successful implementation of ERPNext by Matiyas Solutions delivered measurable improvements across the organisation:
Improved Transparency and Accountability
All financial transactions, donor grants, and project budgets are now tracked in real-time, ensuring complete transparency and building donor confidence.
Better Coordination
Integrated modules enabled seamless communication and collaboration between field teams, project managers, procurement officers, and finance teams.
Enhanced Resource Allocation
With accurate project tracking and real-time inventory data, UPO can now allocate supplies and funds more effectively where they are needed the most.
Simplified Donor Reporting
ERPNext automated reporting processes, allowing UPO to generate customized donor and regulatory reports with just a few clicks, significantly reducing the time and manual effort.
Increased Efficiency
Manual paperwork was replaced by digital workflows, accelerating procurement, payroll, approvals, and compliance documentation, making UPO more agile in responding to humanitarian crises.
ERPNext Modules Implemented for UPO
To address the wide scope of nonprofit operations, the following ERPNext modules were implemented and customized by Matiyas Solutions:
1. Accounting Management
Tracks all donations, grants, expenditures, and fund allocations. Enables UPO to maintain financial transparency and compliance with donor requirements.
2. Non-Profit Management
ERPNext’s Non-Profit Software centralizes data on beneficiaries, donors, volunteers, and social initiatives improving relationship and impact management.
3. Project Management
Allows teams to plan, schedule, monitor, and report on humanitarian projects. Includes Gantt charts, task management, milestones, and budget tracking.
4. Purchase Management
Streamlines procurement of relief materials, vendor management, purchase orders, and supplier evaluations, enhancing control and reducing procurement delays.
5. Inventory Management
Tracks inventory across multiple warehouses and field offices, ensuring timely delivery and avoiding stockouts during emergencies.
6. HR Management
Digitizes staff and volunteer records, including onboarding, roles, training history, and performance evaluations.
7. Payroll Management
Automates salary processing, deductions, tax compliance, and payment disbursement ensuring accurate and timely payments to staff and contractors.
8. Asset Management
Helps maintain records of equipment, field devices, and vehicles, improving asset tracking and maintenance planning.
Testimonial
“Partnering with Matiyas Solutions to implement ERPNext was a turning point for UPO. We now operate with greater clarity, accountability, and speed. The system has transformed the way we manage donor funds, track field activities, and report our impact. It’s not just software – it’s a strategic advantage.”
Ibrahim Modi, Operations Director, United Peace of Organization (UPO), Sudan
Conclusion
The successful ERPNext implementation by Matiyas Solutions has revolutionised how United Peace of Organization (UPO) operates in one of the world’s most challenging regions. By digitizing their nonprofit workflows and integrating real-time data into decision-making, UPO has increased efficiency, improved transparency, and empowered its mission to bring peace and humanitarian relief to the people of Sudan.
This case study is a shining example of how ERPNext, when tailored for NGO Software and implemented with expertise, can become a game-changer for NGOs aiming to scale their impact.
"I am quite happy with the ERP solution provided by Matiyas. Before we implemented their system, our organization was struggling with inefficient processes and fragmented data. Their customized ERP solution not only streamlined our workflows but also provided real-time insights into our operations. The customer support from Matiya's Team has been exceptional throughout the journey."
"Matiyas offered us a functionally strong and automated solution to address the end-to-end needs of our business operation. This solutions will be able to scale and grow our business and it will surely reduce manual interventions."
"I wanted to thank you Matiyas team to set-up the ERP system based on our business process. The assistance was invaluable in helping my company get as we requested. We sincerely appreciate your efforts and thanks again Matiyas team to provide us a best solution with the erp system."
"The implementation of the Matiyas ERP solution has revolutionized our workflow. The automation of previously manual processes has not only saved us time but also significantly reduced errors. It’s like having an extra set of hands on our team, streamlining operations and boosting productivity"
"Our company is very new to ERP, we tried to implement ERP by ourselves, however along the way we found struggles as we are very new. We are lucky HasanAli from Matiyas helped us in many ways, from a simple question to very complex developments and deployments. Rates are reasonable too! We are happy that Matiyas is there to help us."
"The folks at Matiyas Software are the best. They're skilled, work quickly and professionally, and were able to tailor ERP to our exact specifications. Would use them again."
"Very knowledgeable and prompt and professional. I highly recommend Matiyas for any ERP customizations."
