At Xledger's recent Charity Customer Roundtable in London, finance leaders from across the sector, including Trussell, Comic Relief, MAP, the Royal Society, Anthony Nolan, Henry Smith Foundation, and Trust for London, came together to discuss the priorities shaping their organisations. Here, Xledger's Operations Director, Tim Wright, shares some of the main lessons learned.
The session provided an opportunity for customers to share success stories and best practices with their peers, while giving our team valuable feedback on how we can continue to improve the Xledger customer experience.
While the charities represented each have unique missions, one theme emerged repeatedly: there’s a growing demand to make financial information accessible, reliable, and useful for the entire organisation.
Ongoing training builds non-finance user confidence
One of the strongest themes from the discussion was that, while finance professionals are comfortable navigating accounting systems, many non-finance users still lack confidence when interacting with financial data.
Several organisations noted that “regular drop-in sessions and refresher training have helped improve user adoption and build confidence among non-finance users rather than relying solely on training delivered during implementation.”
Instead of treating training as a one-off activity, here are a few ways finance leaders can implement ongoing support and training for non-finance users:
- Regular refresher sessions
- Opportunities to ask questions
- Internal training documentation
For finance teams, improving financial literacy across the organisation encourages interdepartmental collaboration and better-informed decision-making.
Integration challenges are often data challenges
Integrated systems continue to play an important role for charities, particularly as organisations connect finance systems with CRM platforms, grant management tools, volunteer management systems, and data warehouses.
However, attendees noted that technology itself is not always the primary source of integration challenges. As one participant explained, “Often the integration isn't the issue. The challenge that actually occurs is making sure the data is consistent before it reaches the systems you're connecting together.”
The discussion highlighted how data quality can have a significant impact on reporting accuracy, operational efficiency, and consequently, trust in information. Even well-designed systems can struggle to deliver value if the data flowing between them is inconsistent or incomplete.
As charities become more reliant on connected systems and organisation-wide reporting, many finance leaders are placing greater emphasis on data governance and standardised processes to improve data quality across all business areas.
Managing change is a constant challenge
Whether responding to new regulatory requirements or evolving internal processes, organisations manage change on a daily basis. While many changes deliver long-term benefits, attendees agreed that even relatively small adjustments can create uncertainty if users do not understand what is changing or why.
The conversation reinforced the importance of communication, user engagement and clear guidance when implementing change. Finance teams play a crucial role in helping colleagues understand new processes and ensuring changes are adopted successfully across the organisation.
As expectations around data, integration, or training continue to evolve, effective change management is a must-have skill finance leaders should develop.
Peer learning will always be invaluable
Despite differences in size, structure and mission, attendees found themselves facing many of the same challenges found in charity finance teams: reporting, efficiency, and collaboration. Peer learning provides practical ideas and fresh perspectives that other charities can take back to their own organisations.
As one finance leader reflected: “It's reassuring to hear that other organisations are working through the same challenges. You leave with practical ideas you can take back and apply immediately.”
In a sector where resources are often stretched, and expectations continue to rise, opportunities to exchange knowledge and learn from peers remain one of the most valuable forms of professional development.
The value of bringing finance leaders together
The Xledger Charity Roundtable demonstrated that many of the biggest challenges facing finance teams lay with confidence and trust in financial data. Building the confidence of end users and decision-makers, both finance and non-finance, is key to successful financial outcomes within the sector.
About the author
Tim Wright is Operations Director at Xledger. A CIMA-qualified accountant with hands-on experience in the housebuilding and vehicle industries. Tim joined Xledger in 2019 as a Consultant, since then he has played a vital role in establishing the UK Product Management function, overseeing customer implementations, post-implementation support, and the overall UK product strategy. His focus is on helping organisations unlock the full potential of modern finance software while supporting Xledger's continued growth in the UK.
