Whitebirch Planning

Benefits:

The most impactful feature in Synario is having a balance sheet, income statement, and cash flow statement that is always balanced and updates automatically when new numbers are imported.

Drawbacks:

The only feature that needs improvement is the reporting feature. We would love to see reports that could be exported into a pdf.

In sum:

Our overall experience with Synario has been wonderful. The implementation was seamless and the customer service has been beyond our expectations.

Benefits:

We use Synario to generate financial reports, budgeting, and modeling of different financial scenarios. What we like most about the software is its reliability and ease of use. Once you have built a model, it is very simple to import new data and generate new reports. It is also easy to copy your model to make changes or improvements without having to start from scratch. Also the software is very dependable. We rarely have issues with it.

Drawbacks:

There have been times when updates to the software have caused some of our processes to have to be changed. But the tech support team has always been helpful in finding a work around. This has been a rare occurrence.

In sum:

Synario has allowed us to move away from spreadsheets and manual processes for our financial reporting and budgeting. We use Synario to generate reports for our board and management each month. We also use it to create new reports for one-off queries. We use the software for our budgets and forecasts, and this is probably where we have seen the most improvement from our previous processes. We have continued to build and improve on our budget model over the years, and the software allows us to run various forecasts and scenarios. We can now easily generate 5 or 10 year forecasts when needed.

Benefits:

Flexibility and reliability are keys to this being a great resource for any business. The system ties together years of detailed financial statements and then allows logic to be built around long-range projections. How detailed or high level you get is up to you and allows for you to focus on the key items for your institution. I have been impressed with how reliable the system has been. Once data is loaded and validated you can leave it and forget about it. The scenario comparison and ability to layer one what-if analysis over another without hindering base assumptions is also great.

Drawbacks:

The tool takes some time to learn. The terminology and software structure is robust and that allows for a lot of flexibility, but it means a little extra up-front learning. The implementation team was fantastic and very responsive, however, and the platform has many training tools and resources available.

In sum:

Synario's team has been very easy to work with and I find the tools provides a faster way for our organization to plan for the future. I have been pleased with the efficiencies it has provided to our forecasting process.

Benefits:

The most impactful feature of Synario for the City of Covington is the multi-year planning aspect of the software. The ability to develop a budget not only for a year but the ability to look out 4 or 5 years to plan ahead. This is a tool the City did not have and Synario has filled that void for us. With 3 different unions, the City needed a tool that will provide real time data, as the City negotiated with the unions. Synario provided that tool to the City. Trying to update complex data in Excel to respond to union negotiation demands, was a nightmare. With Synario, that task was seamless. The tool was easy to learn, the implementation team was very knowledgeable and the support team has been phenomenal. Synopsis is particularly beneficial in the current period of economic uncertainty. We are able to quickly and accurately make changes to future forecasts based on constantly changing conditions.

Drawbacks:

Currently the software does not integrate with our budgeting system. It will be nice to have Synario integrate seamlessly with our budgeting system.

In sum:

The City's overall experience with synario has been extremely positive. In less than two years that we have been using the software, the City has garnered two rating upgrades with Moody's. That speaks volumes for what the software has enabled the City to accomplish within a short period of time. Synario's local government modeling platform, Synopsis has enabled us to boost our credit rating during a time when we thought it would be next to impossible. The software is easy to use and does not come with the drawbacks associated with Excel, allowing our team to present accurate, sophisticated data to key stakeholders with the push of a button. We are able to analyze the real-time conditions of our city while also evaluating future scenarios, putting us a step ahead of other municipalities. In times of economic uncertainty, a planning tool like Synopsis is paramount to maintaining long-term financial sustainability. --Finance Director, City of Covington

Benefits:

The long-range planning model is a living document that is a key to keeping our institution on the path we've established in our new strategic plan. It is robust and powerful that ties together years of audited financial statements, lending credibility to the planning process. Great sensitivity and stress testing capabilities, with infinite flexibility to model different dimensions of our financial picture. We worked with a highly qualified team who guided a very successful implementation. Responsive, knowledgeable and strong trainers.

Drawbacks:

The tool can become complicated due to the numerous drivers we built out that reflect our complicated business model. Building out new drivers, linking them to the correct components of the model can become be tricky to learn. However, that whole process was well-supported by a responsive team who offers myriad training resources and has been flexible with our needs and timeline. We have benefited from hands-on training sessions, webinars, and the user group community platform.

In sum:

We love what the model has done to up our game from a financial planning standpoint. In the LRP model, we have established rolling 5-year financial targets aligned with our strategic plan, our capital campaign goals and capital improvement plans. Each year, we are able to stress test multiyear enrollment scenarios, adjust to changes, make sound planning decisions and demonstrate our ability to deliver on our commitments. Being able to model changes in our assumptions and illustrate the relationships between the endowment, operational cashflow, debt and cash reserves has been invaluable to building trust with our board, donors and the broader community.