Peace of Mind – It’s as Easy as Pushing a Button

Versaic Grants Now Includes Top Solution for Vetting Non-Profits
Aug 4, 2014 8:30 AM ET

Peace of Mind – It’s as Easy as Pushing a Button

By Burt Cummings

For over ten years, Versaic has been helping corporations and foundations manage their giving programs.  Like many of our clients, we started small, with programs focused on community events and donations.  Today, Versaic is the engine behind programs for more than 100 clients across a spectrum of industries, representing tens of thousands of transactions, and supporting thousands of non-profits and community groups.  We’re pioneering software solutions for some of the most pressing challenges faced by corporate and private foundations, including reporting on impact, engaging effectively with stakeholders and ensuring transparency and consistency.

Versaic is the only online solution for grants, sponsorships and donation management that works precisely the way clients want.  With Versaic’s flexible software and market expertise, clients save time, gain insights, increase their impact and build their brands.  Versaic’s clients include many of the most influential brand leaders among the Fortune 500.

Underlying everything Versaic does is a commitment to simplicity and client success.   Every initiative we undertake or capability we add to our system goes through the “push of a button” filter.  If it’s not as easy as pushing a button, it doesn’t happen.  Our clients, and I suspect most readers of this blog, don’t have the time or patience for complicated systems and processes.

Maintaining push-of-a-button simplicity is no trivial matter when it comes to tracking and managing an often-complex grants management process.  Larry Tesler, my old boss at Apple, coined the term “Conservation of Complexity” while developing the Mac software, and that concept definitely applies to Versaic.  The work we do behind the scenes – streamlining, tracking and reporting on every step in the process -- makes things unexpectedly simple for our clients and allows them to do the work that matters most to them.

The same commitment to simplicity characterizes Guidestar Charity Check, the gold standard for diligence, now offered as part of Versaic Grants.  From initial vetting against IRS and OFAC databases through creating a full report and audit trail of approved grants, Guidestar Charity Check is seamlessly integrated into Versaic Grants and gives clients significantly increased confidence in their data and decisions.  As we’ve been rolling out this new capability to clients, we hear their enthusiasm about having this essential tool for success.  The combination of Guidestar Charity Check and Versaic gives clients peace of mind, at the push of a button.

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Burt Cummings has served as Versaic CEO since 2006 and has been instrumental in building the company’s strategy and momentum in the corporate philanthropy and grants management space.  A technologist and marketer by background, Burt’s forte is bringing together technology with market need to deliver practical solutions that deliver value to clients.  Prior to joining Versaic, Burt worked as an independent marketing consultant, helping companies identify and market solutions in the technology marketplace. Previously, Burt was co-founder and CEO of GoCampus, Inc., a startup company offering ASP solutions to college campuses for developing e-newsletters targeted to individual faculty, alumni, parents and students. He formerly held the positions of VP and GM of Brand Dialogue, the interactive arm for Young & Rubicam; and Executive Director for Interactive, Landor Associates, also a Young & Rubicam company, overseeing the creation and branding of commercial web sites for Fortune 500 customers. Burt has held positions in sales and marketing for Higher Education at Apple Computer, Inc., and Eagle River Interactive, and was the Director of Sales Programs at NeXT. Burt graduated cum laude from UC San Diego with a BS in Computer Science.