Charity Case Study

VALLEY CIDs found Kudos gave them a system with the adaptability their diverse and expanding organisation needed.

Valley CIDs, based in Derbyshire, helps children, young people and families through outreach work in schools and wider communities.

They raise funds through their cafe and 30 Lighthouse stores.

The complexity and size of the charity means there is a real necessity for a reliable and flexible software system.

The first one the charity used did not work effectively. When it came to finding a replacement, Mike Poynter, IT Manager for ValleyCIDs, explains, “We were looking for a system adaptable enough to cope with our diverse and expanding organisation and also one that was not reliant on the internet. Kudos ticked both those boxes which is why, after exploring all the available options, we decided to choose them.”

“The installation of the software was quick and the support we received was excellent.”

Mike Poynter – IT Manager

ValleyCIDs decided to do their training in-house with backup help from the Kudos team, a set up which Mike agrees “works well for us”.

Due to the large number and variety of shops, Mike designed over sixty different touch-screen layouts, each with its own logos. It took just three days.

He says, “The volunteers and members of staff find the screens easy to navigate and, despite an initial resistance to using a new system, they agree that it is an improvement on the previous one.”

Claiming Gift Aid is essential for ValleyCIDs and Mike says the Kudos EPOS system is good at facilitating this very important function.

One of the main advantages of Kudos is that it doesn’t rely on the internet. This avoids till shut downs and the inevitable loss of takings.

Kudos Browser Head Office also enables real time information management, making it accessible on the move, a factor that’s essential for the management team to keep ValleyCIDs operating smoothly and efficiently.

Mike finds the information they receive from the wide range of raw data and graphical reports invaluable. Moving forward, Mike is planning to create and customise reports that will be uniquely applicable to ValleyCIDs. Just another reason for choosing Kudos, and another reason why Mike would definitely recommend Kudos to other charity retailers.