Genesee Country Village & Museum Embraces Modern Solutions for a Historic Mission
PRESERVING HISTORY WHILE INSPIRING THE FUTURE
Genesee Country Village & Museum is a vibrant living history museum located in Mumford, New York. Among the largest such museums in the country, Genesee Country Village offers a unique window into 19th-century life. With over 68 historic buildings, costumed interpreters, and engaging events, the museum creates a dynamic connection to history for thousands of visitors annually.
The museum takes pride in keeping history relevant for today’s audiences. By hosting events like the Highland Games, summer camp programs, seasonal festivals, and fresh programming designed to attract younger audiences, Genesee fulfills its mission of preserving the past while educating and inspiring future generations.
Behind the scenes, managing such a complex and varied organization requires modern systems and innovative leadership. With an annual operating budget of $18 million, 50–60 staff members, and numerous seasonal employees, Genesee relies on Sage Intacct and Net at Work to help them keep operations running smoothly and efficiently.
THE CHALLENGE OF OUTDATED SYSTEMS
Before implementing Sage Intacct, Genesee Country Village used an accounting system that worked well in the organization’s earlier stages. However, the museum’s growth introduced new complexities that required more robust functionality. Manual data entry, time-intensive reporting processes, and limitations in nonprofit-specific features made tasks like grant reporting challenging. These inefficiencies delayed access to real-time financial insights, making it harder for leadership to act quickly and strategically.
Compounding the challenge was the museum’s reliance on multiple applications to support its varied operations, including numerous point-of-sale systems, eCommerce platforms, and registration systems.
Without integration, these systems operated in silos, creating inefficiencies and making it difficult to gain a holistic view of the organization’s financial health.
BUILDING A STRONG FOUNDATION
In 2022, Genesee Country Village transitioned to Sage Intacct with the guidance of Net at Work. Liz Marr, the organization’s CFO, joined Genesee soon after the migration. The project included a comprehensive review of the museum’s technology landscape by Net at Work’s Fractional CIO & Advisory team to identify opportunities for integration and efficiency. By working closely with Marr and the organization’s IT Director, Net at Work ensured that Sage Intacct became the operational backbone, connecting data from all corners of the organization into a single source of truth.
Marr describes Sage Intacct as “the sun in our solar system,” central to all operations. The system allows the museum to integrate its grant management, payables, payroll, budgeting tools, and point-of-sale systems, reducing manual processes and improving accuracy. With Net at Work’s expertise, the complex transition was handled with precision and care. “Net at Work always had the answers,” she recalls. “They made the change manageable and ensured we are set up for success.”
REAL-TIME INSIGHTS FOR BETTER DECISION-MAKING
One of the most impactful changes has been the access to real-time financial data. Sage Intacct dashboards and dimensions enable managers to drill down into departmental activities, track special events, and assess profitability. Information that was once managed in spreadsheets is now readily available, empowering managers to adjust budgets and improve planning for future events.
Marr uses her dashboard daily, monitoring income statements, balance sheets, and departmental analysis at a glance. Sharing financial reports with the board of directors, a once labor-intensive task, is now seamless and efficient. The system saves time and ensures leadership has the timely information needed to make informed strategic decisions.
TIME-SAVING EFFICIENCIES
One of the most significant improvements since implementing Sage Intacct has been in budgeting and grant management. Before, the finance team relied on Excel to manually create and update budgets, a time-consuming process that required 15 minutes per department across 70 departments—adding up to over 12 hours annually.
Using templates Marr designed within Sage Intacct, this task now takes just seconds. The streamlined process allows managers to better monitor their budgets in near real-time, keeping everyone on track and aligned. Instead of waiting for month-end reports, department heads can access up-to-date information, helping them adjust spending as needed. Grant management has also been transformed.
Net at Work helped the organization identify a new grant management application that integrates seamlessly with Sage Intacct and provides a clear picture of how funds are allocated and spent. This level of transparency keeps the organization compliant with funding requirements and makes audits far less cumbersome.
“With Sage Intacct, we’ve gone from chasing data to being proactive,” Marr says. “The efficiency we’ve gained means we can spend more time focusing on the museum’s mission and less time on repetitive tasks.”
EFFICIENCY GAINS THROUGHOUT
Overall, Genesee’s technology investments are fueling efficiencies at every level. For example, automated workflows within Sage Intacct allow the museum’s finance team, consisting of just 3.5 full-time equivalents, to manage operations without additional hires. Marr estimates that without Sage Intacct, they would need at least two more staff members to handle the workload.
Automation has further streamlined accounts payable and grant management, allowing the team to focus on strategic initiatives rather than manual processes. “Sage Intacct has helped make us incredibly efficient,” Marr explains. “It frees us to focus concentrate our resources on what matters.”
A PARTNER INVESTED IN THE MISSION
Marr emphasizes that Net at Work’s support goes beyond software support. “They’re not just supporting our software—they’re supporting our entire organization,” she says.
Net at Work’s ability to understand the museum’s unique needs, paired with their open communication and technical expertise, has made them an invaluable partner. “They feel like an extension of our team,” Marr adds. “We couldn’t have done this without them.”
PREPARED FOR A BRIGHT FUTURE
For Genesee Country Village, the partnership with Net at Work and the implementation of Sage Intacct provide the tools and insights needed to fulfill its mission of preserving history and educating future generations. From streamlined grant management to real-time data access, the museum operates with efficiency and precision, ensuring its resources are used effectively.
“We have a deep responsibility to our mission,” Marr concludes. “Sage Intacct and Net at Work give us the tools to meet that responsibility and move forward confidently.”
