The Situation
Splash is a nonprofit organization that designs child-focused water, sanitation, hygiene (WASH), and menstrual health programs with urban governments in Asia and Africa. Since 2007, Splash has reached over 600,000 children in schools, orphanages, shelters, and pediatric hospitals across eight countries. In 2019, they launched Project WISE (WASH in Schools for Everyone), a five-year initiative to reach every government school in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Kolkata, India, with improved WASH infrastructure, behavior change programs for children and school staff, and strengthened menstrual health services. The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) is the lead donor in Project WISE, having committed $19 million over five years toward the total project cost of $45 million.
The Roadblock
During the early implementation of Project WISE, Splash’s director of finance resigned due to health issues. This resignation came at a perilous time for Splash, soon before their year one report and year two forecast were due to CIFF. In addition, the organization was in the final stages of launching Acumatica, a new global accounting software platform. From donor reporting to tracking expenses, completing the Acumatica transition was essential to the overall financial management of the organization. Unfortunately, the director of finance was leading both these initiatives and nobody on staff had the technical expertise to fill her shoes.
Open Road's Response
A charitable grant of $95,000 from ORA enabled Splash to hire an interim director and recruit a new director of finance. In addition, the grant helped Splash leverage consultants that supported the successful global rollout of Acumatica, including building reports, ensuring full system functionality, and training staff on the system. Ultimately, support from ORA helped keep Project WISE and other critical core work on track.
To learn more visit: splash.org