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Site: www.chessintheschools.org Company: Chess-in-the-Schools Location: New York, New York Industry: Non-Profit Organization Results Achieved with AccountEdge:
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Chess-in-the-Schools
Not every small business is out to make a profit. Chess-in-the-Schools is a non-profit organization that does just what the name implies. They teach the game of chess to students at New York City's inner-city schools, with spectacular results.
In 1986, Chess-in-the-Schools (then called the American Chess Foundation) contacted elementary schools in New York City to see if there was any interest in teaching chess to children. The Foundation had long been in the business of promoting the game of chess, and studies have shown that the game promotes improved reading scores and enhanced emotional intelligence. Before long, students at a few schools were learning how to play.
Marley takes on Shelanthia Griffiths, a Chess-in-the-Schools alumnus. Griffiths, 17, spent her summer interning in Washington, D.C. as well as working at Chess-in-the-Schools.
Almost immediately, teachers' accounts of the young chess players' progress began to pour in. Their reports of the chess-playing students making marked improvements in their academic and personal lives seemed to back up the information in various studies. "The anecdotal evidence kept mounting until it got to a point where it became a loud noise," says Marley Kaplan, President and CEO of Chess-in-the-Schools.
"We now teach 38,000 kids a year. Our chess instructors visit classrooms once a week, sixteen lessons a semester," says Marley. "350 kids per school each year plus an after-school club. 160 different schools all over the city."
Teaching chess to kids from kindergarten through eighth grade is only some of what they do. Research indicates that students learning chess develop skills that expand beyond their chess classes. Their self-confidence flourishes, along with a respect for others. Their work and study habits become more organized and focused. Studies done by Stuart Margulies, Ph.D. and Kathleen R. Speeth, Ph.D., conclude that chess promotes growth of emotional intelligence and enhanced reading performance.
Chess-in-the-Schools is expanding its reach to encompass students' high school careers, too. A burgeoning pilot program that offers academic tutoring, mentoring and cultural excursions is looking to become a mainstay at the company.
Results Achieved with MYOB
You might be wondering what this has to do with MYOB. Two years ago, Marley became the President and CEO of Chess-in-the-Schools. "We had grown so much that we had out-grown our old accounting system," she says. "We decided to start from scratch."
Chess-in-the-Schools decided they needed assistance with setting up their new accounting system. Marley's husband, Bernie Dushman, through his work as VP of Administration and Technology for the Brooklyn Navy Development Corporation, knew of MYOB Certified Consultant Charlie Redmond. He contacted Charlie, who was happy to come in and help them set up shop with MYOB AccountEdge.
"First I needed to understand the organization, which is true of any client," says Charlie. "Getting to know what Chess-in-the-Schools does helped me to visualize how to reflect their operations in MYOB."
Fund accounting was one aspect that needed particular attention. "We sometimes get donations that are restricted," says Marley. "We need to make sure a certain contribution goes to a certain school. MYOB lets you demonstrate that while keeping your books."
"It is vital that Chess-in-the-Schools be able to report back to its benefactors and other funding sources how their contributions are used," adds Charlie. "What MYOB does for them, through the Chart of Accounts and the Job Costing system we set up for them, is make it easy for Chess-in-the-Schools employees to record each expense of each program, so Marley can report with confidence to each benefactor and funding source how their funds are used."
So what does Chess-in-the-Schools think of the work Charlie did? "Oh, I absolutely recommend hiring an MYOB Certified Consultant," says Marley. "We had grown so much that we had out-grown our old accounting system. We had to start from scratch. We wouldn't have been able to do it without him."
And MYOB AccountEdge? "We used it to redo our Chart of Accounts. We had never used job numbers before, either. The main goal was getting back management financial information by using job tracking. We have a $4 Million budget per year. MYOB fit our size and complexity. And it's a program I understand."
Being a non-profit organization, Chess-in-the-Schools is primarily funded by contributors. Annual fund raising brings in proceeds from individuals and corporations, and they do get a bit of city money for their operation, though that accounts for less than 1%. September 11th didn't impact their fund raising as much as it did other non-profits, but the dragging economy could have a much more profound effect this year.