FIS Overview

FIS’ contract and voluntary services have benefited more than 400 community foundations since 1985.

FIS offers community foundations help in

Assisting foundations recover from project gone arwy
Read about a call for help from a CEO at Grand Haven Area Community Foundation in MI
Conducting software vendor evaluation and conversion
Read about a project at The Richmond Foundation in VA
Performing business process analysis and training
Read about training work at San Antonio Area Foundation in TX
Directing technology planning and implementation
Read about long term technology planning at Foundation For The Carolinas in NC
Creating and volunteering with software user groups
Read about FIS' volunteer work with industry user groups since 2001

Company Background

We have been actively engaged as an agent of change for community foundation starting in 1985 at Chicago Community Trust. FIS’ GRATIS was created as an integrated software solution that included fund, grants, investment and allocation management. Chicago was the first community foundation client, where in 1986, we introduced our mutli-user network compatible GRATIS solution on PCs.

The next major advancement in the GRATIS solution was the implementation of multi-pooled fund accounting at Foundation For The Carolinas in 1988. Multi-pooled fund accounting supports a pool’s participation in more than one investment pool based on the requirements for cash liquidity as well as short and long term growth requirements. This concept was an adaption of a similar concept developed by Mr. Myers, President of FIS, for SEIC, the investment management company.

The concept of multi-pooled fund accounting minimizes the focus of inter-period trades and maximizes the ability to adopt portfolio investment strategies to meet the needs of various foundation stakeholders. With the adoption of this multi-pooled fund accounting technique, Foundation For The Carolinas grew from $22M and 400 funds to more than $1.6B and 2200+ funds today.

From 1985 until 1999, FIS was an active software vendor while providing valuable technology consulting to many of its clients. Since 1999 when GRATIS was retired as a software product, FIS focused all of its business activity in consulting to community foundations. This new phase in FIS work was focused on consulting engagements, developing software user groups and maintaining dialogues with all of the major software and services vendors supporting community foundations.

We have in-depth knowledge of the various product offerings from MicroEdge's FIMS, Blackbaud's Raisers Edge, Financial Edge, Fusion Labs' GrantdeGE/Spectrum and other vendors serving community foundations. Our work with foundation management and support staff creates, implements and refines effective technology solutions and related business processes.