Inside Education - Client Success Stories
Inside Education is Alberta‘s largest environmental and natural resource education charity, founded in 1985. They provide programs for K-12 teachers and students across the province, helping to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards and equip them with the knowledge to contribute to a sustainable future for Alberta and Canada.
What started with one person working off the side of a desk in the mid-80s has grown. It is now a dynamic organization with 16 full-time staff. They run eight program streams and work with 25 different funders, and also deliver all programs at no cost to schools. Today, Inside Education runs three offices across Alberta. It hosts major events across the province. It reaches thousands of students and teachers each year.
Kathryn Wagner & Jill Swingler, Inside Education
Kathryn Wagner, Executive Director, came to her role from Inside Education’s program world, a teacher by training with a deep belief in the organization’s mission.
Jill Swingler, Director of Business and Operations, brings operational expertise and a thorough understanding of the organization’s complex funding landscape. Together, they’ve led the charge to modernize Inside Education’s financial operations.
The Challenge
When Kathryn stepped into the Executive Director role, she came with fresh eyes and new questions, but without a formal financial background. The organization had grown significantly, adding new staff, programs, and funders, yet the financial systems and processes hadn’t kept pace. It was clear something needed to change.
With 25 different funders operating on different fiscal calendars, managing cash flow, budgeting, and grant reporting had become increasingly complex. Kathryn and Jill needed a partner who could help them modernize their operations and give them the financial clarity to lead with confidence.
Inside Education juggles school years, government fiscal years, and 25 different granting cycles, all with different start dates, reporting requirements, and cash flow implications. Staying on top of it all had become a serious operational challenge.
The organization had outgrown its legacy accounting system. With three offices across Alberta and a rapidly expanding team, the existing tools and processes couldn't provide the accuracy, visibility, or efficiency that leadership needed to make informed decisions.
The Solution
Inside Education turned to Enkel for the nonprofit accounting expertise and modern financial tools they needed to keep pace with a growing organization. Enkel first joined to handle bookkeeping and payroll. Since then, our work has grown to include fractional CFO services.
Enkel’s deep expertise in the nonprofit sector made them the right fit for Inside Education. It is a complex organization with multiple funding streams and overlapping fiscal calendars. The leadership team needed a trusted financial partner, not just a service provider.
Enkel guided Inside Education through a move from Sage to QuickBooks Online. We also introduced DEXT for invoice tracking and expense reports. The team adopted the tools quickly, gaining greater accuracy in grant reporting, less reliance on paper, and a clearer picture of where their money is going across all three offices.
Every Enkel client has a dedicated point of contact backed by a full team of experts. For Inside Education, this meant access to bookkeeping, payroll, and fractional CFO services, all tailored to the nonprofit world. Kathryn and Jill no longer need a financial translator; they speak the same language and feel confident in the numbers.
Results
Inside Education has seen meaningful changes since partnering with Enkel for their financial operations. Below are just a few things they’ve experienced:
- Modernized their accounting system, transitioning from Sage to QuickBooks Online
- Reduced reliance on paper across three offices with the adoption of DEXT
- Improved accuracy in grant and funder reporting across 25 funding relationships
- Greater financial alignment between the Executive Director and Director of Operations
- Increased confidence and clarity heading into their annual audit
- Access to fractional CFO expertise at a fraction of the cost of an in-house hire
- Reduced organizational risk by eliminating reliance on a single point of contact for financial operations
- Greater nimbleness in managing accounting capacity as funding fluctuates year over year
Is your nonprofit ready to take control of its finances?
Whether you manage complex funding cycles, outgrow your accounting system, or need a trusted nonprofit partner, Enkel can help. From bookkeeping and payroll to fractional CFO services, we give your team tools, expertise, and confidence. This helps you focus on what matters most: your mission.