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YMCA selects Maxa Solutions' Charity EPOS System to improve revenue and information flow

June 2009 Founded 165 years ago, the YMCA is a leading Christian charity committed to supporting all young people. YMCA England supports and represents the work of 135 YMCAs providing professional and relevant services that make a difference to the lives of young people in over 250 communities. The 135 YMCA charity shops form an important part of the YMCA's ability to help young people, children and families.

Paul Sargison, Head of Retail Fundraising, at YMCA said: "In order to maximise revenue streams in the shops it was recognised that an automated retail management system was required. This would provide badly needed management reporting, as well as significantly increasing revenue streams by implementing Gift Aid on Donated Goods in the shops."

The YMCA looked at a number of EPOS systems through an extensive and detailed selection process. "The decision to choose CHARiot from Maxa Solutions was down to a number of factors, but right from the start Maxa Solutions demonstrated a very clear understanding of the charity retail sector and our business needs. The system is very user friendly with a self-explanatory graphical interface, the Gift Aid module is extremely comprehensive but very simple for our volunteer staff to use, and the reporting system has many charity shop specific reports", said Sargison.

There is an aggressive roll out plan across the YMCA shops once the trials at 6 specially selected shops in the North West have been completed.

The CHARiot solution, developed in conjunction with specialist provider Nisyst, is a fully proven retail EPOS system with comprehensive, integrated head-office facilities. The tilling screen is touch screen based and because of the graphical design of the screen, it is extremely simple to use, and hard to make mistakes. If the keys are pressed in the wrong order, it will either not all the function or it will advise what 'it' thinks the user should be doing.

Steve Berry, director of Maxa Solutions said: "We started working in the charity retail sector about 3 years ago, and CHARiot has been even further developed since then based on feedback from charities with whom we work. The Gift Aid system in particular has been developed as HMRC requirements have changed, and we believe that our Gift Aid module is one of the most easy to use in the industry."

Berry continued, "There are far more systems available on the market today than two or three years ago, but CHARiot really does hit the mark for the charity sector because everything has been designed with the user in mind, even down to the volunteer-friendly graphical screen. The system is easy to use and understand for the user, but at the same time enables the retail manager to manage, control and comprehend what is going on in the business on a daily, weekly, monthly and annual basis."

YMCA plan to complete the roll out of CHARiot to at least 40 shops by the end of August this year, and then will review upgrading the remaining 95 shops over the following 2 years.

About Maxa Solutions:

Maxa Solutions provide integrated business IT solutions for the retail market. It is providing a first of its kind solution to a sector that demands exclusive functionality in order to reap full benefits and return of investment from IT investments. Maxa Solutions has focused on an integrated solution for EPOS and Retail Management specifically for Charity Shops, since there were no generic systems offering anything bespoke for this market. CHARiot's volunteer friendly EPOS covers both donated and purchased goods, time and attendance, petty cash and banking. Powerful retail management tools at Head Office provide real time visibility and control of critical shop activities and performance, whilst also managing purchased goods, suppliers and stock management. Interface at Head Office to accounts systems ensure that the data from retail operations is available to executive accounts reporting and fund raising marketing. CHARiot has a comprehensive and easy to use integrated Gift Aid on Donated Goods module.

Maxa Solutions will continue to develop solutions for niche sectors.

Tel: 0161 942 7874
Fax: 0161 942 7875
info@maxasolutions.co.uk
www.maxasolutions.co.uk

About the YMCA:

The YMCA is a leading Christian charity, number 212810, committed to supporting all young people, particularly in times of need. YMCA England supports and represents the work of 135 YMCAs providing professional and relevant services that make a difference to the lives of young people in over 250 communities. The YMCA reaches out to over 1 million young people each year, working with them at every stage of their lives and offering support when and where they need it most. Founded 165 years ago, the YMCA in England builds on a long history of providing a place for young people to find acceptance, community and activity. The YMCA does this by offering high quality services in seven integrated areas, including:

• Housing and Homelessness
• Sport, Health, Exercise and Fitness
• Crime and Safety
• Education and Skills
• Money and Work
• Citizenship and Personal Development
• Parenting and Family

Tel: 020 8520 5599
Fax: 020 8509 3190
press@england.ymca.org.uk
For more information, please go to: www.ymca.org.uk