Case Study: Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch – Empowering Financial Stewardship with Dynamic Budgets ERP - Dynamics GP / Business Central ISV - Dynamic Budgets
About Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch is a nationally recognized nonprofit organization that has provided residential childcare and family support services for over 85 years. Founded in 1939 by Cal Farley, a visionary and former semiprofessional baseball player, the organization began with a mission to help children from broken homes and has grown into a thriving residential community serving boys and girls ages 5 to 18. Today, Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch operates without state or federal funding, relying on donor support and efficient financial management to deliver life-changing programs in a Christ-centered environment. Its vision is to be a leader in the residential childcare field while maintaining long-term commitments to children and families through quality residential, educational, and community-based services delivered in a fiscally responsible manner and guided by the Cal Farley’s Model of Leadership and Service.
The Challenge Managing finances for a complex nonprofit with multiple programs—residential care, alumni services, scholarships, and community-based initiatives—requires precision and collaboration. Cal Farley’s needed a budgeting solution that was intuitive for non-financial staff, streamlined for reviewers, and detailed enough to support accountability. Traditional methods created bottlenecks, with department leaders frequently calling the CFO for transaction details, slowing down decision-making.
The Solution: Dynamic Budgets Cal Farley’s implemented Dynamic Budgets to modernize its budgeting process and improve transparency across departments. According to Megan Johnson, Chief Financial Officer, the platform delivered immediate benefits:
Ease of Use for All Users “Users know it. It’s simple for reviewers and easy for non-financial users to input and review,” Megan shared. This simplicity reduced training time and encouraged broader participation in the budgeting process.
Powerful Drill-Down Capabilities Megan praised the ability to see transaction details instantly without calling her, which significantly reduced support requests and improved efficiency. Department leaders can now answer their own questions, freeing up the finance team for strategic work.
Improved Collaboration and Accountability Dynamic Budgets enabled real-time visibility into budget performance, aligning with Cal Farley’s commitment to financial accountability and operational efficiency, as outlined in their strategic plan. [Cal Farley...-2023-2024 | PDF]
The Transition to Business Central
When Cal Farley’s decided to move from Dynamics GP to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central, leaving Dynamic Budgets behind was not an option. The organization had been a long-time user and was extremely satisfied with the product. The transition was seamless—Dynamic Budgets integrated smoothly with Business Central, ensuring continuity in budgeting processes without disruption. This allowed Cal Farley’s to modernize its ERP system while retaining the budgeting solution that their team trusted and loved. Dynamic Budgets made the transition even smoother by allowing users to view Business Central financials using either the legacy GP General Ledger codes or the new BC accounts and dimensions. This flexibility ensured that staff could continue working in a familiar structure while gradually adopting the new chart of accounts and dimensional reporting. As a result, the finance team avoided confusion, maintained accuracy, and experienced zero downtime during the ERP migration.
Business Impact
Faster Budget Reviews: Non-financial managers confidently input and review data without relying on spreadsheets.
Reduced Support Requests: Drill-down functionality eliminated countless calls to finance for transaction details.
Enhanced Transparency: Leadership can monitor budgets against strategic goals, ensuring resources are allocated effectively to serve more youth.
Why It Matters Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch operates with $48.8M in annual revenue and allocates 81% of expenses to programs—a testament to their efficiency and donor trust. Dynamic Budgets supports this mission by providing a modern, user-friendly budgeting tool that aligns with their values of stewardship and quality outcomes.
How You Can Help Cal Farley’s Boys Ranch relies entirely on the generosity of donors to provide safe homes, education, and life-changing opportunities for at-risk youth. Every gift makes a difference.
