Transforming challenges into success stories
Discover how Big Shoulders Impact Solutions empowers mission-driven organizations through tailored financial, operational, technological, and leadership strategies. Explore our case studies to see the real impact we've made.
Solving complex payroll for Northwest Compass
One project that best reflects our approach was the development of a custom timecard automation system for Northwest Compass, a nonprofit managing multiple government grants and complex funding sources. Payroll allocations previously required hours of manual work to calculate employee time across multiple grants, increasing the risk of errors and creating a significant administrative burden.
Rather than accepting the process as "just the way it is," we designed and built a custom web application that automatically generated compliant employee timesheets directly from payroll data. The solution dramatically reduced manual effort, improved the accuracy and consistency of payroll allocations, strengthened grant compliance, and gave staff back valuable time they could dedicate to serving clients instead of completing paperwork.
This project exemplifies what Big Shoulders Impact Solutions does best: combining financial expertise, operational insight, and technology to solve complex organizational challenges.
Overcoming organizational growing pains
Most of our clients come to us because they're doing important work but have outgrown their systems, processes, or internal capacity. They often struggle with fragmented financial information, inefficient manual processes, increasing compliance requirements, outdated technology, or a lack of executive-level leadership to guide strategic decisions. As organizations grow, these challenges can consume valuable time and prevent leaders from focusing on their mission.
For example, Northwest Compass was managing complex payroll allocations across multiple grants using a time-consuming manual process. Staff spent countless hours preparing compliant timesheets, increasing the risk of errors and taking time away from higher-value work. They needed a solution that would improve efficiency without sacrificing accuracy or compliance.
These are the types of challenges we enjoy solving. We help organizations replace inefficient, reactive processes with streamlined systems, practical technology, and an empowered team.
Delivering lasting results and efficiency
Our work delivers measurable improvements that continue long after an engagement ends. Clients experience more efficient operations, stronger financial oversight, reduced administrative burden, and systems that support sustainable growth instead of limiting it.
At Northwest Compass, for example, our custom timecard automation transformed a labor-intensive payroll allocation process into a streamlined, automated workflow. The organization significantly reduced the time staff spent preparing grant-compliant timesheets, improved the accuracy and consistency of payroll allocations, strengthened documentation for grant compliance, and minimized the risk of costly reporting errors. Instead of spending hours on repetitive administrative work each pay period, staff could focus on serving clients and advancing the organization's mission.
More broadly, our clients gain clearer financial insights, stronger internal controls, better decision-making, and greater confidence that their organization is prepared for the future.
Our integrated approach: Strategy to execution
What makes Big Shoulders Impact Solutions different is that we don't separate strategy from execution. Many consultants identify problems and deliver recommendations—we stay to help implement the solution and ensure it delivers real results.
Our approach combines executive-level expertise in finance, operations, technology, and organizational development, allowing us to solve challenges from multiple perspectives rather than in isolation. We look beyond the immediate issue to identify root causes and build systems that prevent those problems from recurring.
We also believe technology should simplify work, not complicate it. Whether we're automating a manual process, strengthening financial reporting, improving internal controls, or helping leaders make better decisions, every solution is designed to save time, reduce risk, and create long-term value.
Most importantly, we work as an extension of our clients' leadership teams. We build relationships based on trust, collaboration, and a shared commitment to maximizing impact.