The Salvation Army: Every automated invoice feeds someone in need

The Salvation Army is one of Norway's largest charitable organisations, with around 2,000 employees and more than 6,000 volunteers nationwide, and an annual turnover of over NOK 2 billion.

Inspiring efficiency

Martin Kravik Solheim, Assistant CFO at The Salvation Army, explains what motivates the organisation: “Every krone saved through our automated accounts payable process means more resources for essential services.”

The organisation processes around 100,000 invoices a year. When a member of the finance team retired, leadership chose to rethink its approach rather than simply fill the position. After exploring various AP automation solutions, it selected Rydoo Accounts Payable as its platform.

"Our goal isn't to replace people, but to move away from manual entry and repetitive tasks," says Solheim.

"Our goal isn't to replace people, but to move away from manual entry and repetitive tasks."
— Martin Kravik Solheim, Assistant CFO, The Salvation Army

Replace or rethink?

The finance department has already reduced its headcount from five to four, and aims to free up one more full-time position, potentially saving NOK 1.5–2 million a year.

The organisation has also partnered with BDO, a Rydoo Accounts Payable partner, which helped it reimplement Xledger, saving 7,000–8,000 working hours a year.

Turning regulatory challenges into strategic insights

The Salvation Army faces growing complexity from the Transparency Act, sustainability reporting and other regulatory requirements. Solheim stresses the importance of "having a system with a strong analysis engine to meet these demands".

Rydoo Accounts Payable's data capture capabilities enable analyses that standard AP automation systems can't provide.

"It's becoming increasingly important to have data available to conduct good analyses," says Inger Eek Tronerud, Partner Lead at Rydoo Accounts Payable.

Scaling up

"Rydoo Accounts Payable has functionality that more traditional invoice management systems don't offer, such as artificial intelligence for extracting line-level data points," says Solheim.

"Rydoo Accounts Payable has functionality that more traditional invoice management systems don't offer, such as artificial intelligence for extracting line-level data points."
— Martin Kravik Solheim, Assistant CFO, The Salvation Army

The organisation also considers user-friendliness crucial, as it works with around 700 volunteers who hold various administrative roles.

Excellent results already

Since implementing Rydoo Accounts Payable in May 2023, The Salvation Army has exceeded its initial expectations. Its kindergartens have achieved very high automation rates, with Rydoo Accounts Payable suggesting the correct dimension values 90% of the time.

The system has also significantly streamlined the processing of around 300 electricity invoices a month, which previously required substantial manual effort.