XU: 

It’s great to be joined by Richard Smith today. He is the owner and developer of the infoodle Management Software for Charities and Churches.
Richard it would be great if you could tell the XU readers a more about your journey to founding infoodle? 

RS: 

Despite having a long career in IT, I’ve spent much of my life involved with charities and churches both on staff and volunteering. One charity involvement was with an emergency relief organisation managing teams and logistics, whilst also tracking and reporting grants and finances across multiple-currencies.

At church I’ve seen many hours of staff and volunteer time wasted when they are simply moving data around. With these involvements I recognised the opportunity to serve this non profit community by providing them with a solution to many of their headaches when it comes to administration, community engagement and financial accountability so that their staff and volunteers could be more focused on their mission.

‍XU: 

It’s great to hear more about your journey on the start of infoodle.
As infoodle has now been on the market for 10+ years it would be great to know more about how these years have been for you? And any great learning stories along the way. 

RS: 

The journey certainly has been one of learning. In IT, it never stands still and user expectations grow exponentially. It seems when one day Excel was fine, now they want an all-singing fully integrated solution... A car-wreck to a Ferrari overnight!

Like all bootstrapped businesses we’ve had to navigate growth as the revenue allows, and in that mix find the right staff, deploy the right technologies and invest time in the right things. Not always getting it right means giving yourself permission to get it wrong too. My learnings are summed up as sheer persistence and tenacity. When you believe in what you’re doing, and see the benefit it brings to the organisations you work with, the rewards speak for themselves.

XU:

I can see that infoodle integrates with different software. A big integration for you is with Xero. Can you tell me more about this integration? 

RS: 

Xero is an important part of infoodle’s offering. The integration serves as a mechanism to bring contacts and transactions into infoodle automatically and thus build a better profile of donors. This data can then be used to create segmentations for reporting and email marketing, generate a claim for Gift Aid to the HMRC as well as email statements and Tax receipts.

This integration allows accountants to save time when they provide these services to their clients, and also reduces the work of charities by days. Having Xero keeps the accountants and bookkeepers happy, and integrating with infoodle ensures the charity is communicating with whom and what their community needs really easily.

XU: 

We’ve seen infoodle has just updated their mobile app. Can you tell us a bit about this?

RS: 

The nonprofit sector is made up of organisations that are communities. Enabling those communities to operate at an administrative level is important, but being able to delegate some of these tasks away from the main office, enabling the community to connect with one-another, having access to information about the goings-on of the organisation, and provide communication back to the main office ensures that the community can run more effectively and the community is more engaged. Presenting this in a customisable way for organisations to ensure it fits with their brand and messaging increases this engagement. This is the goal of the App, it’s the community in their pocket! 

XU: 

I know recently you have been spending some time in the UK trying to establish and grow the infoodle brand over there. How have you found this to date and what different challenges have you faced along the way? 

RS: 

That’s right - infoodle is a New Zealand company, but infoodle isn’t new to the UK. We determined that it’s now time to have ‘boots on the ground’. The UK is quite a different culture to NZ, for instance NZ is much more trusting and egalitarian. Kiwis recognise they all need to work together to make things happen and trust each other to do so. The UK, obviously, is a bigger market with more people demanding your attention - getting through to the right people in the right way is a more time consuming business.

‍XU: 

Following on from that, what is your driving force for bringing infoodle over to the UK? 

RS: 

A key understanding of the nonprofit sector is that they are often run by part time volunteers who are a part of the organisation because of the cause and less because they have a passion for administration. For this reason they need more support, which we freely give. Establishing a sales and support team here in the UK will mean we can support our customers in the way we do in NZ, responsive and helpful and now with near 24hr coverage.

XU: 

Where can our XU readers see the infoodle team over the next year? Do you have any plans to attend events in the UK?  

RS: 

We were at the CRE recently here in London in fact, and there are other conferences and exhibitions we are exploring at this point. Other than that we are getting round the country to meet up with folk.

XU: 

What do you think the next 5 years hold for infoodle?  

RS: 

infoodle, like any tech product, is continually moving forward as a business and a product. Our sites are firmly set on the nonprofit sector and we have a range of opportunities by way of product developments and other sales regions before us. The next 5 years will see us expanding into these. With an established, solid business we are ensuring we have the tools that our customers need to be more effective in their missions. 

XU: 

In issue 32 of XU, we covered stories of what people wanted to be when they grew up. What did you want to be growing up?  

RS: 

RAF fighter pilot and then a graphic designer, both challenging when you are colour blind - so neither eventuated!

XU: 

Having spent some time exploring infoodle and its move in the UK market it would be great to know a little more about you? What can our readers find Richard doing when he isn’t working?   

RS: 

I’m not great at the work-life-balance thing in all honesty. If I’m not in front of a keyboard my brain is still working on it, the joys of running your own business I guess. Apart from that I have a great wife and family with whom we spend a lot of time with both in the UK and New Zealand, I’m part of the leadership in our community church which keeps me connected, and grounded and there are occasions I get out and experience the great New Zealand outdoors - it really is a great country to explore if you’re ever there.

XU: 

It would be great to know what keeps inspiring you on a daily basis?    

RS: 

I’ve often wondered - running your own business is tough, but I actually still really enjoy what I do. It’s the best way I can think of that brings the skills and passions I have together. I get energised by talking and meeting with our clients and hearing the impact they are making on the world in so many varied ways and how the infoodle team is playing a part in that.

XU: 

Finally, we always love to ask questions. Has there been one bit of advice that’s helped you in your career?    

RS: 

There is some for sure, good advice is a rare thing these days. Here are a couple of phrases I often recall: Success comes to those who stick at it, Success is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration!