Case Study: Make-A-Wish Vermont & Northeast New York

Background

Make-A-Wish (MAW) Vermont & Northeast New York is a nonprofit organization that serves eligible wish kids with life-threatening medical conditions and their families by granting their heartfelt wishes. They serve a community spanning 20,000 square miles throughout Vermont and 15 counties in Northeast New York, and employ 10 full-time staff members across both states. After many years of handling HR issues internally, followed by a poor experience with a national payroll provider and then a corporate merger, they needed an HR partner that could handle compliance and employee management efficiently.

Finding a Solution

MAW needed HR consulting services that could:

• Help with hiring, onboarding, and terminations
• Update their employee handbook and ensure multi-state compliance
• Create electronic employee documents and notices
• Handle remote worker compliance issues such as labor posters

A Better Way: HR Consulting from GTM Payroll Services

GTM’s HR consulting services met MAW’s needs and more.

GTM began managing their payroll processing in 2023, and then MAW began utilizing GTM’s HR outsourcing services after a merger between MAW Vermont and MAW Northeast New York was announced.

The Solution
MAW President and CEO James Hathaway began outsourcing all HR functions to GTM, including creating offer letters and electronic employee documents, assisting with onboarding, updating the employee handbook, and advising on terminations.

“After the merger, we were over our heads in regulations in New York,” said Hathaway. “GTM’s expertise prevented us from falling into hidden compliance traps.”

An extraordinarily efficient experience
Outsourcing all or part of your HR functions to experts is an increasingly attractive and time-saving option as organizations, like MAW, try to manage the complexities of ever-changing legal compliance regulations, manage and retain talent, and implement HR best practices that align employees with business goals.

Nonprofits and smaller businesses may have little or no human resources infrastructure and may not be able to justify an HR member on staff. Mid-sized companies may need additional HR resources and assistance to free up time for their team without hiring another full-time HR professional.

By utilizing GTM’s HR consultants, employers can quickly effect changes through targeted human resources support solutions tailored to their needs. GTM’s HR clients improve infrastructure by implementing better payroll technology and best practices in HR processes, freeing up valuable time and resources.

“You can get into trouble fast with so many compliance regulations,” said Hathaway. “GTM has been supportive and professional, and their speed of service is unmatched.”

HR services
GTM has been managing a broad range of responsibilities, including hiring paperwork, onboarding and offboarding assistance, electronic documents and notices for employees, and processing wage theft forms.

“We would not have been as successful in getting everything up to speed as quickly without GTM,” said Hathaway.

HR compliance support
MAW needed an employee handbook that was current and compliant with federal, state, and local laws, with separate sections covering the two states where their employees work. GTM also conducted a remote employment audit to ensure labor poster regulations and Form I-9 compliances were being met.

“I know with GTM I have an experienced, knowledgeable team I can rely on,” said Hathaway.

Expanding the Relationship
Because of MAW’s positive experience with GTM’s HR services, they recently became a member of GTM’s Professional Employer Organization (PEO). This now gives them access to HR support, payroll processing, employee benefits, compliance assistance, and more, all under one umbrella.

This helps MAW mitigate risk, reduce costs, and save time, so they can focus on running their organization.

Conclusion
With GTM Payroll & HR, organizations like MAW work with experienced, accomplished professionals who deliver expert solutions, including HR consulting and employee handbook services. By developing HR strategies that align with business goals by leveraging their experience, knowledge, and tools, GTM delivers value beyond expectations.

“I’m a big believer in GTM,” says Hathaway. “I’m more than happy to provide referrals; they have made us look good.”