How MagicBooking optimised parent engagement and financial oversight for YMCA St Paul’s Group

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Use case

Wraparound Care Trips Extra Curricular Clubs E-Shop

Organisation size

3,500+ children

Location

London, Slough

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Customer Stories

MagicBooking has provided great support for our business, and it has eliminated the manual way we used to operate. "The club booking system has widened our scope so we can contact parents collectively as well as monitor our finances more closely.

5 min read

YMCA St Paul’s Group (SPG) is a charity and registered housing provider committed to creating communities where young people can thrive. As part of the larger YMCA Federation, their mission is to be an inclusive Christian Association and build inclusive environments that empower young people to belong, contribute, and reach their potential. Beyond housing and youth services, SPG offers vital childcare programmes, including breakfast and after-school clubs, that support hundreds of families across their various locations.

YMCA St Paul's Group Wimbledon building in London

As YMCA SPG expanded its childcare services, managing bookings and payments for an increasing number of parents became a logistical headache. The organisation had been using two different software programmes, neither of which integrated well with each other or with their finance systems, leading to inefficiencies that affected both staff and parents.

Complex admin processes: Running two systems created confusion and duplicated effort.
Lack of financial coordination: Difficulties aligning the systems with their financial function led to manual workarounds and errors.
Parent frustration: Parents found it hard to manage their bookings and payments across multiple platforms.

YMCA St Paul’s Group implemented MagicBooking to centralise their operations and create a smoother, more efficient process for parents and staff alike. The system now handles everything from managing bookings for breakfast and after-school clubs to running financial reports across multiple locations.

All-in-one system: All needs from bookings, payments, to communications and more can be managed through MagicBooking, one comprehensive platform.
Automated reporting: Financial reports and data from all locations are generated and can be accessed and compared instantly.
Parent-friendly: The platform offers parents an intuitive, self-service system where they can manage bookings and payments easily.

Key features illustration in YMCA St Pauls Group branded colour

MagicBooking has helped YMCA St Paul’s Group to streamline their operations, improve parent communication, and gain a comprehensive view of their finances across all sites. The software supports over 600 parents who now benefit from a more organised and convenient system.

Parents enjoy 24/7 access - Parents can easily view all their bookings, invoices, and payment schedules at their convenience, making the process user-friendly, seamless and stress-free.

Financial transparency - YMCA St Paul’s can now generate instant financial reports, gaining a clear understanding of their income across different locations.

Centralised system - They now have one payment, communication and booking system that manages all aspects of their breakfast and after-school clubs, activities and classes, instead of having two longwinded systems. MagicBooking links all information and financial reporting together in one place, streamlining operations for both staff and parents. Staff can take control over the groups they oversee, and gain access to all the parent and children's information.

Accessible anywhere - The system is accessible across all devices in any location, allowing staff to access it at any time and any place, whether on-site or off.

Reduced paperwork - MagicBooking software has eliminated the manual way the organisation operates, they can now contact parents easily via the parents' communication software and at the touch of a button, lay their hands on any information, whether that is financial or children/parent-centric.

Ongoing support - With real-time financial reporting, the Trust gained more control over their revenue, helping them allocate funds more effectively.

Happier staff and parents - The MagicBooking customer service team is responsive and helpful, addressing technical issues quickly and efficiently if ever they arise.

MagicBooking has transformed the way YMCA St Paul’s Group operates, eliminating manual processes and providing greater control over their finances and parent communication.

“MagicBooking has provided great support for our business and it has eliminated the manual way we used to operate. The system has widened our scope so we can contact parents collectively as well as monitor our finances more closely.” — Taquira Wilson, YMCA St Paul’s Group

With MagicBooking, SPG can focus more on their core mission - empowering young people - while knowing their childcare services are running smoothly and efficiently.