How e-signatures are transforming bureaucracy for charities and non-profits

Paper trails

Since 1958, DRK OV Ammerbuch has furthered the work of the German Red Cross. The local organization has more than 900 members including volunteers, donors, and freelancers — supporting health and social care projects and providing humanitarian aid.

Despite its relatively small size, the charity processes roughly 500 invoices a year, including bills related to car repairs, IT support, and member training.

The organization used the four-eyes principle when approving these invoices, which means each document would be signed by two members of staff. But at the time, this process was largely analog — and endlessly time-consuming. Paper documents would have to be printed and physically signed, often sitting in various in-trays for two or three days. The organization’s treasurer would then have to archive and file these individual documents.

DRK OV Ammerbuch was already using Tresorit’s end-to-end-encrypted storage space to save and share files quickly and securely. When the team decided to speed up invoicing by taking the process digital, they knew that there was a company they could rely on.

Integrated interfaces

DRK OV Ammerbuch decided to add Tresorit eSign to their existing Tresorit package.

The organization still uses the four-eyes principle, but rather than printing out invoices, bills are stored digitally in a dedicated Tresorit folder. Approved members of staff are notified of new paperwork by email, and can then access the folder to sign documents digitally. The new process cuts the time needed to approve invoices from two to three days to two to three hours.

“Using Tresorit eSign, we send the invoices via email, click on the link, sign the invoice, and it’s basically done,“ says Jens Ochsenreither, DRK OV Ammerbuch’s head of medical services.

Opting for Tresorit eSign meant that DRK OV Ammerbuch didn’t have to grapple with a new digital provider. The team was already familiar with Tresorit’s user-friendly interface, which meant they could hit the ground running.

Best of all, as a charity, DRK OV Ammerbuch qualified for a 50 percent discount on Tresorit eSign and their entire Tresorit package of services.

Speed and security

The new process is quicker, more efficient, and saves resources such as paper. But even more importantly, Tresorit eSign enjoys all of the same security benefits and tools as Tresorit’s cloud-based storage platform.

“We wanted to digitalize our invoice process to avoid printing out paperwork, signing it manually, and then scanning it back into the system,” says Jens Ochsenreither.

“But we also wanted a solution that would allow us to sign invoices securely and prove that documents were approved with the four-eyes system, in case the tax or finance authorities wanted to check our work.”

Tresorit could provide that peace of mind.

The platform automatically logs which users have accessed which files, when, and from where, giving organizations extra accountability in the event of an audit or inspection.

All files on the Tresorit system are also end-to-end encrypted, so that no one — not even Tresorit itself — can read sensitive documents such as contracts or accounts.

Whether organizations are signing documents, sharing them, or storing them, it’s our commitment to security that remains at the heart of every Tresorit tool.