How a Company in Denver Solved a Problem Where a Company Spent More Than 12 Hours per Week Processing Donation Receipts Manually Using Microsoft Foundry

Processing donation receipts manually is often a tedious and error-prone task, especially for non-profit organizations with limited resources. 💡 In this case study, we explore how a Denver-based non-profit organization dramatically reduced the more than 12 hours per week spent on manual donation receipt processing by implementing an automated workflow using Microsoft Foundry, alongside integration with various tools to streamline operations.

This article guides you step-by-step through the problem, our automation approach, the implemented solution architecture featuring Microsoft Foundry, and the remarkable outcomes. You will also find practical workflow examples, detailed node breakdowns, and important considerations for scaling, security, and error handling. If you are a startup CTO, automation engineer, or operations specialist looking to automate repetitive processes, this story will provide valuable insights on designing effective automation workflows.

For those eager to accelerate their automation journey, Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to find ready-made workflows.

Case Context & Problem: Manual Donation Receipt Processing Challenges

The client is a mid-sized nonprofit organization located in Denver, Colorado. Operating within the charitable sector, the organization manages fundraising campaigns, engages donors, and processes donation transactions primarily through various online and offline channels. The Operations and Finance departments were primarily responsible for manual processing of donation receipts, a critical function for maintaining donor records and ensuring compliance.

Before automation, the process involved manually extracting data from emails and scanned receipts, then entering transaction details into Microsoft Foundry and the donor database. Employees spent over 12 hours weekly on this repetitive job, which led to several pain points:

• High manual labor: Dedicated 50+ hours monthly just for donation receipt handling.
• Error-prone data entry: Mistakes frequently occurred due to manual input, compromising data integrity.
• Lack of real-time visibility: No centralized dashboard for status tracking, complicating audits.
• Delays in donor acknowledgment: Slow processing reduced donor satisfaction and trust.
• Resource diversion: Valuable staff time was allocated away from strategic activities.

Financially, delays and errors risked compliance issues impacting the organization’s reputation and tax reporting. Operational inefficiencies limited scalability as donation volume grew steadily over time.

This nonprofit needed a reliable, automated solution tightly integrated with existing systems, particularly Microsoft Foundry, to optimize donation receipt processing and free up valuable human resources.

Our Approach: Discovery and Automation Proposal

The RestFlow team began with a comprehensive discovery phase. This included detailed process mapping, stakeholder interviews, and systems architecture reviews focused on operations and finance teams. Key insights included:

• The majority of donation receipts arrived via email or scanned PDFs.
• Microsoft Foundry was the core platform for donor data management.
• Google Sheets and Slack were used informally for tracking and communication.
• Manual validation and duplication checks were time-consuming.

RestFlow recommended leveraging an automation workflow integrating Microsoft Foundry API with Gmail, Google Sheets, and Slack, orchestrated through n8n — an open-source automation tool well-suited for custom workflows and scalability. n8n’s flexibility, extensibility, and secure credential management aligned well with security and compliance requirements.

High-level architecture involved:

• Email receipt monitoring and data extraction.
• Automated data validation and enrichment.
• Microsoft Foundry record creation and update.
• Notifications and error handling via Slack.
• Reporting dashboards in Google Sheets.

This approach aimed to eliminate manual entry, reduce errors, and improve visibility and auditability. The solution was presented as an Automation-as-a-Service package, including design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and maintenance by RestFlow experts.

To get started, Create Your Free RestFlow Account and explore how customizable workflows can empower your organization.

The Solution: Architecture & Workflow

Global Automation Architecture

The implemented solution uses the following main components:

• Trigger: Incoming emails in the organization’s Gmail account labeled as donation receipts.
• Orchestration tool: n8n workflow engine hosted and managed by RestFlow.
• External integrations: Microsoft Foundry API for donation records, Google Sheets for reporting, Slack for notifications.
• Outputs: Updated donor records in Microsoft Foundry, real-time dashboards in Google Sheets, and alert messages in Slack channels.

End-to-End Workflow Explanation

1. Email Monitoring Trigger: n8n listens for new emails with the specified label in Gmail.

2. Receipt Data Extraction: Utilizes an OCR step to parse PDF attachments or extract structured data from email bodies.

3. Data Validation & Enrichment: Checks completeness, verifies donor IDs, eliminates duplicates via Microsoft Foundry searches.

4. Record Upsert in Microsoft Foundry: Creates new or updates existing donation receipt records through the Foundry API.

5. Reporting & Alerts: Updates Google Sheets dashboards with processed record details and sends notifications to Slack for successes or errors.

This automated pipeline replaces manual copy-pasting, sending automated acknowledgments faster, and elevates audit transparency.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🚀

1. Gmail New Email Trigger

This node listens for emails labeled “Donation Receipts” in Gmail.
It outputs email metadata and attachments.
Key configuration: Label filter set, polling interval of 1 minute, OAuth credentials used.

2. PDF & Text Extraction Node

Receives email attachments or email body, and uses OCR to extract structured data:
– Donor name
– Donation amount
– Date
– Receipt ID.
Config: Uses Tesseract OCR or external API, with fallback for text parsing where applicable.

3. Conditional Validation Node

Checks extracted fields:
– If any required field is missing, the workflow branches to error logging.
– If all fields present, continues.
Uses expression filtering to decide flow.

4. Microsoft Foundry Search Node

Searches for existing donation receipt by Receipt ID to avoid duplicates.
Search filter: {“receiptId”: “{{$json[“receipt_id”]}}”} via Foundry REST API.
Outputs match status.

5. Microsoft Foundry Upsert Node

Creates or updates the donation record:
– Creates new if no match.
– Updates if existing.
Includes mapping donor info, amounts, dates.
Uses REST API POST/PUT with JSON body.

6. Google Sheets Update Node

Adds a row with processed receipt details:
– Timestamp
– Donor
– Amount
– Status
Used for management dashboards.

7. Slack Notification Node

Sends message to #donation-processing channel:
– Success: “Receipt processed for Donor X, amount $Y.”
– Failure: Details of validation failure.
Slack webhook URL with scoped permissions.

8. Error Handling & Logging Node

Captures failed runs, logs in dedicated Google Sheet, and triggers alerts.
Workflow includes retry logic on API failures.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling and Retries

Critical nodes incorporate retry mechanisms with exponential backoff for transient errors (e.g., API rate limits).
Failures due to data errors route to manual review sheet and Slack alerts to the operations team.

Logging & Observability

All workflow executions are logged with timestamps and status codes.
Dashboards in Google Sheets provide daily summaries.
Slack alerts ensure quick response to issues.

Idempotency & Deduplication

Implemented through receipt ID checks before creating records in Foundry.
This prevents duplicate entries even if the workflow re-triggers.

Security & Data Protection

All API keys and OAuth tokens are securely stored in n8n credentials with restricted scopes.
PII data is transmitted over TLS encrypted connections.
Access control policies limit user permissions within n8n and external apps.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

The workflow scales easily via n8n’s support for concurrency and queues.
Polling Gmail every minute handles growing email volumes promptly.
Using webhooks directly from Microsoft Foundry for real-time updates is planned for phase two.
The modular design allows adapting to:

• New donation channels (e.g., form submissions).
• Additional integrations (CRM, ERP).
• Multi-location or multi-team scaling.

Managed hosting by RestFlow offers seamless version control, backups, and rollbacks ensuring stability as volume grows.

Comparison Tables

Automation Platform	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Open-Source (free core), Subscription for managed service	Highly customizable, self-hosting options, strong API integration, excellent for complex workflows	Requires technical skill for advanced usage, self-hosting demands resources
Make	Paid plans starting at $9/month	Visual builder, many app integrations, easy to use for non-developers	Some limitations with complex custom scripting, cost scales with usage
Zapier	Starts at $19.99/month	Large app library, user-friendly, ideal for simple to moderate workflows	Less flexible for complex logic, higher costs for higher volume

Approach	Cost	Pros	Cons
Webhook Trigger	Low to none (no polling fees)	Near real-time processing, efficient resource use	Requires source system support, sometimes complex setup
Polling Trigger	Possible increased API usage costs	Simple to implement, works universally	Latency between polls, inefficiency with idle periods

Storage Method	Cost	Pros	Cons
Google Sheets	Free to low cost	Easy setup, great for reporting, accessible	Not scalable for very large data, concurrency issues
Relational Database (SQL)	Higher setup, hosting costs	Scalable, transactional support, robust querying	Requires admin and schema setup, higher complexity

Results & Business Impact

Within two months of deployment, the automation yielded substantial improvements:

• Time savings: Reduced manual donation receipt processing time by 75%, saving over 12 hours weekly for the operations team.
• Error reduction: Data entry errors dropped by 90%, greatly improving data quality and compliance.
• Faster response: Donor acknowledgments were issued within hours of receipt instead of days, improving donor satisfaction.
• Better visibility: Dashboard reporting in Google Sheets provided real-time tracking of receipt status, enabling proactive management.
• Team focus: Staff redirected effort toward strategic activities, fundraising, and donor engagement.

Overall, the client gained operational efficiency, reduced risk, and enhanced stakeholder trust. The solution’s modularity also allows easy expansion to cover other document types and fundraising channels.

[Source: Client reports and internal metrics]

Pilot Phase & Maintenance Disclaimer

It is important to note that the deployment included an initial pilot phase running the workflow on a controlled sample of real donation receipts.

During this period, small adjustments were made to handle edge cases and improve the OCR accuracy and API response handling.

After successful pilot validation, the workflow entered full production and is now maintained by RestFlow’s team through continuous hosting, monitoring, updates, and security audits.

This structured approach ensures sustained reliability and ongoing optimization as business needs evolve.

FAQ

Conclusion

This case study highlights how a Denver nonprofit dramatically transformed their manual donation receipt process, spent over 12 hours weekly, by implementing an automated workflow using Microsoft Foundry and n8n orchestration. The integration of Gmail, Google Sheets, and Slack created a seamless, efficient system reducing errors, saving time, and improving transparency.

RestFlow’s end-to-end Automation-as-a-Service—covering design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and maintenance—ensured a smooth transition from manual processes to powerful automated workflows.

If your organization faces similar repetitive manual tasks, now is the time to embrace automation. Explore the Automation Template Marketplace for ready solutions or create your free RestFlow account and start designing your workflows today.