Second Step is a leading mental health and wellbeing charity based in Bristol, with over 300 employees supporting communities across the South West. Some of those teams work remotely, often in the field, and often far from HQ. That made spending a challenge, and controlling it even harder.

To start, the finance team was managing two separate high-maintenance and time-consuming systems: credit cards for managers and prepaid cards for the teams, both supported by outdated tools. The result was a manual administrative nightmare that left the team six months behind on reconciliations.

Other key challenges included:

The finance team needed something better. A system that was easy to use, gave them the visibility and control they were looking for, and eliminated admin. After looking at a few options, Pleo came out on top–for the product, and the people behind it.

“We were looking for functionality, user-friendliness, and great customer service. Pleo covered it all, and the feedback from our end users has been nothing but positive.” - Bartosz Zimniewicz, Finance Manager

In short order, Pleo has entirely reshaped how Second Step manages its charity funds, turning a "six-month-behind" operational burden into an effective, simple, and transparent process.