How WWF-Malaysia used DocuSign to cut costs and streamline processes

Not-for-profit organisations often have to do much more with far less, requiring creativity and smart use of digital tools. The world’s largest conservation organisation is no exception. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) operates in more than 100 countries and boasts millions of supporters all over the world. 

That includes their team in Malaysia. From the world’s smallest elephants to the world’s biggest cats, the country is an epicentre for conservation, environmental activism and the organisations that support them.

Here’s a closer look at the ways WWF Malaysia is benefitting from a digital shift with Docusign—and doing more with less. 

Less money spent on printing, more money for conservation

Before DocuSign, WWF-Malaysia’s printing and mailing costs were substantial, with the organisation relying almost exclusively on traditional mail and hard copy agreements. Everything from rental contracts to Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) with suppliers were all paper-based, eating into a budget that depended on donations from individuals and organisations. 

To reduce paper, costs and streamline processes, WWF-Malaysia began by auditing their internal processes and workflows. They decided a simple first step was to implement DocuSign for many of its internal agreements—procurement contracts, internal agreements, and executive communications with donors. 

Agnesia Sapati, Knowledge and Technology Solutions at WWF-Malaysia, says the obvious cost savings was the primary factor for considering DocuSign as a solution. 

“We compared a lot of platforms to understand where we could get the most value,” she explains. “We saw clear costs saving from implementing a digital solution—the more money we spent on administration and printing, the less we could spend on conservation.” 

Since implementing DocuSign, most of the organisation’s agreements with private suppliers are now digital. With an estimated 70% of transactions now digital, teams are channelling a much smaller portion of their donations toward paper-based admin and a much larger portion toward their crucial conservation efforts.

Making it easy to work with suppliers and each other

The WWF-Malaysia team is mostly remote and can be working on up to 90 projects at a time, including initiatives like Earth Hour, a high-profile event that encourages individuals and businesses to #Connect2Earth and “raise a voice for nature.” But paper-based processes could make it hard to collaborate in a geographically dispersed team, and physical storage took up precious office space.

By digitising their agreements, WFF-Malaysia is managing processes faster and more easily across locations, while also creating audit trails.

“We can now track the status of any agreements along the way. There’s greater security with digital agreements, especially for finance documents,” Sapati says.

Implementing DocuSign has helped them work smarter, both with one another and with their external suppliers and stakeholders. Once the Operations team started to see the tangible benefits of digitising agreements, DocuSign spread to other teams. In Human Resources, DocuSign has helped the team digitise timesheets and, in Marketing, letters to donors can now be signed digitally. That’s a relief for the organisation’s CEO, who used to have to sign each physical letter by hand, a volume that can easily reach the thousands.

As a bonus, small offices have been able to shed extra paper and filing cabinets, allowing staff greater breathing room.

Saving the earth and leading by example

For an organisation whose guiding purpose centres on conservation and protecting wildlife, reducing paper-based processes is vital to its company mission and values. That’s another reason WWF Malaysia was keen to use DocuSign and save tonnes of paper each year.

“A digital solution was the most cost-efficient way for us to work smarter and improve our conservation efforts,” she says. “But it also helped us reduce paper use, ensuring those efforts weren’t unintentionally contributing to some of the problems we’re trying to solve.”

By digitising more of its processes, WWF is leading by example and demonstrating how organisations can take an approach that’s greener and more efficient.

Partnering with DocuSign has helped WWF Malaysia cut costs, improve employee experiences and more efficiently realise its own purpose. So how can DocuSign benefit your organisation? Contact our sales team to discuss how we can help.