Software survey: Nonprofit software in 2019
Summary
“Their current software might not be able to get specific enough regarding disbursements for grants in its reporting.” “Funding and all things related to funding are major issues,” according to Joan Benson, Sage Intacct’s director of nonprofit industry marketing. “Nonprofits are facing increased pressure for greater financial transparency to prove their fiscal responsibility with donated funds,” said Steve Heye, social impact business solutions manager at Oracle NetSuite. When you take it one step further by creating automation based on the data, you drive greater efficiencies in your outcomes to increase visibility, agility and control into the organization.” Social media and the internet are yet other places where technology can address some of the issues vendors brought up. The third advantage of the cloud for automation includes interfaces to banks, credit card providers and investment managers to speed reconciliation and automate payment.” Presenting data in an understandable form is another way software is evolving according to GMS’s Cassady: “Accounting software for today’s nonprofit organization needs to have the ability to generate reports and disseminate information to the ‘non-financial person.’ The average taxpayer that has less discretionary funds available for contributions is going to be more selective as to what organization receives their contribution. It is important that reports generated by an organization can get the message across to the prospective donor.” Finally, Blackbaud’s Marenakos made the point that nonprofit software is increasingly different from generic accounting applications.