As you consider various nonprofit and government accounting software choices, an important yet often overlooked consideration is the reseller with whom you choose to work. Resellers are the matchmakers of the technology world, working with end users like you and companies like AccuFund to ensure a perfect long-term fit. Resellers support optimization, drive ongoing innovation, and help customers adapt to changing needs. A good reseller is an excellent listener, problem solver, and industry expert who understands the daily challenges that government and nonprofit accounting software solves.

In this article, we’ll share more information on the vital role that resellers play

Many municipalities, counties, water districts, and other special districts, are realizing their utility billing systems are no longer keeping pace. Rather than streamlining invoicing and payment tracking, these systems have become significant bottlenecks. Traditional billing processes, often pieced together from disparate systems, create inefficiencies that permeate every aspect of municipal financial management.

The Hidden Costs of Outdated Systems

Often, the problem starts with fragmented fund accounting. Perhaps the city and water funds operate separately. If this is the case, you’ll lose crucial financial oversight. Many finance directors struggle to reconcile accounts across multiple systems. Maintaining proper audit trails can be

Welcome to our two-part series on GASB 103: Financial Model Improvements. In our first article, we provided an overview of it with an emphasis on its impact on budgetary comparisons. In this article, we’ll look at the changes to proprietary fund reporting.

But first, if you are new to GASB 103, here’s an overview of the Statement.

What Is GASB 103?

Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 103 (GASB 103) is a new Statement issued to address financial reporting model improvements. It was issued in April 2024 and takes effect for fiscal years beginning June 15, 2025. Local

Welcome to our two-part series examining GASB 103 and its impact on local governments. In this first article, we’ll review GASB 103, and then examine its role in budgetary comparison. In the second article, we will continue to dig into GASB 103 with a focus on proprietary funds.

GASB 103 Overview

Governmental Accounting Standards Board Statement No. 103 (GASB 103) focuses on improving the financial reporting model. Issued in April 2024, it aims to enhance the effectiveness of financial reporting by refining key components that help with decision-making and accountability.

This update includes several major points:

• Management’s Discussion

Municipal accounting software is designed to help local governments manage their financial operations. It streamlines budgeting, payroll, billing, and financial reporting, ensuring accuracy and efficiency.

Unlike small business accounting packages, this software is tailored to meet municipalities, counties, and towns' unique needs, helping them maintain transparency and compliance with regulations. Automating routine tasks allows municipal staff to focus on more strategic activities and better serve their communities.

Why Consider Specialized Municipality Accounting Software?

Specialized Municipal accounting software tailors its features to the unique needs of local governments, including budgeting, fund accounting, and compliance with government regulations. Look for government-specific

Welcome to Part 3 of our three-part series on nonprofit budgeting basics.

In Part 1, we discussed general budgeting basics, including the most common approaches or types of budgets for nonprofit organizations and how to set financial goals. Part 2 continued the discussion of nonprofit budget types and explored several specific types of budgets and when to use them.

Part 3 continues this discussion of best practices, including what-if scenarios, an excellent way to think through various aspects of the budgeting process. Let's dive right into budget forecasting and its impacts on the budgeting process.

Best Practices for Budget

Welcome back to our three-part article series on nonprofit budgeting basics. In Part 1, we shared three basic budgeting types common to nonprofits: operating, program, and grant budgets. In this article, Part 2, we’ll explore four additional budget types. In Part 3 we will discuss budget forecasting.

Four Additional Nonprofit Budget Types to Know

Now that you’ve gained a basic understanding of operating, program, and grant budgets, let’s look at four more commonly used nonprofit budget types. These include:

1. Cash Flow
2. Capital
3. Fundraising
4. Special Events

Cash Flow Budgets

Cash flow budgets track the inflows and

Nonprofit budgeting is a critical activity that involves more than establishing financial spending limits for the new fiscal year. It can be part of an exercise led by accounting that helps department managers think through and prioritize plans for the year.

Analyzing budget history, reviewing what-if scenarios, and estimating revenues and expenses helps everyone consider all aspects of proposed activities and better plan for the new fiscal year.

In this first of a three-part article series, we’ll discuss budgeting basics: types of budgets, with an emphasis on the three most popular types of budgets for nonprofits. In Part 2, we

Accounts Payable (AP) automation leverages technology to simplify and automate the accounts payable process. By eliminating manual data entry and minimizing human errors, this technology enhances efficiency and accuracy. It helps governments become more efficient. It can also be a valuable tool to spot fraud and waste. Adding AP automation to your government accounting system cost-effectively accomplishes several goals simultaneously, making it an intelligent choice for governments on a tight budget.

Five Big Benefits of AP Automation for Government Entities

While AP automation may be found in typical business accounting programs and nonprofit accounting systems, it is being added to

Organizations gain many benefits from working with a reseller. AccuFund’s resellers are an integral part of our customers’ success. Our reseller community helps customers identify the best fund accounting system for their needs. Then, they provide important services including implementation, training, and ongoing support.

“AccuFund works closely with its Resellers and customers to continue enhancing the solutions they rely on,” explains Ian Scotland, General Manager and Vice President of AccuFund. “We continually evolve with technology advancements, expanded integrations, and cutting-edge solutions, and our Value-Added Resellers continue providing superior implementation, training, support, service, and products to enable customers to continue servicing

Accounts Payable (AP) automation refers to the use of technology to streamline and automate the accounts payable process. From start to finish, this technology eliminates the need for manual data entry and reduces the risk of human errors, making the process more efficient and accurate. It adds to organizational efficiency and enables faster, easier accounting.

The Benefits of AP Automation

One of the main benefits of AP automation is efficiency. It saves a great deal of time as invoices are processed faster and with fewer delays. It also enhances visibility and control over financial data, providing real-time insights and comprehensive

In the realm of governmental financial management, specialized accounting software is essential.

Unlike businesses, governmental entities must operate within stringent regulatory frameworks, necessitating meticulous adherence to standards and transparency in financial reporting. Added to these parameters are the unique complexities of government and municipality accounting, such as tracking taxes, utility bills, license fees, and more.

Having the right government accounting software makes these tasks easier and more efficient.

Understanding Governmental Accounting Requirements

Governmental accounting is vastly different from standard business accounting142. Typically, governments adopt Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) to maintain consistency and comparability in financial reporting. Additionally, public sector-specific

Preparing accounting and financial records for year-end closing is a big task. Many steps must be taken to ensure an accurate year-end close. Much depends on the accuracy of the final numbers: budgets, forecasting, and public presentations.

For governments and municipalities using a government accounting system, there are a few additional steps to ready the software for the next fiscal year and ensure success in closing out the old. Ready? Let's get started with this step-by-step guide to government year-end fiscal closing.

1. Establish the Closing Period

As part of the fiscal year-end preparation, it is important to close

"Recently I attended #GFOA2024. I was sitting in a large conference breakout room with approximately 200 attendees and the session speaker asked, “How many of you are considering changing ERP systems in the next year?” I was amazed to see the hands raise around me and as I assessed the room, there had to be 80% who planned to make an ERP switch” – Ian Scotland, Vice President and General Manager, AccuFund.

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems aren’t new, but they are new to some people. These software platforms integrate multiple systems into one, providing exceptional 360-degree visibility into

Nonprofit ERPs are powerful systems that integrate various business functions into one unified platform.

Accounting software handles the financial side of the organization, but a nonprofit ERP provides a centralized database that facilitates data sharing and communication across different departments, improving efficiency, better decision-making, and enhanced collaboration.

Specifically, a nonprofit ERP streamlines and automates information and tasks related to accounting, human resources, sales, program management, donor relationship management, and grant management.

If you're new to nonprofit ERP software, let’s explore what these popular platforms offer and the benefits they provide. If your organization has outgrown its current system or

Many government and public sector agencies struggle with outdated or siloed systems. Such systems are no longer merely inefficient; they're frustrating for both employees and citizens trying to use them.Everyone interacts with modern systems and expects government systems to behave the same way as their favorite consumer platforms. Unfortunately, many governments lag when it comes to integrated systems, efficiencies, and modern platforms.

Government ERP, also called public sector ERP, offers a solution to this common problem. ERP stands for ‘enterprise resource planning’ system. In this ultimate guide to government and public sector ERPs, you’ll learn what ERPs are and

A Guide for Agencies, Nonprofits, and Governments

Shifting demographic and societal patterns are both contributing to an anticipated increase in the need for representative payee services. According to the Social Security Administration, the number of payee clients is expected to increase significantly. Of course, some of these clients will have family or friends care for them. But some will need a reliable and proficient representative payee service.

Is your organization or agency ready to serve them? We’ve put together the following overview to help you prepare for this anticipated increase. Now is the time to review your procedures, improve efficiencies,

In the realm of government operations, efficiency and transparency are top priorities. This holds true not only for government employees, but also for the constituents they serve. That's where the introduction of a web pay portal comes into play, revolutionizing financial management in the public sector. With this technological advancement, both government employees and constituents can experience a win-win.

By leveraging a fully integrated web pay portal – a key component of your accounting system -– government employees can streamline their financial tasks, easing the burden of administrative work and enabling them to focus on their core responsibilities. Payments are

As any professional will tell you, collaboration enhances the ability of each party to get more done. Separately, only so much can be accomplished, but together, greater things can be achieved. Examples abound of brands collaborating with other brands to enhance and amplify their success.

The same scenario plays out with your accounting system. Your current accounting system may be great at handling nonprofit accounting – but what about endowments?

Endowment accounting can be complex. AccuFund offers an Endowment Management System that can work with your existing accounting software to streamline the complexities of endowment accounting. Separately, each system is

What is government accounting software? How can it help you with government accounting basics?

Government accounting software is specifically designed with the financial, accounting, and reporting needs of municipalities, counties, townships, special districts, water districts, and other local government entities in mind. Such software differs considerably from general business accounting software. Most government accounting software is set up to handle the unique needs and regulatory requirements of local governments, which often have complex budgeting, accounting, and reporting structures in place.

Think of it like this: many software companies release specialized editions of their basic business packages for various industries. A

This past year may have been the breakthrough year for artificial intelligence (AI). It seems as if you couldn't turn on the news or visit your favorite website without stories breathlessly touting the latest AI innovation. While it may appear like AI is new, it's not entirely new; the technology behind the latest surge of AI-based products has been on the market for several years, quietly improving automation and saving nonprofits time, money, and resources.

According to a survey from Smartsheet, 40% of workers surveyed say that they spend at least a quarter of the work week on repetitive

As the year draws to a close, everyone's to-do list grows longer and longer. For the nonprofit accounting team, the to-do list includes year-end close.

It's a labor-intensive and all-encompassing process, but one that is vital for the financial health and success of a nonprofit organization. Ensuring you have the data you need in the correct format will help you deliver critical reports to stakeholders as required.

The following steps have withstood the test of time among many NPOs who have found them to save time and effort. Taking time now to prepare for your nonprofit’s year-end financial close will

Regarding budgeting basics, government entities have much in common with their corporate counterparts. One thing in common is the struggle for collaboration and communication on budgetary issues. Every organization, big or small, struggles to collaborate on budgetary issues and communicate pertinent information to make the budgeting process go more smoothly.

These techniques can enhance collaboration and communication while developing, refining, and approving budgets. If you're working on a budget for a government entity, these techniques can help you move from draft to approved, enhancing your ability to work with colleagues, ensuring essential budgetary items are included, and creating a productive

Building dashboards for your nonprofit is like baking a cake – you must have the right ingredients. But even the right ingredients can make a terrible cake if they aren’t combined in the right proportions.

A nonprofit dashboard varies according to the users’ needs. Some users need a deeper look into an organization’s finances. For them, the “ingredients” draw more from the accounting and financial side of the software than other data. For others, the final “cake” has to be shared with people outside of the organization, so the presentation is everything. Here’s how to make the ultimate nonprofit dashboard.

Like any good novel, a writer’s ability to integrate multiple storylines helps create an engaging and impactful experience for their audience. A great novel leaves you thinking about its story days, weeks, and months after you’ve finished.

The same holds true for nonprofit financial storytelling – with the weaving together of financial data/results/analysis from all departments, you can show a great story – the effectiveness and reach of your organization and its impact on your community.

The result?
Unite team members. Improve transparency. Secure more donors. Secure more grants. Attract skilled talent. Build Trust. Build Confidence. Build strong sense of

We’ve all sat through meetings with gritted teeth, thinking, “When will they get to the information that I need?”

Each of us views our work through our own unique lens. We go through our workdays with an automatic filter in place that screens information flowing in our environment for the nuggets specific to what we need to better do our jobs. That’s why it can be so frustrating when information comes at us that’s clearly not something we need. We have to spend time thinking, considering, discarding, or sending on that information to those who may need it, and that’s

If you're actively exploring cloud-based options for municipal government software, you’re in good company.

Nationwide, among both for-profit and nonprofit organizations, cloud software adoption has never been stronger. Estimates vary, but the most recent one suggests that 94% of enterprises use cloud-based products. That number is expected to increase, with fewer organizations relying upon site-based systems as the decade progresses.

As more and more local and municipal government software shifts to cloud-based solutions, what’s driving this change? And is cloud-based software the best choice for your local government accounting needs?

Benefits of Cloud Computing for Local Governments

More and

Although the research shows that nonprofits around the nation may still struggle, there’s also hope that nonprofits who can adapt and change, leveraging nonprofit software and unique communication and working methods, will see light at the end of the tunnel.

The Research: Effects on Various Sectors

The global pandemic disproportionately affected multiple sectors within the nonprofit world. Nonprofits that relied upon in-person events, such as tickets to live theater, music performances, and similar events found revenues down as local mandates forced them to close their venues. Other nonprofits, such as animal shelters and humane societies, found themselves welcoming many new

Modernization might sound like an unusual term when describing public service initiatives. But just like you might upgrade your kitchen or bathroom, local governments—including towns, cities, municipalities, Tribal Nations, water and special districts, and departments such as parks and recreation, fire, and utilities—need to modernize their systems too.

Local government accounting modernization is more than a facelift. It may mean finally getting rid of the outdated wallpaper, but it also means upgrading the structure behind the scenes – perhaps adding additional outlets in the kitchen that can handle more appliances or a water connection to the refrigerator area for a

When choosing public sector software, it’s vital to choose software that offers maximum security for sensitive data and systems.

The Department of Homeland Security requested a $2.6 billion cybersecurity budget for the fiscal year 2020-2021. The Federal Government is taking cybersecurity very seriously, and for good reason. This year alone, we've seen many bad actors. Over the past decade, we've seen systems containing defense contractors' information attacked, denial of service (DOS) attacks, and many other cyber threats against the federal government.

For local governments, the threat is just as real. Although you may think that your town or state

The best business ideas start with solving a problem. Twenty years ago, AccuFund had its beginnings in solving a business issue and grew into a software company focused on helping local governments and nonprofit organizations achieve their mission.

In 2001, AccuFund founder Gordon Holfelder and co-founder Peter Stam sensed a business opportunity printing checks for NASCAR race winners. At that time, businesses that wished to print their own checks needed not just unique software, but specialized printers and magnetic ink, too.

The duo came up with a system that incorporated all elements needed to print checks on the go and

If you are reading this blog article, like many other nonprofits, payroll management options are top of mind. As more and more nonprofits are moving towards managing payroll in-house, we wanted to compile our list of 7 Benefits of Managing Nonprofit Payroll In-House, to help you determine your priorities and next steps.

Before we dive into the day-to-day specific benefits of managing nonprofit payroll in-house, there are two big picture issues you will want to be mindful of:

• Be sure your payroll system understands your specific nonprofit needs, and
• Look for a payroll system that will continue to provide updates

From every corner of the world and including every community member, collectively, we are charged with operating under a new normal. Basic communication, friendly greetings, social interaction, making plans, helping others – everything we were accustomed to, is done differently now. With more caution, taking more precautions.

We are all trying to do our part in minimizing the spread of COVID-19, brought about by the novel coronavirus. Following reported safety measures to keep our friends, family, and community members safe during this challenging time is the least we can do.

The varying impact of this current health crisis has taken

As a nonprofit, you’re used to being on the front line helping your community members tackle the challenges they face every single day. From social services to arts and education to health and religion, you play a critical role in helping others. The positive impact you have on your community has the power to reach far beyond local geography, it is limitless.

But now, in the face of COVID-19, you feel its limits.

Everything seems to change, every single day. How do you keep track of all you need to do, normally, while having the resources to manage an ever-changing

Whether a donor advised fund, a CPA firm providing accounting services to endowments, or an organization with an endowment, if you rely heavily on spreadsheets, you may want to explore an endowment accounting solution.

Why?

Here are five ‘red flag’ reasons why relying on spreadsheets doesn’t add up to best practices for endowment management.

1. Not Transparent
Having your endowment records in a spreadsheet makes it impossible to fully share transaction history with donors and co-workers. A spreadsheet makes it impossible to drill down from a report or dashboard to the underlying records.

2. Not Unit or UPMIFA Friendly.

Driving Dashboard Development. Step-by-Step Guide to Generating Relevant Fundraising Dashboards.

What’s the first thing you do when you get into a new car? Adjust the seat, adjust the mirrors, check the gas gauge, set the radio channel (and volume). Once you’re confident it feels right, you look both ways and you’re off!

Just like driving a new car, the process for driving dashboard development takes some planning and initial adjustments to set you on a course for success.

And as every make/model car is different and every driver is different, so too is the need for driving dashboard development. How

By now you’ve probably heard about the changes coming with FASB ASU 2016-14.  The changes are significant and we’ve assembled a collection of resources to get you up to speed.

We have some concerns about what we’ve been hearing in the field:  responses to the question,  "How will you accomplish the new FASB ASU 2016-14 requirements?" 

There are four typical responses:  two of which are practical approaches, there’s one risky approach, and one troubling response.

Q:  How will you accomplish the new FASB ASU 2016-14 requirements?

Answer #1:  Use Excel Spreadsheets to Report

This is a risky course of action.

The deadlines for ASU 2016-14 are approaching.  Implementation of the standards will be disruptive – whether that disruption is minimal or acute will depend on how prepared you are and the capability of your nonprofit accounting solutions.

FASB ASU 2016-14: Here’s what’s changing for nonprofit organizations

Very simply put, the face or the presentation of your financials will be simplified.  Temporary and permanent restrictions will be combined into one column rather than being represented in two columns.  Enhanced disclosures should be relegated to the notes section of your financial statements.

For a more comprehensive treatment of the FASB ASU 2016-14

If you are currently evaluating nonprofit accounting software, chances are your old system is a legacy, on-premise, accounting solution. We define legacy as software that was developed prior to 2000 (Y2K). “On-premise” refers to where your software physically resides, for example, on a server in your organization’s office.

One of the things you probably have been tasked with, is looking at nonprofit cloud-based accounting solutions. There are many compelling reasons to consider a nonprofit cloud-based accounting solution (anytime, anywhere access; browser-based access; the ability to use PC or Mac or both; budget-friendly subscription pricing; and disruption-free upgrades to name

From fundamental ASU2016-14 FASB updates to company-specific software updates, equipping nonprofit organizations with the tools to improve reporting and financial management is top-of-mind for many, if not all, nonprofit executives and boards.

Personally speaking, when AccuFund makes enhancements to its products, you know 3 things for certain:

1. We are listening to our customers; what they need to help them improve the way they report, organize their data, work through their system, and overall manage their financials.
2. We are committed to the nonprofit and government marketplace we serve.
3. New enhancements set the stage for future enhancements.

With our

Never has there been a greater need for the services and support our nonprofits and local governments provide, in large cities and small towns, across the United States.

And at the same time, these nonprofits and local governments are challenged by the reality that funding is shrinking.

In order to persevere and continue providing for the communities they are charged with supporting, nonprofits and local governments need to maximize their technology, streamline their processes and provide their internal teams and stakeholders with the financial reporting needed to make informed decisions.

AccuFund is helping its customers meet this challenge head on

Many commercial accounting products have 2 elements - a natural account and a department - and this works fine for commercial entities.  In a nonprofit with multiple funding sources this quickly causes reporting issues.

We regularly work with nonprofits (NPOs) who use commercial accounting software and don’t understand why the software products designed specifically for NPOs offer more than 2 elements or dimensions in their account structures.

I was recently at a mid-sized NPO using a commercial product with two elements, a “Reporting Unit” (RU) and an object code or natural account element.  

So I asked them, what is

DUE DILIGENCE IN A RAPIDLY CHANGING NONPROFIT SOFTWARE MARKET

When organizations are closing in on the purchase of nonprofit accounting software, they generally take the time to call references.  Talking to other people who use the software is common and smart practice.  

People who are living with a solution – who rely on it each day to carry out their responsibilities – are in the very best position to give you great insight on strengths and weaknesses of a particular product.  We always encourage buyers to talk to other nonprofit and government organizations using AccuFund.

Product Due Diligence Isn’t

Part of AccuFund's Small Formulas – Big Impact Series: Donor Participation Ratings    

HOW ESTABLISHING DONOR HISTORICAL DATA CAN LEAD TO INCREASED GIVING.

Who are your frequent donors?
Who are your major donors this year?
Who is close to moving into these categories?
How much has any one donor given in their lifetime?

A total sum of giving helps create a better picture of your donor. It helps you gauge the strength of a donor’s relationship to your organization. But, how easily can you access that information?

By establishing predefined segments in your database, it makes life easier at

For fundraisers, knowing the appropriate amount to ask of a potential donor is half the battle (and arguably, the most important). Ask too little and you miss an opportunity. Ask too much and you risk scaring the donor away.

A little known and scarcely used tool in Salesforce helps guide the fundraising/development team in knowing the appropriate amount to ask.

When you talk with a donor, is your database customized to tell you what that next appropriate ask should be?

This blog post will walk you through, step by step, to automate the appropriate donation ask amount.

The two previous

When mapping the direction and strategy of your nonprofit, the ultimate goal is always mission fulfillment.  But are there habits and processes that need to change in order to see dramatic improvement?  

Are there change agents within the organization that have pointed to areas of deficiency who have been routinely told “not yet”?  Are there areas of the organization that are operating exactly as they did five years ago, ten years ago?  What about your accounting department?  Are they using the same processes and tools as they were years ago?  Is the only change the increased number of spreadsheets

In an earlier blog post, we showed you how to increase last year’s giving total for ALL your contacts by 10%. Oftentimes, this standardized increase will help you achieve a specific fundraising goal set by your team.

In some cases, you might have a select group of donors that you’d like to increase well above the standard, perhaps by 25%, 50%, or even more. This is common practice for organizations using moves management.  

In this blog post, we’ll teach you how to create a calculator out of your Salesforce account to calculate individualized giving goals.  We’ll use

The following article was originally featured on the Nonprofit PRO website, December 2016.

The impact of nonprofit organizations in changing lives and communities for the better can never be fully calculated.

The wonderful goodness of combining the resources of knowledge, ability, funding, and delivery of service, in order to accomplish good - optimal assistance and transformation - is something nonprofit employees, funders, donors, advocates and volunteers should be proud of.

It could be said that the whole is greater than the sum of parts when it comes to nonprofits and their function in society.  And, it could be said that

Sometimes it’s the little things in life that make all the difference.
A friendly smile, a warm, sunny day,
a Salesforce formula that generates immediate results.

Yes, a Salesforce formula.

As an example, let’s say your nonprofit is looking to raise 10% more than it did in the previous Calendar Year.
How can you quickly and easily capitalize on the tools Salesforce provides, and take your giving to the next level?

Salesforce’s NPSP roll-up capabilities provide us with a field that is the total amount an individual person gave in the previous CY, named: Total Gifts Last Year.  We'll take

I recently moderated a session at an association meeting “The Role of Internal Controls in Preventing Bank Fraud”.   The speakers included a Bank Examiner, a CPA and the CEO of a nonprofit agency.  They provided a nice balance of different points of views and resulted in a good discussion.

Internal and external vulnerabilities

One thing quickly became apparent, there are really two avenues for bank fraud, internal and external, and there are different activities or functions that a nonprofit should include to reduce the chance of fraud in their nonprofit.  All of these apply to government agencies as well. 

Thirty years ago the typical nonprofit relied on the paper memo to communicate with their employees, and letters or cards for their constituents.  Twenty years ago email began to appear at least for internal communication, and ten years ago instant communication came on the scene.

Now we have a plethora of options, social media- Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, SnapChat, Instagram and Google Hangouts, message systems like “What’s App”, stand-alone message boards, imbedded message systems and yes we still can use email and postal mail. 

The challenge for nonprofits is to match the appropriate communication media with the intent and importance of

Survey Says! Opportunities Abound for Organizations to Improve Endowment Management

AccuFund recently commissioned publisher Nonprofit PRO to survey its readers (nonprofit finance professionals and top organization management) to benchmark the methods used to manage endowment accounting.  With 272 endowment professionals responding, the vast majority of organizations (83%) manage endowments less than $100 million.

Opportunities Abound!

In spite of endowment management solutions available, only a small percentage of organizations (9.5%) are using one.  Rather, 35.5% are reliant on entry-level solutions requiring manual intervention and 55% are using an exorbitant system. The alarmingly high number of respondents (90.5%) using inefficient systems ultimately

We’re always looking for ways to make AccuFund easier for you to use – creating features that let you complete tasks fast and get to the information you need more quickly so that you can turn your attention to more important matters.

At our last user group meeting we shared 10 ways AccuFund can make routine tasks easier to execute.  What follows is a brief description. You may also download a handy tip sheet to have on hand for when you need to perform these tasks http://www.accufund.com/pdf15/10ThingsTipsheet.pdf .

10. Identifying signed on users.

Your license agreement designates a certain number

AccuFund primarily concerns itself with security and fraud prevention in its accounting products and takes that responsibility seriously.  Separation of duties, auditability and control are all considered in the design of the system.

If you are a senior financial person in your organization you may be expected to think more broadly about security and fraud including your website and the safety of website donations with credit card information.  One way to give your donors confidence is to include a “Security or Trust Seal” on your website.  The seals available from WebTrust, Symantec/Norton, Comodo and other sources provide a level of

Do you ever wish you could spend more time in Excel?  We didn't think so. 

What you don't need is another spreadsheet.  What you do need is a nonprofit systems that provides the reports your nonprofit or government organization needs. We hope you enjoy the video!

The good news is you have multiple grants funding your mission.  The bad news is tracking and reporting on grant budgets can make anyone’s head spin – especially if grants cover multiple fiscal years and you’re using spreadsheets for tracking and reporting for your nonprofit.

Difficulties creep in when trying to match the grant year reporting with your fiscal year reporting.  Or the anticipated spending was either accelerated or delayed.  Perhaps you hired staff based on the grant and those candidates were found and hired faster than you had anticipated.  Or participant enrollment was slower than anticipated.  These and many

To watch the video Click Here

To watch the video Click Here

When Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District replaced their accounting software system with AccuFund Online hosted solution, they immediately gained 750 hours a year time savings.  On average, Rancho Simi Recreation and Park District creates 125 purchase orders each month.  They estimate AccuFund Online saves them about a half hour for each one.  That's 62.5 hours saved each month, or 750 hours per year - that's over 18 weeks!

But that was only a start to the efficiencies gained from making the move to AccuFund Online, you can read the full story here.   

Rancho SimiRecreation and Park District

Your staff is on edge.  You’re exhausted and stressed.  The only thing you can think about is getting through month-end.  

If that sounds familiar, read on, because while it’s not unusual for us to come across nonprofit accountants who experience the professional equivalent of going under house arrest during period-end closes; it is completely unnecessary.

Painful closings are a symptom of inadequate accounting systems.  Inadequate systems make your life harder, not easier. 

Beyond the monthly pain inflicted by inadequate accounting systems, the time chewed up by closing activities delays critical fund information getting into the hands of your organization’s

It may not be at the top of your priority list but regular system reviews are key when it comes to ensuring that you are getting the most out of your investment.

Your financial systems are the bedrock of responsible stewardship and organizational transparency.  In addition, access to financial data when evaluating grants, applying for new grants, determining fundraising campaign effectiveness, tracking operational expenses, etc., is critical to serving your constituents now and in the future.

We recommend an annual system review.  Just as you budget and plan for each new year, it makes sense to evaluate how your accounting

Implementing best practices is the gift that keeps on giving.  Best practices incorporated into the workflow of your nonprofit system helps you work smarter and usually faster that makeshift manual activities.

When best practices are combined with automation and offer a significant savings in time and money – that’s the best possible scenario, and going paperless is an activity that delivers each of those benefits.

We saw such positive results with clients that we recently conducted a series of webcasts showcasing ways nonprofits could benefit from going paperless.  You can view a recording of the presentation here.

So what’s

AccuFund has been working for many years with some large non-profits and foundations that require endowment accounting capabilities.  Our Allocation Management module was developed for two specific purposes, allocating indirect costs for grant-funded organizations and nonprofits with endowments that need to allocate income and expenses to named funds.  Our first endowment client started using AccuFund in 2004 and they continue to use it successfully today. 

We have added a number of endowment organizations, both foundations and other nonprofits with endowments.  We decided that this should become a focused market for AccuFund.  We have an excellent solution for Foundations that includes

Nonprofits have more choices than they did a few years ago when it comes to operational software.  If you are shopping for new accounting software there’s a new consideration beyond features and functions:  is the best choice a cloud solution, a hosted solution or an on-premise solution?

• On-premise is the traditional method of housing your software.  You license a solution that is installed on a server that resides physically within your organization. 
• A hosted solution means that you license the software and it resides on a “host” server that resides in a facility operated by the hosting service company.
• A

Savvy donors want to make sure their gifts are being used properly and that the organizations they choose to champion are fiscally responsible and transparent.  GAAP compliance allows not only donors, but also creditors and other stakeholders, to view financial data in a format that is consistent from organization to organization.  

When it comes to GAAP Expense Rules, there are three things nonprofit organizations should be aware of when creating financial reports:

1. Expense should be reported as a decrease in unrestricted net assets
2. Expenses should be reported gross and not netted against revenue (investment expenses would be an exception)

Representative Payees are government agencies, nonprofit organizations or a relative or friend who is appointed by the Social Security Administration to handle the Social Security matters of beneficiaries who are not able to handle their own financial affairs.

The SSA defines the responsibilities of the Representative Payee as:

• Determining the beneficiary's total needs and using the benefits received in the best interests of the beneficiary.
• Maintaining a continuing awareness of the beneficiary's needs and condition, if the beneficiary does not live with the Representative Payee, by contact such as visiting the beneficiary and consultations with custodians.
• Applying

Cloud Computing is at the top of the list for almost all organizations looking for their next fund accounting and donor management and fundraising systems – and for good reason. Cloud computing is the most revolutionary technology development since application software (once only available for mainframe computers) became available for personal computers and landed on the desktops of end users.

There are several hugely compelling aspects to cloud computing – in many cases it comes with:

• a lower cost of ownership
• significantly faster implementation
• full feature sets
• hassle-free upgrades
• enhanced security, up time, and disaster recovery
• can be available anytime,

Your fundraising results are crucial to your mission. Development Directors that can put technology to work employing an easy-to-use and affordable fundraising system are going to see better results than those burdened with manual processes.

When looking for a new system there are two costs that go into your purchase – the cost of the software and the cost associated with implementing the software. AccuFund CRM software will require an implementation fee, but there is no cost for the software itself since it is available through the donated Enterprise Edition Licenses of the Force.com platform.

In addition to the savings,

Why should nonprofits be interested in cloud accounting?

There are significant savings to be enjoyed by emptying out your server room and putting the money you used to pay in maintenance and upgrades towards your mission.

The cloud, through economies of scale, offers state-of-the-art security, disaster recovery, and guaranteed uptime.

Budget-friendly subscription pricing combined with anytime, anywhere access gives your organization the agility it needs to focus on your mission in the most cost-effective way without sacrificing features or performance.

Why should nonprofits be interested in AccuFund?

We currently serve more than 1,000 clients and we special in accounting software

Would you like to decrease the amount of time an effort that goes into your period-end close? Would you like more reporting options? Or the ability to upload large numbers of contributions at one time?

Then you might want to take a closer look at AccuFund Accounting Suite.

We are proud to report that AccuFund Accounting Suite received five out five stars in the all categories reviewed by the CPA Practice Advisor including: Basic System Functions; Core NFP/Fund Accounting Capabilities; Management Features; Financial Statements & Reports; Integration/Import/Export; and Help/Support.

The article concluded that "AccuFund Accounting Suite for Nonprofits is an

I recently read with interest an article by Gene Marks about how to make your CRM installation a success.  One of his points I thought applied equally well to your accounting system and that was "Invest in a Administrator".  I have repeatedly seen this be the difference between failure and success in client installations.

Like the CRM system that Gene is talking about, you make a significant investment in your accounting solution and it is a critical part of your organization, be it governmental, nonprofit, tribal  or commercial for that matter.  Many managers expect that after the installation the software