Many government and public sector agencies struggle with outdated or siloed systems. Even the federal government isn’t immune to dealing with aging systems. The GAO flagged aging systems in many government agencies, including the Small Business Administration and the Department of Defense, that are between 20 and 59 years old!

Such systems are no longer merely inefficient; they’re expensive to maintain, and the more they age, the harder they are to update and expand with the latest technologies to improve service and interoperability. Aging systems aren’t set up for modern improvement like AI efficiency enhancements, and few work together seamlessly

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The Hidden Costs of Outdated Systems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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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