NonProfit Accounting Made Easy with These 7 Platforms
Matthew, one of Jesus first apostles, was a tax collector. Besides becoming one of the most influential disciples in the New Testament, he no doubt had lots of practical financial management advice for the church. He may not have had future church and nonprofit accounting in mind, but he knew what he was talking about.
Reading through the Book of Matthew, observe how he wrote a lot on giving, recording the Lord’s conversations, specific sermons covering giving, and Jesus’ advice to His followers. Thousands of years later, we can still apply key Biblical foundations of faith when it comes to managing our churches and their finances.
But to reach your mission goals, you must have a way to stay accountable. You must be honest and transparent with your donors, while making the flow of donations do their job of serving your mission.
What You should Know When Choosing a Non-Profit Accounting Platform
There are many non-profit accounting platforms which allow you to manage and even automate your church finances. Here is a guide for a few key platform which many pastors and church leaders have found useful. The key questions you should ask when choosing the perfect accounting software are:
- How reliable is the support system?
- What are the specialized features available?
- How secure is this accounting system?
- Is the software easy for my team to learn?
- Is the system updated regularly and easily?
Below is a list of a few Accounting Platforms we encourage you to check out and compare:
1. Accounts
This Windows-based software was designed specifically for small nonprofit organizations. With basic bookkeeping and automated fund accounting, it is easy to Get started More great features include:
- Income tracking
- Expense tracking
- Fund balance tracking
- Check Printing
- Data backup
There is a 60-day free trial, and then a Premium starting at $130 for the first year. Support is ongoing with renewable subscription fees.
2. Aplos
Your customized subscription to Aplos includes many basic features, with access to more when you pay into the subscription. They offer feature configurations available by the type of organization. i.e.: separate configurations for churches, accountants, or non-profits. With Aplos, you get the following:
- Donor database
- A platform to fundraise
- Donor portal
- Donation growth tools
- Receipts and financial statements
- Event registration and ticket sales
There is a 15-day free trial, then have a choice to upgrade for their payroll and bookkeeping services. Suscriptions for the basic features start at just $49 per month, then $199 per month for up to 10 users.
3. Araize FastFund Accounting
This software is unique because it was specifically designed for nonprofits by CPAs. With free or paid online training modules, plus training webinars, it is a great platform for getting your team up to speed. The standard version of the online software includes:
- Cash disbursements and reciepts
- Check printing
- Bank reconciliations
- Financial Statements and budgeting
You start at a 30-day free trial, then when you upgrade to their premium version at $85 per month, you get accounts receivable, accounts payable, and cost allocations, plus ongoing support.
4. Blackbaud
This platform is ideal if you have multiple departments in your church or non-profit. They offer a free demo, which will show you their Nonprofit General Ledger. This structure enables reporting by project or grants. While it is more suitable for large organizations, it can also be integrated with Blackbaud other products such as Raiser’s Edge. Of course, the bigger your organization, the more security you will need. Blackbaud offers control tools preventing fraud and ensuring the best online security.
5. Breeze + QuickBooks
Starting at just $20/month, then a single price of $50/month, Breeze is another time-tested web-based church management software option. It allows you to:
- store and search data
- group communications
- donation tracking
- Direct imports to your Quickbooks account
Like all good platforms, they are known for their great support, and the direct import to Quickbooks comes at no extra cost.
6. Nonprofit Plus
Larger nonprofits may need more specialized services, so Nonprofit Plus is a good choice. They offer:
- fund accounting
- board management
- software development
- project management
- consulting
We recommend their online solutions for any enterprise-level nonprofits.
7. Zoho Books + Nonprofit Add-Ons
Sometimes, all you want is easy access to your dashboard, and free add-ons with minimal stress. Zoho Books, an online accounting software for small businesses, offers a two-week trial, then charges only $120/year plus the free-of-charge add-ons. free nonprofit add-ons that help you to:
- manage expenses
- create and send invoices
- track inventory
- generate reports
- access the dashboard from your iOS, Android or Windows device.
While this platform wasn’t made to target nonprofits, it still offers modules designed for outreach: Donor Management and Volunteer Portal.
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When you need Giving and Donor Management software to empower your church, any of the above platforms are good options. We also invite you to look at the software we provide at Donerwerx, built to help you reach your mission goals by increasing both new and recurring funds.
Take a look at our different feature offers, or schedule a Discovery Call. In just 30 minutes, we craft personalized strategies to increase giving to your non-profit by just 10% in the next 180 days.
To find out more about our projects and programs for training your church leaders, and managing your finances better, please see our updated blog posts and articles. Get key insights, a Biblical foundation for your financial strategies, and accounting specialists to help you help others in greater, more efficient way.
Want to get inspired for your next mission? Here is a reminder from the Book of Malachi, Chapter 3, Verse 10:
Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. And thereby put me to the test, says the Lord of hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.
