Most things in this world have limitations, especially free ones. Using free software for any specific purpose in a non-profit organisation may be great at first, since the inflow of cash is always limited. However, as things start to grow thick and fast, the shortcomings of these software are open for all to see.
It goes without saying, once the non-profit business takes off in popularity and you have a very high number of donors and supports, the task of managing the NPO would just be denser. The rapid growth of the NPO would make it next to impossible for you to sustain with the free tools.
This is where the dedicated accounting software for non-profit organisations come into the picture. They offer a set of comprehensive features that are structured to keep a track of the bulging accounts. These paid tools have negligible limitations and even offer better customer support.
What do you need to have in non-profit accounting software?
Non-profit accounting software is a lot different from the accounting software used in businesses. They are configured and structured to take care of specific requirements of NPOs, like:
- Donor management
- Activity tracking
- Purchasing and receiving
- Collections
It goes without saying that free software for NPOs would be limited to a few features and miss out on maximum core necessities.
Table of Contents
Top non-profit accounting software for your NPO
| Name | Donor Management | Fund Accounting | Fund-raising tool |
Asset management |
| Aplos | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intacct | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NonProfitPlus Accounting Suite | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Financial Edge by Blackbaud | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Intuit QuickBooks | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Xero for Nonprofits | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
1. Aplos
Aplos is probably one of the best non-profit accounting software and is tailor-made with all the features you would ever need to handle your flourishing NPO. It is designed with a fund-raiser tool that can attract donors too. However, besides just that, there are hosts of features.
It has a non-profit CRM that automates everything. The key features of Aplos include Donor management, Fund accounting, Online donations, Fund-raising, Event registration etc.
Aplos can be tried for free and the pricing isn’t very steep. All of the plans have all the features included but the package depends on the number of users and contacts.
2. Intacct
Intacct is a comprehensive accounting software for non-profits and is the perfect financial solution. It can be used for any kind of NPO, including churches and faith-based institutions, healthcare organisations, educational centres, etc. It can bring the complexities of the management down to simple with its multiples entries on transactions and activities, multiple currencies, grants and donors.
Intacct has very tight internal controls and CRM for efficient cash management by allowing the users to set budgets for events, campaigns and even funders. Such cash and asset management is best for the achievement of a granular level of accuracy and management. All of this is made possible with tight central control and distributed responsibilities.
3. NonProfitPlus Accounting Suite
NonProfitPlus Accounting Suite is a part of the developer’s massive fleet of accounting tools. The user interface is not very appealing visually, but the functions are very clear and easy to manoeuvre. However, the only thing that you might not like about this tool is that it does not offer a free trial.
The fund management is very dynamic with the NonProfitPlus Accounting Suite. Features include Fund accounting, Grant management, Board management etc.
Since non-profits seek accountability more than profitability, the fund management brings a balance in the maintenance of accounting integrity and comes with such reports out of the box. Unlike most other non-profit accounting tools, this one allows unlimited users, which means you can have as many volunteers at no additional cost.
4. Financial Edge by Blackbaud
Financial Edge is a cloud-based non-profit accounting software. It has all of the general features that you would normally need from an accounting tool. Some of the inclusives in the comprehensive list is Partnership accounting, Activity tracking, Asset management, Budget forecast etc.
Just a word of caution, Financial Edge lacks the payroll feature. However, payroll is often not considered to be a core function of the scheme of things of an NPO. It does come with a free trial, which you can make use of before finalising it.
5. Intuit QuickBooks
Intuit QuickBooks is the perfect accounting tool both for new as well as flourished non-profit organisations. It is very easy to learn and lets the users automate funds. It even helps in fund-raising as it accepts donations from all mediums, including credit and debit cards, bank transfer, cheques, etc. The authorised volunteers can record the donations on their smartphones as well for easy access.
Intuit QuickBooks offers its users with the payroll feature too, something that is missing in most of the non-profit accounting tools. It can be had for a free trial, post which, the package pricing is extremely budget-friendly, thereby making it a great option for new NPOs.
Conclusion
Scaling in any institute that involves financing is important. The free accounting tools that beginners use will always reach a point where it is not very bankable anymore or has reached a saturation point. And this is where the paid accounting tools for NPOs come into the picture.
Intuit QuickBooks can be termed as one of the best in the business as it offers the payroll function, something that the others miss out on.
However, Aplos and Intacct are the most comprehensive tried-and-tested accounting tools for NPOs and are tailor-made to be so. NonProfitPlus Accounting Suite could be the numero uno choice if it offered a free trial for the prospective buyers, which seems to be the only downside it has.
downside it has.
