Top Free Nonprofit Accounting Software

Nonprofit accounting software can be a vital tool in helping nonprofits easily and accurately keep track of financial data. Nonprofit accounting software is a valuable addition to any nonprofit organization looking to meet the stringent accounting standards that nonprofits are tasked with upholding. In addition to easing difficulties in meeting nonprofit accounting regulations, these solutions create more transparency within an organization, and the financial insight they provide can help leaders craft organizational strategy. Nonprofit accounting solutions are tailor-made for the not-for-profit sector, and contain a variety of features designed to ease the difficulties associated with reporting, accounting, and auditing in the sector.

Nonprofit accounting software provides users with a host of potential benefits. While free accounting solutions may suffice in the early days of your venture, as donations grow and operations become more complex, a solution is needed that can handle the volume and complexity of increased revenue streams. Nonprofit accounting standards differ significantly from those in the for-profit sector. The revenue stream for nonprofits is diverse, and there are strict rules governing the use of revenue for specific things. For example, a grant given to a nonprofit must be used only for the purposes explicitly stated in the contract. There is also no equity in a nonprofit organization, and reports are used to track the amount of revenue versus the amount of expenditures, as opposed to net income as in a for-profit enterprise.

A dedicated fund accounting solution allows you to meet the multiple Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) requirements that govern reporting requirements for nonprofit organizations. Nonprofit financial management is a tall order for any organization, and accounting software for nonprofit organizations can ease the burden placed on the finance department to properly manage that aspect of operations.

Increase Transparency – By using nonprofit accounting solutions, your organization can increase the transparency of its operations. Employees and donors are able to see a breakdown of your organization’s spending and how efficiently money is being used. Donors are concerned with how their dollars are being put to use; implementing a nonprofit accounting solution represents a good faith effort to peel back the layers obscuring your organization’s finances and solidify public trust.

Consolidate Information – Excel spreadsheets may be an adequate accounting solution in the early stages of growth, but as you grow and collect information from dozens of sources, it can get cluttered. Nonprofit accounting solutions were created for this exact reason. Instead of housing your information in disparate files and possibly in different systems, nonprofit accounting software offers a single place in which to input and keep your data. While this may seem like a simple difference, it can save your finance team time that would otherwise be wasted on collecting information from different sources.

Manage Multiple Revenue Streams – One of the most difficult aspects of managing the finances of a nonprofit is handling a multitude of different revenue streams. As a nonprofit, you may get revenue from membership dues, donations, grants, program revenues, and investment income. Nonprofit accounting software contains dedicated tools designed to deal with these multiple revenue streams efficiently.

Maintain Compliance – A huge benefit to implementing a nonprofit accounting solution is the assurance that your organization will be able to easily maintain compliance with all not-for-profit accounting standards. In case of an audit or a public inquiry into the use of your organization’s funds, you’ll have the correct records to assuage any doubts as to the proper use of organizational funds.

Drive Strategic Organizational Planning – Accounting may not be as glamorous as the marketing department within your organization, but the insights gleaned from accurate and comprehensive data collection and reporting can be just as valuable in shaping your organizational strategy. A concrete understanding of your organization’s financial reality is key to planning out the future of your organization. You can budget more accurately, take inventory of precisely where your revenue streams are coming from, and craft a strategy built around data.

Improve Efficiency and Efficacy – The ultimate goal of any software is to improve the efficiency and efficacy of the department in which it is being implemented. Nonprofit accounting software is no different. Accountants no longer have to scrounge around and sift through the digital file cabinets to locate the documents they need. Nonprofits often need to track multiple contribution types (dues, events, planned giving, bequests, and more) over different reporting periods, programs, and projects. Nonprofit accounting solutions are able to sort and sift these different contribution types and ultimately improve the efficiency with which staff accountants are able to deal with them.

Everyone within a nonprofit organization should have access to the nonprofit accounting solution for transparency’s sake. There are a few roles within the organization, however, with more cause for heavy utilization of the software. Let’s take a deeper look at which roles within these organizations have the highest use for solutions in this category.

Chief Financial Officer (CFO) – Nonprofit CFOs are tasked with a variety of responsibilities. In the not-for-profit sector, they are obviously not responsible for generating profit. The scope of the CFO’s duties will depend on the specific organization and revenue streams, but a large portion of what they do is make sure the accounting within the firm is solid. They can use nonprofit accounting solutions to inform financial decisions and ultimately the overall business strategy.

Accounting Staff – As the group with the most daily interaction with nonprofit accounting solutions, accounting staff are tasked with covering the daily accounting functions. Nonprofit accounting software makes tracking contributions, reporting, and auditing easier for this group of employees.