Nonprofit Financial Management Whitepapers

7 Key Factors in Grant Management, Control and Visibility

In the nonprofit world, it has never been more important for organizations to achieve maximum efficiency in the way you organize and manage grants, track and report expenditures, and make the most of every dollar you spend to achieve whatever mission you serve. With these seven practices your organization can operate confidently not only in directly carrying out your mission, but with abundant clarity and visibility so that you know – at any given moment – that you’re on budget, in complete compliance, and reporting as you need to.

Smart Stewardship in a Rapidly Changing World

By Peter Brinckerhoff, award-winning author, trainer, consultant, and expert on nonprofit management.

"...in the nonprofit world, we need to be smart stewards. We need to be able to find the best path for our organization and get the most mission out the door every single day. To do that, we have to consistently make the best decisions for our mission, our nonprofit and, ultimately, the people we serve."

5 Key Reasons Why Great Financial Management is So Important for Your Nonprofit Now

By Peter Brinckerhoff, award-winning author, trainer, consultant, and expert on nonprofit management.

"Why should you be concerned about the quality of your financial reporting system in the midst of a once in 70 year recession? Let’s drill down a bit and investigate five key reasons."

Achieving Financial Transparency for Dioceses

For all organizations in the nonprofit sector, financial transparency is synonymous with survival. Dependence on donors necessitates an ongoing demonstration of where money is spent and how funded activities and programs fulfill defined mission statements. While Catholic dioceses are not required by law to be transparent and accountable, there is a definite shift towards the production of financial reports that provide a complete picture of the financial health of the entire diocese from the bishop’s and archbishop’s office down to the parishioner donor level.

Decentralized Deployment Technical White Paper

This document provides a technical overview for deploying Serenic Navigator into multiple countries and locations using both localized functionality and multiple language sets. Powered by Microsoft Dynamics NAV, Serenic Navigator is specifically designed to meet the needs of NonProfits and NGOs. This document provides an overview of how to setup and maintain a decentralized solution so that it will evolve as network speed, stability and reliability become more consistent worldwide.

Gantt vs. Grant - A Grant Manager’s Guide to Selecting the Right Software

By Geni Whitehouse, Even a Nerd Can be Heard

It’s a wonder more grant managers aren’t paranoid. They’ve got not only Big Brother watching their every move, but they also have to answer to his Sister Sarah at the AIP (American Institute of Philanthropy), Aunt Edna, who serves on their board, and of course, Uncle Sam. They have to track every expenditure down to the lowest level, slice and dice information in a myriad number of ways, and then manage to create a riveting narrative that tells the story of what they’ve been able to accomplish. In any given day, a grant manager might be dealing with government agencies, private foundations, and charitable organizations, each of whom impose their own set of rules, reporting, and compliance burdens. So how can we expect them to get by with software that kind of/sort of meets their needs?

Missions on the Move - How the Right Technology Can Keep Global Organizations Connected

By Geni Whitehouse, Even a Nerd Can be Heard

It is hard enough to communicate with team members across the room, but many of today’s NGO’s and multi-national non-profits must stay connected with people around the world. They often cross geographical, cultural, and political boundaries to reach those in need. They manage people who speak different languages, manage funds in multiple currencies, and manage applications on diverse technical platforms. As they spread their cause globally, these organizations encounter hurdles and difficulties of every sort in an environment of increasing government oversight and shrinking budgets.

Power to the People Who Power NonProfits - Cloud Computing for NonProfits

By Geni Whitehouse, Even a Nerd Can be Heard

The days of limited access are gone. Savvy accounting software vendors are harnessing new technology to make powerful solutions available to the masses. This movement is called cloud computing. By harnessing the cloud and deploying their solutions online, these vendors have made their solutions accessible to non-profit organizations everywhere, regardless of size, infrastructure, or budget. Once an organization goes “to the cloud” for its accounting solution, the vendor assumes the costs of IT administration and delivers the solution via a subscription model. Thanks to the cloud, more non-profit organizations can take advantage of the rich features and intelligent design of solutions like Serenic Navigator.

Professional Guide to Evaluating and Selecting Not-for-Profit Accounting Systems

By J. Carlton Collins, ASA Research

"The purpose of this report is to help you evaluate and select an appropriate not-for-profit accounting system to meet the current and anticipated future needs of your organization. ASA Research has a twenty year track record of publishing the most comprehensive independent reports and papers on this subject in the industry."

Social Services

Social Services organizations are constantly challenged to provide greater assistance to their constituents with limited personnel and financial resources. Increased pressures from funding sources to account for the effectiveness of each dollar spent on service versus administrative costs requires your accounting, grant administration and project, program and case management staff to have more effective, integrated and reliable financial and operational software. This whitepaper addresses the key issues facing social services organizations and provides practical guidelines to assist financial, operational and information technology leaders in solving issues and meeting sophisticated requirements, while establishing a solid technology foundation to resolve future challenges.