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May 2015 • www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com 9 NONPROFIT ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE Reviews BEST FIT MIP Fund Accounting is a good ft for mid-sized nonproft organiza- tions and government entities that have a need for comprehensive fund management and customiza- tion capability. STRENGTHS • Available in both on-premise or hosted – cloud based version • Te Abila App makes it easy to access the system from any where using a mobile device • Unbeatable selection of modules available • E x ten s i ve f u nd m a n a gement capability POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • P r o d u c t c a n b e e x p e n s i v e depending on modules needed and number of users SUMMARY & PRICING Pricing for the product varies, with Abila providing quotes to potential user s based on the number of modules and users needed. Online access to the product is also avail- able, with pricing available upon request. MI P of fer s nonprof it organizations an extremely fexible system that users can customize and add on to at their own pace. For those managing multiple funds, MIP Fund Accounting may be hard to beat. www.Abila.com BEST FIT Designed for smaller nonprofits with annual revenues of less than $500,000, Aplos Fund Accounting ofers users a cloud-based platform, easy system navigation, and a brand new Donor R elations module, making it easy to manage donor activity. STRENGTHS • Conveniently cloud-based pro- vides easy access from any where • System can be up and running quickly • A fordable, with product support i nc lude d i n t he s ubsc r ipt ion price • Completely integrated system POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS • Limited reporting and custom- ization capability ofered • Nonprof its could outgrow the system SUMMARY & PRICING Designed for smaller nonprofits with revenues less than $500,000 annually, Aplos provides users with a n ea s y to u s e, ea s y to s e t u p product that they can have up and running in hours rather than weeks. Affordable for even the smallest nonproft, Aplos Fund Accounting starts at $15.00 per month for a single user, or $25.00 for unlimited users. The Donor Management module starts at $15.00 per month. www.Aplos.com Abila - MIP Fund Accounting Aplos Fund Accounting Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12068685 Read the full review and see expanded ratings for this product online at: www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/12068327 5 4.5 2015 OVERALL RATING 2015 OVERALL RATING Blackbaud Offers New Cloud-Based Financial Edge NXT for Nonprofts The Financial Edge NXT, from Blackbaud, is the next generation of sofware designed for nonproft organiza- tions. Due out in July of this year, Te Financial Edge NXT is a cloud-based fnancial management solution for nonprofts, which will ofer the same extensive list of modules currently available in the on-premise and hosted solution of Te Financial Edge, but will be available using cloud technology. At this time, the product is in early release, with limited release ofered in June. Te product is due to be released to the general public on or around July 1, 2015. While the current hosted product ofers easy navigation, Te Financial Edge NXT ofers users an enhanced interface that's highly intuitive. With the new design, users can access all data from a single interface screen that uses tiles; replacing the tabs that are used in pre- vious versions of the system. Users can simply scroll down to a particular tile in order to access information as needed. Once the user signs into the system, a 'What's New' feature will pop up, informing the user about any updates, upgrades, or additional modules that are currently available. Clicking on the Help function will bring the user directly to the Financial Edge website, where they'll have access to product support options, user forums, the Financial Edge Knowledgebase, and updates/enhancements. Blackbaud expects Te Financial Edge NXT to ofer the same modules, features, and functionality currently found in the on- premise or hosted version of the product. Modules currently available include GL, AR, Accounting Forms, Accounting Queue, Advanced Budget Management, Advanced Security, Allocation Management, Cash Management, Cash Receipts, Consolidation Management, CounterPoint, Web Purchasing, Web Invoicing, Fixed Assets, Paper Save, Payroll, Point of Sale, Project, Grant & Endow- ment Management, Purchase Orders, Visual Basic for Applications, Application Program- ming Interface, Student Billing, School Store Manager, Electronic Funds Transfer, and F9 Financial Reporter. For those that need a separate fundraising module, Te Raiser's Edge NXT will also be available via the cloud at the same time as Te Financial Edge NXT, also scheduled for a July, 2015 release date. Integration with eTapestry, a fundraising application designed for smaller nonproft organizations, will be available as well. As with the current versions available, users will be able to choose the modules they wish to purchase and add others at a later date. Both Te Financial Edge NXT and Te Raiser's Edge NXT will be accessible using a variety of devices including tablets and smart phones. One great feature built into the NXT products is the automatic confguration of data, depending on the device used. No more scrolling over to read full screens if using a smart phone – the system will automatically reconfgure the user interface to ft the screen of the device used. Data entry screens are intuitive, with users able to look up data while entering informa- tion. Options to view additional data are available in all data entry screens, so someone entering a vendor invoice can choose to look up previous invoices paid to that vendor, while also processing a new invoice. Call out options also populate various program areas, and serve to notify users that an action is needed, such as a past due pay- ment needs to be processed, or an invoice entered will exceed budget totals. Te product is highly customizable, and allows users to arrange boxes and tiles to suit their needs. Reporting options have also been given an upgrade, with users able to drill down to originating data from any fnancial report. Over standard reports are available in the system, with all reports able to be fully cus- tomized as needed. Financial Edge NXT ofers easy export functionality to Excel, with users able to export the reports with a single mouse click. Management tools such as dashboards and the visual chart organizer will provide non- proft managers with the tools they need to stay on top of their organization's fnancial health. For those already using Te Financial Edge, migrating to Financial Edge NXT is painless, with a conversion-free migration. Integration between Te Financial Edge NXT, Te Raiser's Edge NXT and all other Black- baud products is seamless, and because the product will ultimately have an Open API, easy integration with other third party applications will be seamless as well. While pricing for Te Financial Edge NXT and Te Raiser's Edge NXT are not yet available, there will be various subscription packages available including the Starter pack, the Essentials Pack, and the Pro Pack. Users will also be able to pick and choose the modules they need. So pricing will be very dependent on the needs of the organization. Over the past decade, Te Financial Edge has found a home at many mid to large sized nonprofts. With the reduced cost of using Financial Edge NXT (no dedicated IT per- sonnel or server needed) smaller nonprofts may find the flexibility, scalability, and accessibility of this product hard to beat.