2013 Review of Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting 2014

Strengths

• Affordably priced
• Excellent help functionality and training tools
• Easy to setup
• Solid Reporting options
• User-friendly interface

Potential Limitations

• Organizations can outgrow
• Limited nonprofit specific features

Basic System Functions: 4.75 Stars

Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting 2013 is easily installed, and will only work with Microsoft Windows operating system. Sage 50 is an easily navigated system. Upon installation, users can choose the industry they wish to utilize so that a related chart of accounts is installed with the system. To the left of the screen is a sidebar that contains all functional areas in the system including Business Status, Customers & Sales, Vendors & Payables, Inventory & Services, Employees & Payroll, Banking, and System.

Clicking on a functional area will display a workflow chart specific to the function chosen. Users can easily customize the user screen to save and display frequently used functions and favorites. While the screen can appear to be cluttered, users do have the option to display only the functions they need, and hide the rest. Users can utilize the navigational centers or use the drop-down menu bar the top of the screen to access system features.

Data entry screens in Sage 50 are easily navigated, and contain excellent look up options as well as tabs for related tasks. Sage 50 offers an excellent selection of third party applications that easily integrate with its core financial products. Sage offers excellent scalability in its products, where users can scale up from the Premium version up to the Quantum version, which can handle up to 40 system users.

Core NFP/Fund Accounting Capabilities: 4.25 Stars

Sage 50 Nonprofit users can choose to use a default chart of accounts or the United Way chart of accounts. Users can easily customize accounts as needed, using up to 15 characters and five segments in each account to create additional department, program, or fund tracking. Multiple transaction types are easily processed in Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting, including some new features, such as improved bank reconciliation, expanded currency field lengths, and Business Intelligence enhancements.

The Copy Transactions feature allows users to create a new transaction using data from a previously saved transaction. Users can enter recurring transactions as well as automatic reversals. Multiple budgets are easily created based on the number of departments and cost centers set up in the original chart of accounts. While there is no separate donor management function, donors can be tracked in Sage 50 as customers, with the ability to note donation levels and categorize them as such. Grant details can be tracked by setting up each grant as a specific segment.

Sage 50 contains excellent audit trail functionality, with the audit trail always operating, recording detail such as system user, transaction type, date, and transaction time. User security is strong, with managers able to assign system access and manage passwords. Sage 50 offers excellent e-features, including the ability accept and post payments electronically, and email invoices and statements directly from the user screen.

Sage 50 offers several program hosting options, making it easy to access the product remotely at all times. Easy integration with Sage Payments allows users to easily process credit card transactions using a smart phone, tablet device or a POS terminal. Payments can also be processed using any third-party merchant services provider.

Management Features: 4.25 Stars

Sage 50 offers Intelligence Reporting that makes it easy to track vital organization information, and the Business Status Center offers a quick look at business metrics, allowing users to drill down to originating documents. Users can also create custom graphs based on the data and can easily email the data as needed and can create “what-if” scenarios by entering various options in order to determine the best possible outcome. Solid system security allows management to assign system access down to the function level within each navigational center. Past due pledges or other AR data is easily tracked in Sage 50 Nonprofit, and easy integration with Microsoft Office Applications makes is easy to create follow up letters, reminders, and past due notices to donors and constituents. Users can create custom templates for thank you letters, follow up notices and reminders, and easily process mass donor mailings if desired.

Financial Statements & Reporting: 4.25 Stars

Sage 50 contains solid reporting capability, with users able to customize standard reports as needed. Multi-year reports can also be processed, with all reports containing drill down capability. Users can easily add logos, graphs, or other images to create professional reports, and can customize checks, invoices, statements, and letters as well. There are various nonprofit specific reports available in Sage 50 including Statement of Financial Position, and Statement of Revenues. Reports can be printed for each fund, cost center, or grant set up in the system, or printed as an organizational report when needed.

Reports are easily processed for each grant or program setup in Sage 50, with the ability to create custom financial statements for each grant or fund recorded in the system. Users can easily create multi-year reports as needed. The Sage 50 Intelligence Reporting Solution, using an Excel interface, provides additional report customization capability. Sage 50 also integrates with Crystal Reports for even more report customization. All reports can be exported to Excel, saved as a PDF, and emailed to recipients.

Integration & Import/Export: 4.75 Stars

Sage 50 offers users the ability to easily import or export data using ASCII format, with all files exported to a CSV file. Sage 50 also integrates with a long list of applications including debit and credit card processing, ACH processing, mobile payments, CRM, and various industry specific solutions. Accountants can easily access client files by accessing the system remotely as an authorized user.

Help/Support: 5 Stars

Sage 50, like all Sage products, contains excellent Help functionality throughout the system, as well as a long list of support tools designed to assist new users. Getting Started guides help new users setup the system, and numerous tutorials are available as well. Users also have quick access to the Sage 50 Knowledgebase, which contains FAQ’s and articles. Users can also access a very strong online community of users.

Sage offers training through Sage University, which offers a selection of online training options. Sage 50 offers Silver, Gold, and Platinum levels of support, so users can choose the support system based on their individual needs. Product updates are available for download from the website, or can be downloaded automatically upon sign in.

Summary & Pricing

Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting starts at $569.00 for a single user system, with a 3-uer license running $999.00. While not a nonprofit specific product, Sage 50 Nonprofit Accounting offers smaller nonprofits a reasonably priced financial solution with excellent reporting capability.

2013 Overall Rating: 4.5 Stars