2020 Review of Aplos Nonprofit Software

From the April 2020 reviews of nonprofit accounting systems.

Aplos Nonprofit Software offers complete fund accounting capability and is well-suited for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations. As an added convenience, Aplos works on both Windows and Mac platforms. Aplos also offers Aplos Advanced Accounting, which integrates with the nonprofit application to provide more comprehensive fund accounting capabilities.

The latest version of Aplos offers numerous system additions and enhancements including the ability to attach files to A/R, A/P, journal entries, and bank reconciliations. The bank integration option has been enhanced to reduce errors, and system access levels have been improved. Donation capabilities have been improved as well, with an option to split donations to credit more than one donor. In addition, Aplos has also added a Text to Give option, allowing users to contact supporters via text to solicit organizational support.

Aplos includes a default chart of accounts in the application that can be customized as needed. When adding a new account, users will be prompted to choose a fund category and corresponding color, which makes it easier to identify each fund on the chart of accounts list. Users can also add sub-accounts to any account number for more in-depth tracking.

Aplos easily handles a variety of transaction types including the ability to create invoices, post payments, pay vendors, create customer statements, and handle bank reconciliations. Aplos also offers good budgeting capability, including the option to create a budget vs. actual report. Both current and upcoming year budgets can be created, including the ability to create a budget for up to three years.

Aplos Fundraising Center is a good option for nonprofits that depend on donations, allowing users to easily manage all online donations, manage new donors, and display a total of both engaged and lapsed donors. Pledges can be managed in Aplos, and events created and managed from the fundraising center. Aplos also includes complete CRM capability, making it easy to add a new contact, add a contact to a group or team, and create various lists. 

Aplos does not offer automatic Due to/Due from capability, but does include easy fund transfer capability. The product also includes excellent multi-level security, with all users assigned access depending on their role.  

Aplos offers good reporting options including general accounting reports along with nonprofit specific reports such as an Income Statement by Fund, Balance Sheet by Fund, Comparative Budget to Actual, and a Statement of Cash Flows. Aplos includes a good selection of donation reports including Donations by Contact, Donations by Household, Pledges by Contact, and Contributions by Purpose. Aplos also includes a custom report builder, and users can easily email any report directly from the application, with the option to export a report to Microsoft Excel for additional customization capability. Reports can also be saved as a PDF.

Aplos Nonprofit Suite includes Fund Accounting, Nonprofit Financial Statements, Budgeting Reports, Donor Management, Online Donations & Giving, Giving Statements, People Database, Groups & Team Portal, Fundraising Tools, Marketing & Communication, Event Registration, Website Builder, and Reporting & Analytics. Add-on options include Aplos Advanced Accounting, which includes Budget by Tag, Project Reporting, Automatic Recurring Transactions, Income and Expense Allocations, and Fixed Asset Tracking.  In addition, Aplos also offers integration with third-party applications such as Gusto, Donor ELF, and bloomerang for complete CRM capability.

Aplos users have access to the Aplos Support Center, which includes a completely searchable knowledgebase, along with access to Aplos Support Center articles in a variety of categories including Getting Started, Donor Management, Partners & Integrations, and Webinars. The support center also offers access to an Aplos demo. Product support is included in the cost of the application, with toll-free support available during regular business hours, and both email and chat support available as well.

Aplos Suite subscription pricing starts at $59.00 per month for the complete suite of features, and supports up to 2 system users and up to 500 contacts, with an option to purchase additional contacts in blocks of 1,000 for $10 (per month?) per block. Additional user licenses can also be purchase for $10 each. An Advanced Accounting bundle is also available for $250.00 (per month?) and includes Advanced Budgeting, Recurring Transactions, and Tag Dimensions, which can be useful for organizations that manage multiple grant, funds, or programs. Aplos also offers a free 15-day trial that users can try out prior to purchasing.  

2020 Rating – 4.75 Stars

Strengths:

·        Offers complete fund accounting capability

·         Donor management and fundraising tools included

·         Affordable pricing for all nonprofits

·         Custom Report Builder

Potential Limitations:

·         No grant management module

·         Account segments only in Advanced Accounting

·         No Due Tu/Due From capability