Sizing up NPO software.Identifying strengths and weaknesses of 10 leading products. Trying to adapt conventional accounting software to handle the books of a not-for-profit Not-for-profit An organization established for charitable, humanitarian, or educational purposes that is exempt from some taxes and in which no one in profits or losses. organization (NPO NPO [L.] nil per os (nothing by mouth). NPO abbr. Latin nil per os (nothing by mouth) NPO Nothing by mouth ) is like struggling to fit a square peg in a round hole. While the two applications have much in common, their differences are so significant that without major customizing, for-profit for-prof·it adj. Established or operated with the intention of making a profit: a for-profit organization. software just can't handle NPOs' unique accounting needs. As an aid to accountants who serve NPOs, this article examines the 10 most popular packages engineered specifically for them--itemizing their strengths and weaknesses. The NPO accounting software should be able to handle, among other things, multiple self-balancing Adj. 1. self-balancing - of someone or something that balances himself or itself balanced - being in a state of proper equilibrium; "the carefully balanced seesaw"; "a properly balanced symphony orchestra"; "a balanced assessment of intellectual and cultural funds, encumbrance A burden, obstruction, or impediment on property that lessens its value or makes it less marketable. An encumbrance (also spelled incumbrance) is any right or interest that exists in someone other than the owner of an estate and that restricts or impairs the transfer of the estate or accounting and special reports to meet FASB FASB See: Financial Accounting Standards Board FASB See Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB). and/or and/or conj. Used to indicate that either or both of the items connected by it are involved. Usage Note: And/or is widely used in legal and business writing. GASB GASB Governmental Accounting Standards Board requirements. [1] (The numbers in red boxes that appear throughout this article are designed to guide readers to where a function mentioned in the text is assessed in the exhibits.) When you begin examining products, you'll you'll Contraction of you will. you'll you will or you shall you'll will probably find that you'll have to make trade-offs when it comes to some software functions. For example, packages with very flexible account code structures are less likely to ship with built-in built-in - (Or "primitive") A built-in function or operator is one provided by the lowest level of a language implementation. This usually means it is not possible (or efficient) to express it in the language itself. standard reports. On the other hand, such software will more likely include a friendly reporting tool to produce customized reports. As a result, expect to find the capability for standard reports among the low-end low-end adj. 1. Cheapest in a line of merchandise: low-end subcompact cars. 2. Informal Of, relating to, or intended for low-income consumers; downscale: products and configurable reports in the high-end high-end adj. Informal 1. Appealing to sophisticated and discerning customers: a high-end department store; high-end video equipment. 2. market. [2] (For a definition of medium, low- and high-end products, see the sidebar (1) A Windows Vista desktop panel that holds mini applications (gadgets) such as a calendar, calculator, stock ticker and Vonage phone dialer. It is the Windows counterpart to the Dashboard in the Mac. See Windows Vista and gadget. , "Low End, High End? What's the Difference?".) Some of the components of NPO software that you should examine closely: [3] Audit trails. The ability to provide an audit trail, which is essential for any accounting software, varies greatly from one NPO product to another. While this review does not establish a requirement of any particular type of audit trail capability, it expects a product to be able to track certain pieces of information using whatever audit trail it has. For example, in addition to expecting the audit trail to show the posting date [4], it's it's 1. Contraction of it is. 2. Contraction of it has. See Usage Note at its. it's it is or it has it's be ~have important that the software post transactions to the period specified spec·i·fy tr.v. spec·i·fied, spec·i·fy·ing, spec·i·fies 1. To state explicitly or in detail: specified the amount needed. 2. To include in a specification. 3. in the entry and not the current period if out-of-period entries were allowed [5]. Further, it's expected that the audit trail reflect any changes made to entries and voided void·ed adj. Heraldry Having the central area cut out or left vacant, leaving an outline or narrow border: a voided lozenge. checks [6]. And if the software allowed duplicate DUPLICATE. The double of anything. 2. It is usually applied to agreements, letters, receipts, and the like, when two originals are made of either of them. Each copy has the same effect. postings of invoice An itemized statement or written account of goods sent to a purchaser or consignee by a vendor that indicates the quantity and price of each piece of merchandise shipped. A consular invoice is one used in foreign trade. numbers, the system should be able to indicate this on the audit trail [7]. Controls. Because of their fiduciary fiduciary (fĭd  `shēĕ'rē), in law, a person who is obliged to discharge faithfully a responsibility of trust toward another. responsibilities, NPOs and
government entitles in particular need effective controls. This includes
passwords at different levels and various alerts and warnings. Some of
the controls one expects to find include preventing the creation of
duplicate identification numbers and postings [8] as well as changes to
posted data and existing codes [9]. However, products that lack these
controls are not necessarily inadequate. For example, a package with
below-average controls, making the program easier to use, may include an
excellent audit trail, which mitigates the poor controls.Ease of use [10]. While it's hard, if not impossible, to strictly define what makes a program easy to use or friendly, the review established certain expectations. For instance, real-time 1. real-time - Describes an application which requires a program to respond to stimuli within some small upper limit of response time (typically milli- or microseconds). Process control at a chemical plant is the classic example. posting is easier than a batch process because fewer user steps are involved and software was rated on that capability. Clearly, screens should be logical and intuitive to an accountant A person who has the requisite skill and experience in establishing and maintaining accurate financial records for an individual or a business. The duties of an accountant may include designing and controlling systems of records, auditing books, and preparing financial statements. and their design should be consistent, speeding the learning process. Reliability [11]. This is a key issue. However, given only a day or two of experience with each package, judging stability became a game of chance to some extent. For example, a notoriously no·to·ri·ous adj. Known widely and usually unfavorably; infamous: a notorious gangster; a district notorious for vice. unstable unstable, adj 1. not firm or fixed in one place; likely to move. 2. capable of undergoing spontaneous change. A nuclide in an unstable state is called radioactive. An atom in an unstable state is called excited. product may have lucked out and not crashed during the brief period of investigation; likewise, a usually stable product may have locked up for some chance, unexplainable reason. Nevertheless, to be fair, the review reports all instances when a hot boot (Ctrl+Alt+ Delete To remove an item of data from a file or to remove a file from the disk. See file wipe, trash and undelete. 1. (operating system) delete - (Or "erase") To make a file inaccessible. ) was needed to free a keyboard A set of input keys on a terminal or computer. It includes the standard typewriter keys, several specialized keys and the features outlined below. See QWERTY keyboard, Dvorak keyboard, AZERTY keyboard and virtual keyboard. lockup See hang and abend. or even when the computer had to be shut down and restarted. Equally important is vendor reliability [12]. Will the company be around next year or even 10 years from now to service the software and provide updates? Admittedly, this question is difficult to answer with assurance. However, when deciding on a vendor there are things to look for: the number of years the company has been in business and the number of software packages it has sold. Prudent customers also should ask to review a vendor's financials, if they are available, and request a list of current customers. Current users can provide important observations on the quality of technical support. Receivables Receivables An asset designation applicable to all debts, unsettled transactions or other monetary obligations owed to a company by its debtors or customers. Receivables are recorded by a company's accountants and reported on the balance sheet, and they and include all debts owed [13]. Accounts receivable accounts receivable n. the amounts of money due or owed to a business or professional by customers or clients. Generally, accounts receivable refers to the total amount due and is considered in calculating the value of a business or the business' problems in paying and donor The party conferring a power. One who makes a gift. One who creates a trust. donor n. a person or entity making a gift or donation. DONOR. He who makes a gift. (q.v.) management are important functions of many NPOs' accounting needs. Accounting for receivables can be handled in two ways: open item and balance forward. Open item works best when there are few transactions from any given individual and when the individuals pay specific invoices. Balance forward is best when there are many transactions and individuals pay portions or all of the balance outstanding. Credit card bills are an illustration of balance forward accounting. Most of these packages give the user the option to apply one or the other process. Some even allow the user to make this choice on a case-by-case Adj. 1. case-by-case - separate and distinct from others of the same kind; "mark the individual pages"; "on a case-by-case basis" item-by-item, individual basis. Internet Internet Publicly accessible computer network connecting many smaller networks from around the world. It grew out of a U.S. Defense Department program called ARPANET (Advanced Research Projects Agency Network), established in 1969 with connections between computers at the [14]. Six of the 10 applications reviewed here can be operated directly on the Internet, with the vendors functioning as application service providers (ASP asp, popular name for several species of viper, one of which, the European asp (Vipera aspis), is native to S Europe. It is also a name for the Egyptian cobra (Naja haja). ). The application-and usually the data, too--are maintained on the vendor's remote computer and accessed by customers via the Internet. Thus, the customer no longer has to load the software or perform duties such as network and database administration. Hyperlinks [15]. A function that's becoming more popular in accounting software is drill-down capability using hyperlinks, which allows a user to click on data to drill down to their source. All but two of the products provide some hyperlink A predefined linkage between one object and another. See hypertext. hyperlink - anchor capability. Two even go the extra mile, providing an easy way to add hyperlinks to custom reports. Imaging [16]. Another function growing in popularity is imaging, where the user scans a document (an invoice or a purchase order, for example) and then hyperlinks the data to the image, which is the original information source. Two products--Blackbaud and IFAS--have that capability built-in. ODBC (Open DataBase Connectivity) A database programming interface from Microsoft that provides a common language for Windows applications to access databases on a network. [17]. If an accounting package has open database connectivity See ODBC. (standard, database) Open DataBase Connectivity - (ODBC) A standard for accessing different database systems. There are interfaces for Visual Basic, Visual C++, SQL and the ODBC driver pack contains drivers for the Access, Paradox, dBase, Text, Excel and Btrieve (ODBC), the software can be linked to a third-party add-on A purchase of additional goods before payment is made for goods already purchased. An add-on may be covered by a clause in an installment payment contract that allows the seller to hold a security interest in the earlier goods until full payment is made on the later goods. program--such as an Access database or an Excel A full-featured spreadsheet for Windows and the Macintosh from Microsoft. It can link many spreadsheets for consolidation and provides a wide variety of business graphics and charts for creating presentation materials. spreadsheet spreadsheet Computer software that allows the user to enter columns and rows of numbers in a ledgerlike format. Any cell of the ledger may contain either data or a formula that describes the value that should be inserted therein based on the values in other cells. . Eight of the 10 programs have ODBC functionality. Schools/churches [18]. Some packages are designed to handle the specific needs of schools and churches. As a result, they can perform accounting for student billing or church membership. Do not conclude, however, that packages without these specific modules cannot handle church or private school accounting. Although they generally cannot do the job directly out of the box, they may require only some programming adjustments. Some of the applications also have special modules designed for fundraising
(application, communications) electronic funds transfer - (EFT, EFTS, - system) Transfer of money initiated through electronic terminal, automated teller machine, computer, telephone, or magnetic tape. and direct deposit. Customization [19]. If your organization's accounting needs are so special that you have to customize the software, two options are available: Either the vendor can alter the package for an additional charge, or the buyer can perform the customization if the vendor makes its source code (the underlying programming code) available. Customizing source code should be done only by an experienced programmer (1) A hardware device used to customize a programmable logic chip such as a PAL, GAL, EPROM, etc. See PROM programmer. (2) A person who designs the logic for and writes the lines of codes of a computer program. . Keep in mind, too, that if you modify the software the vendor may no longer be able to routinely update and maintain the product for you because the underlying code has been altered. Pricing [20]. Most of these vendors have complex pricing structures that make it difficult to compare products. Expect to pay extra for training, support, multiple users and implementation services. Also expect a monthly fee for ASP offerings rather than the fixed fee common with client/server An architecture in which the user's PC (the client) is the requesting machine and the server is the supplying machine, both of which are connected via a local area network (LAN) or wide area network (WAN). arrangements. As an aid to comparing these vendors we have included the cost for a single-user implementation with general ledger General Ledger A company's accounting records. This formal ledger contains all the financial accounts and statements of a business. Notes: The ledger uses two columns: one records debits, the other has offsetting credits. , accounts payable and accounts receivable in exhibit 1. But even these prices are misleading because some vendors package extras, such as fundraising software, into their general ledger module.
Exhibit 1: Vendor and product Information
Product Blackbaud Concert Series
Vendor Blackbaud, Inc. New Generation
Software, Inc.
Address 2000 Daniel 3835 N. Freeway Blvd.,
Island Dr., Suite 200, Sacramento,
Charleston, SC CA 95834
29492-7541
[12] Years in 19 years 18 years
business
Operating Windows RPG 400/AS 400
system
Network Windows and AS 400
software Novell
[12] Number of > 12,000 > 2,500
packages sold
[20] Cost $1,500 to $2,000 $10,000 to $85,000;
per module average cost: $50,000
[20] Typical cost $6,000 $50,000
for one user:
G/L, A/R and A/P
Contact www.blackbaud.com www.ngsi.com
information
FastFund
Product Nonprofit Software ForFund/AEE
Vendor Araize, Inc. Mirasoft, Inc.
Address 1157 Executive Circle, 865F Cotting Lane,
Suite D, Cary, Vacaville, CA 95688
NC 27511
[12] Years in 15 years 9 years
business
Operating Windows Windows
system
Network Windows, Novell Novell, LANtastic
software and LANtastic and Banyan
[12] Number of > 400 Will not disclose
packages sold
[20] Cost $200 to $400 $2,000 to $3,000
per module per module
[20] Typical cost $795 $9,000
for one user:
G/L, A/R and A/P
Contact www.araize.com www.mirasoft-inc.com
information
Product Fund E-Z FundWare 7
Vendor Fund E-Z American
Development Corp. Fundware, Inc.
Address 106 Corporate Park Dr., 1385 South Colorado
White Plains, NY 10604 Blvd., Suite 400,
Denver, CO 80222
[12] Years in 8 years 23 Years
business
Operating Windows Windows
system
Network Windows and Novell Windows NT
software and Novell
[12] Number of > 2,000 > 3,800
packages sold
[20] Cost $1,500 to $3,000 $2,000 per module
depending on
options purchased
[20] Typical cost $1,480 $5,785
for one user:
G/L, A/R and A/P
Contact www.fundez.com www.fundware.com
information
Product IFAS Nonprofit Series
Vendor Sungard Micro Information
Bi-tech, Inc. Products, Inc.
Address 890 Fortress St., 313 East Anderson Lane,
Chico, CA 95973 Suite 200,
Austin, TX 78752
[12] Years in 19 years 18 years
business
Operating UNIX Windows
system
Network Windows and Windows and
software TCP/IP Novell
[12] Number of > 300 > 4,400
packages sold
[20] Cost $250,000 and up $800 to $2,000
per module
[20] Typical cost $250,000 $4,680
for one user:
G/L, A/R and A/P
Contact www.bitech.com www.mip.com
information
Product Shelby 2000 USL Financials
Financials
Vendor Shelby Systems, Inc. Public-Sector.com Inc.
Address 65 Germantown Ct., 501 Church St. NE,
Suite 303, Suite 200,
Cordova, TN 38018 Vienna, VA 22180
[12] Years in 24 years 6 Years
business
Operating Windows Windows
system
Network Windows and Windows and Sybase
software Novell
[12] Number of > 5,000 > 60
packages sold
[20] Cost $600 per module $7,500 and up
per module; ASP:
$245 per user
per month
[20] Typical cost $1,800 $22,500
for one user:
G/L, A/R and A/P
Contact www.shelbyinc.com www.uslfinancials.com
information
The tables provide side-by-side comparisons of each product, but most products have their own quirks, and these are discussed where material in the evaluations that follow. And now, let's let's Contraction of let us. look at each package. THE EVALUATIONS Blackbaud For the supplier of e-learning software, see . Blackbaud Inc. is a supplier of software specifically designed for charities, schools, universities, and other not-for-profit organizations. , Inc. Blackbaud Blackbaud is a mid-level package that can handle both NPO and government accounting. It's the undisputed market leader, with more packages in use than any other product evaluated here. Most of its users are NPOs. Contributing to its popularity are the available add-ons, including: * Raiser's Edge--which manages fundraising efforts. * Academy--which handles accounting for private schools. * Budget Management--which provides detailed budgeting. * Grant & Endowment A transfer, generally as a gift, of money or property to an institution for a particular purpose. The bestowal of money as a permanent fund, the income of which is to be used for the benefit of a charity, college, or other institution. Management--which manages multiple grant and endowment efforts. * Student Billing--which handles accounts for tuition For tuition fees in the United Kingdom, see . Tuition means instruction, teaching or a fee charged for educational instruction especially at a formal institution of learning or by a private tutor usually in the form of one-to-one tuition. , fees and bookstore transactions. All required FASB Statement FASB Statement A standard set by the Financial Accounting Standards Board regarding a financial accounting and reporting method. Essentially, FASB statements determine the acceptable accounting practices that Certified Public Accountants use in reporting no. 117 and GASB reports are built into the software. Only one other product in this review--FundWare--has that feature. For customization, Blackbaud includes Crystal Reports. Like the high-end accounting software packages, Blackbaud assigns Individuals to whom property is, will, or may be transferred by conveyance, will, Descent and Distribution, or statute; assignees. The term assigns is often found in deeds; for example, "heirs, administrators, and assigns to denote the assignable nature of security at the account level--that is, you can restrict In the C programming language, the data pointed to by a pointer declared with the restrict qualifier may not be pointed to by any other pointer. This allows for more effective optimization. access to each general ledger account. Accounting periods can be locked to prevent accidental accidental /ac·ci·den·tal/ (ak?si-den´t'l) 1. occurring by chance, unexpectedly, or unintentionally. 2. nonessential; not innate or intrinsic. postings. The product's high functionality comes with a price: The software is not easy to use. Even the most experienced accountant will need extensive training, which isn't is·n't Contraction of is not. isn't is not isn't be helped by the poor indexing of its online documentation. For example, the index doesn't does·n't Contraction of does not. list "encumbrance" or "encumbrance accounting." Blackbaud offers training at its Charleston Charleston, cities, United States Charleston. 1 City (1990 pop. 20,398), seat of Coles co., E Ill.; inc. 1835. Charleston is an industrial, rail, and trade center located in an agricultural area; shoes are also made. Eastern Illinois Univ. , South Carolina South Carolina, state of the SE United States. It is bordered by North Carolina (N), the Atlantic Ocean (SE), and Georgia (SW). Facts and Figures Area, 31,055 sq mi (80,432 sq km). Pop. (2000) 4,012,012, a 15. , headquarters and at several regional locations. Navigating (networking, hypertext) navigating - Finding your way around. Often used of the Internet, particularly the World-Wide Web. A browser is a tool for navigating hypertext documents. the program is cumbersome cum·ber·some adj. 1. Difficult to handle because of weight or bulk. See Synonyms at heavy. 2. Troublesome or onerous. cum and not very intuitive. The program doesn't even use its own menu system, but, instead, relies on the Windows operating system operating system (OS) Software that controls the operation of a computer, directs the input and output of data, keeps track of files, and controls the processing of computer programs. to access various functions. To move to a different function, you must click on Windows' Start button and then click again on Programs, which evokes this screen: Notice that eight Blackbaud functions are listed in the menu; clicking on any one evokes a group of subfunctions--a total of 85. To add to the annoyance, subject areas aren't aren't Contraction of are not. See Usage Note at ain't. aren't are not aren't be logically designated. For example, what accountant would expect to find the general ledger report hidden under Miscellaneous Reports for the General Ledger module--as shown at right? New Generation Software, Inc. Concert Series This product can handle both NPO and government accounting for medium to large entities. Concert Series, which is Unix based Refers to a Unix operating system. The operating system may comply with the UNIX specifications governed by The Open Group, such as Sun's Solaris, or it may be an operating system based on the architecture and principles of Unix, such as Linux. , is extremely stable and available with either a graphic- or character-based interface. We used the character-based edition for this evaluation, and despite the fact that we needed three keys (+, Tab, Enter) to get through most input forms, maneuvering was easy--once you get used to this unusual arrangement. This is perhaps the software's only weakness. The product assigns four system-generated numbers to each transaction (system dates and times) for an excellent audit trail. To make viewing easy, users can opt to remove from the screens any unwanted forms or fields. The program can handle virtually any front-end front-end adj. 1. Of or relating to the initial phase of a project: a front-end investment. 2. Of or relating to the forward parts of a vehicle: a front-end alignment. system configured con·fig·ure tr.v. con·fig·ured, con·fig·ur·ing, con·fig·ures To design, arrange, set up, or shape with a view to specific applications or uses: for the AS/400 (for example, SAP's order-entry/purchasing system). Software training is offered on customers' sites or at the vendor's classrooms in Sacramento, California “Sacramento” redirects here. For other uses, see Sacramento (disambiguation). Sacramento is the capital of the State of California and the county seat of Sacramento County. . For entities with unusual accounting periods, Concert Series is a good choice. It allows any number of open periods and the periods can be kept open indefinitely in·def·i·nite adj. Not definite, especially: a. Unclear; vague. b. Lacking precise limits: an indefinite leave of absence. c. . In addition, users can even specify periods of any length--a few days, several weeks, a few months even. The program can handle up to four budget amounts for each account and accounting period. General ledger data are downloadable to an Excel spreadsheet, with each part of the G/L (General Ledger) G/L is often the acronym for the general ledger application in an organization. The general ledger maintains a summary of financial accounts for the business. account code structure exporting to a different column, which is very helpful for sorting data. The vendor's support staff includes accounting professionals with controller experience; thus, they understand accountants' needs--an unusual marketing plus. New Generation has an Internet version, which was not evaluated. Araize, Inc. FastFund Nonprofit A corporation or an association that conducts business for the benefit of the general public without shareholders and without a profit motive. Nonprofits are also called not-for-profit corporations. Nonprofit corporations are created according to state law. Software FastFund is a low- to mid-level product that is easy to use--even for staff people who are not accountants--but only after you get past the initial account number setup See BIOS setup and install program. . Not only is it confusing con·fuse v. con·fused, con·fus·ing, con·fus·es v.tr. 1. a. To cause to be unable to think with clarity or act with intelligence or understanding; throw off. b. , but the wizard Instructional help in an application or system development environment that guides the user through a series of multiple choice questions to accomplish a task. For the most part, wizards are more effective than the help menus found in most applications, which often border on the atrocious. designed to help is not very friendly. As a practical matter, it probably pays to enlist en·list v. en·list·ed, en·list·ing, en·lists v.tr. 1. To engage (persons or a person) for service in the armed forces. 2. To engage the support or cooperation of. v. Araize's assistance with the initial setup. Once up and running, however, the program runs smoothly. Araize offers one-year adj. 1. completing its life cycle within a year. Adj. 1. one-year - completing its life cycle within a year; "a border of annual flowering plants" annual phytology, botany - the branch of biology that studies plants , unlimited toll-free phone support. FastFund automatically balances interfund transactions Interfund transactions Financial arrangements effected by payments made from one fund group (either Federal funds or trust funds) to another group. for the user. The auto-balance portion of a journal entry shows up only in the general ledger and not in the journals. Instead, an audit trail report shows the source transactions that created the due to/due from funds entries and a list of all due to/due from journal entries with references to the original source journals. The program designer added a nice touch to formatted reports: Dollar signs are placed in their correct locations. That's probably because Araize is headed by a CPA (Computer Press Association, Landing, NJ) An earlier membership organization founded in 1983 that promoted excellence in computer journalism. Its annual awards honored outstanding examples in print, broadcast and electronic media. The CPA disbanded in 2000. who understands the importance of proper presentation. Those NPOs that need strong fundraising functions should consider FastFund. It ships with an integrated module called FastFund Raising, which handles campaign appeals, prospects and donor lists and pledge A Bailment or delivery of Personal Property to a creditor as security for a debt or for the performance of an act. Sometimes called bailment, pledges are a form of security to assure that a person will repay a debt or perform an act under contract. processing. Because encumbrance accounting is not supported, the package is not suitable for government entities. Araize is upgrading FastFund to a Windows environment (1) (upper case "W") Refers to computers running under a Microsoft Windows operating system. (2) (lower case "w") Also called a "windowing environment," it refers to any software that provides multiple windows on screen such as Windows, Mac, Motif and X Window. . Mirasoft, Inc. ForFund/AEE Mirasoft, Inc., offers three low- to mid-level products: ForFund NP, ForFund Gov and ForFund/AEE. Only ForFund/AEE, which is accessed via the Internet, was evaluated; its functionality is equivalent to ForFund NP. This ASP version costs $500 for five users with a monthly fee of $100; the cost increases with the number of users and modules. ForFund Gov, designed for government entities, handles utility billing and business licenses--a handy addition. Despite their names, ForFund NP and AEE AEE Adult Entertainment Expo AEE Association of Energy Engineers AEE Association for Experiential Education AEE Arbeitsgemeinschaft Erneuerbare Energie AEE Autoridad de Energía Eléctrica (Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority) can be used by both NPOs and government entities because they support encumbrance accounting. ForFund was one of two low-end products evaluated that was programmed to notice when a duplicate invoice was posted in the accounts payable module (MIPs is the other). But the program offers a warning only; it will not prevent it. This is the way it works: The system checks for duplicate invoices across all vendors, which helps ensure that an invoice is not paid to the wrong vendor. In addition, the software forces a printout (PRINTer OUTput) Same as hard copy. of a G/L distribution report prior to p6sting invoice data to the G/L or vendor files; that process provides the user with an audit trail. The software has a bare-bones bare bones pl.n. Informal The basic elements or essentials: outlined the bare bones of the proposal. bare interface that appears deceptively de·cep·tive·ly adv. In a deceptive or deceiving manner; so as to deceive. Usage Note: When deceptively is used to modify an adjective, the meaning is often unclear. easy. But because of design inconsistencies, the program is hard to use, so plan on budgeting extra for training. For example, some date fields require two digits for the year, others require four. Mirasoft offers both hard copy and online documentation, but plans to drop paper editions. Many software publishers are moving in this direction because they can save money and ensure timely documentation. Fund E-Z E-Z Engdahl-Zigangirov (bound) Development Corp. Fund E-Z Fund E-Z lived up to its name. It was by far the friendliest product to use. Speed buttons on the right side of the screen make accessing functions fast and easy. The button labels are accountant-friendly. For example: CD (for cash disbursements), CR (for cash receipts) and GJ (for general journal). Better still, click on the CD speed button and jump immediately to the cash disbursements input screen. This is a low- to mid-level product. It's not suitable for government accounting because it lacks encumbrance accounting capability. Nor would it be a good choice for entities that require strong built-in controls because the price one pays for ease of use is virtually no built-in controls. There is, however, an effective audit report that automatically records any changes to posted journal entries, checks or invoices. As a result, Fund E-Z would be a good choice for those doing write-up Write-Up An increase made to the book value of an asset because it is undervalued compared to market values. Notes: A write-up will increase a company's accounting book value without any expenditures. work for small NPOs or for small- to mid-size NPOs with mitigating controls A Mitigating Control is type of control used in auditing to discover and prevent mistakes that may lead to uncorrected and/or unrecorded misstatements that would generally be related to control deficiencies. in place. Although training is offered, most users would not need it. Fund E-Z also comes with a comprehensive fundraising module. The bank reconciliation is very complete and easy to use. Automatic fund balancing is a user option that's easy to configure See configuration. (software) configure - A program by Richard Stallman to discover properties of the current platform and to set up make to compile and install gcc. Cygnus configure was a similar system developed by K. . All the standard FASB Statement no. 117 and many of the GASB reports are pre-defined for the user. American American, river, 30 mi (48 km) long, rising in N central Calif. in the Sierra Nevada and flowing SW into the Sacramento River at Sacramento. The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill (see Sutter, John Augustus) along the river in 1848 led to the California gold rush of Fundware, Inc. FundWare 7 FundWare 7 is a mid-level product that is transitioning from DOS to Windows. Its producer, American Fundware, Inc., anticipates the full upgrade by yearend. The company also has an ASP offering, which was not evaluated. The package contains an excellent audit trail. Although users can delete transaction reports, they can regenerate re·gen·er·ate v. re·gen·er·at·ed, re·gen·er·at·ing, re·gen·er·ates v.tr. 1. To reform spiritually or morally. 2. To form, construct, or create anew, especially in an improved state. the same information at any time in standard journal report format so the data aren't lost--a nice touch. In addition, the program assigns an auto control number to all transactions, and that number cannot be changed. If a journal entry is reversed, both the original entry and the reversing entry appear in the journal listing. Users can clearly identify the dollar impact of purchase orders and invoices on budgets and encumbrances. The product provides the best audit trail for encumbrances in this group. All modules automatically create four-sided adj. 1. Having four sides. Adj. 1. four-sided - having four sides quadrilateral many-sided, multilateral - having many parts or sides due to/due from entries. The software supports multiple charts of accounts, which by itself is not unusual, but the charts of accounts can have different account structures. The package contains a graphical report writer with pre-defined reports. FundWare would be suitable for mid-size to large NPOs or government entities. It contains very strong budgeting and encumbrance functions and includes all required FASB Statement no. 117 and GASB reports. Blackbaud is the only other product in this review that also contains all required reports. The company recently announced a high-end market product, FundWare 7 Enterprise Edition--a Microsoft SQL Server A relational DBMS from Microsoft that is a major component of the Windows Server System. It is Microsoft's high-end client/server database and is closely integrated with Microsoft Visual Studio and the Microsoft Office System. version. It wasn't was·n't Contraction of was not. wasn't was not wasn't be evaluated for this article. FundWare reports are CPA-friendly: They even produce an occasional double-underline, but no dollar signs. To enhance training, the vendor offers CD-ROM CD-ROM: see compact disc. CD-ROM in full compact disc read-only memory Type of computer storage medium that is read optically (e.g., by a laser). teaching disks. The product comes with extensive and well-written documentation. Sungard-Bi-tech, Inc. Integrated Financial and Administrative Solution (IFAS IFAS Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences IFAS Institute for First Amendment Studies IFAS Institut für Fluidtechnische Antriebe und Steuerungen (Institute for Fluid Power Drives and Controls; RWTH-Aachen, Germany) ) The IFAS product is suitable for medium and large NPOs and government entities. It competes with products such as PeopleSoft (PeopleSoft, Inc., Pleasanton, CA, www.peoplesoft.com) A software company that specialized in enterprise-wide applications for client/server environments. Initially specializing in human resources, its package offerings covered the gamut including financial, distribution, manufacturing and SAP sap, fluid in plants consisting of water and dissolved substances. Cell sap refers to this fluid present in the large vacuole, or cell cavity, that occupies most of the central portion of mature plant cells. . Because of its size, it can handle large budgeting projects and complex "what if" work, particularly dealing with personnel. Of special interest is the product's imaging capability, which can be used in all its modules. When the cursor (1) The symbol used to point to some element on screen. On Windows, Mac and other graphics-based screens, it is also called a "pointer," and it changes shape as it is moved with the mouse into different areas of the application. passes over something with an underlying source image, it changes to a camera, which indicates the user can drill down to the image. Whole Word and Excel files, as well as images, can be stored in the extensive database. This software contains a wizard-driven reporting tool known as Click Drag and Drill that has the look and feel of Microsoft's Access. This tool adds the imaging capability to user-created reports. This is the only product evaluated that allows users to create their own drill-down reports. The account number setup is more complex than usual for this level of software, but it's necessary to drive the functionality and reporting. As is the case with most high-end accounting software products with sophisticated functionality, users must make many decisions before they can implement the product, including complex business process reengineering See reengineering. processes. Sungard-Bi-tech will help by setting up the account code structure and converting the data. However, with all this power, the software doesn't appear to be very stable. During a demonstration by an IFAS staff person, the program locked up several times and had to be hot-booted to resume work. Because it is complex, extensive training is necessary. Compared with the unusually friendly FundEasy, IFAS does not fare well because of its complexity but also because of design inconsistencies. For example, some input fields are case sensitive while others aren't. Sungard-Bi-tech offers two alternative products for smaller organizations; we did not review them. One, IFAS.Net, is an Internet product, and the other, Ready-Set-Go, is billed as software that can be implemented quickly and easily. Micro Information Products, Inc. (MIPs) Nonprofit Series Nonprofit Series is a low- to mid-level package that was almost as easy to use as Fund E-Z, yet was more powerful. Particularly good was its account code structure, which is table-driven and lets the user enter a transaction and select which fund, program or G/L account to attach TO ATTACH, crim. law, practice. To an attachment for contempt for the non- take or apprehend by virtue of the order of a writ or precept, commonly called an attachment. It differs from an arrest in this, that he who arrests a man, takes him to a person of higher power to be disposed of; it to. Most software would require the user to create a specific account during the setup. To add a new fund, it's only necessary to create a code for it. Not only is the structure easy to set up and use but it provides a virtually unlimited number of accounts. The software's audit trail tracks changes that occur in the system as well as in transactions. This is unusual; most products track some changes to transactions but leave system changes up to third-party add-ons. Nonprofit Series also is the only vendor to routinely provide auditors AUDITORS, practice. Persons lawfully appointed to examine and digest accounts referred to them, take down the evidence in writing, which may be lawfully offered in relation to such accounts, and prepare materials on which a decree or judgment may be made; and to report the whole, together with detailed information for accessing the Nonprofit Series database for substantive Substantive may refer to: In grammar:
Users pay a high price for this functionality. For example, most of the standard FASB and GASB reports need to be configured by the user, allowing for complete account number structure flexibility. While this is not unusual for this level of software, it's technical feasible (algorithm) feasible - A description of an algorithm that takes polynomial time (that is, for a problem set of size N, the resources required to solve the problem can be expressed as some polynomial involving N). , and we would hope that the developers will put in the extra effort to provide that capability. Users also have to configure the due to/due from entries by fund and general ledger account to enable automatic fund balancing when interfund transactions are posted. A small annoyance: Speed buttons, a fast way to access the program's functions, were too small to be read easily and lacked explanatory ex·plan·a·to·ry adj. Serving or intended to explain: an explanatory paragraph. ex·plan balloons. The company says it plans to release models for electronic funds transfer and direct deposit. Shelby Shelby, city (1990 pop. 14,669), seat of Cleveland co., W N.C., in a fertile piedmont farming (cotton, grain, soybeans, livestock) area; inc. 1843. There is dairy processing, and plastic and metal products, uphostered furniture, textiles and apparel, and chemicals Systems, Inc. Shelby 2000 Financials Shelby is a low- to mid-level product designed primarily for churches. As such, its membership module is especially powerful and its payroll payroll a list of employees, their salary rates, tax deductions, amounts paid, payroll tax, long service leave entitlements. module incorporates tax information for ministers. Considering its relatively powerful accounting functions, the product is modestly priced, which makes marketing sense because its customer base, churches, is rarely affluent and staffed mostly by lower-paid bookkeepers rather than CPAs. However, accountants doing write-up work or offering payroll services to churches would do well to consider using Shelby. The software's training and documentation are clear and appear to be aimed at people with modest accounting skills. Shelby 2000 Financials doesn't automatically balance interfund transactions, nor will out-of-balance transactions post to the general ledger. Rather, an out-of-balance warning alerts users to provide their own balancing entries. The audit trail is excellent; it forces hard-copy printouts of journals before posting can occur. The product offers two posting options. One is easy to use, but the other is very difficult--in part because it is a two-step process: One person posts a transaction in a subsidiary module (such as accounts receivable) and a second checks that transaction before doing a final posting into the general ledger; the two-step system apparently is designed for security and to reduce errors. Shelby invites its users to suggest design revisions ReVisions is a 2004 anthology of alternate history short-stories. It is edited by Julie E. Czerneda and Isaac Szpindel. Contents Title Author The Resonance of Light James Alan Gardner Out of China Julie E. , and when they are accepted, it posts the upgrade patches on its Web site for easy download To receive a file transmitted over a network. In any communications session, "download" means receive, and "upload" means send. The download/upload often implies a big/little scenario, in which data is being downloaded from the "big" server into the "little" user's computer. . The company also has an Internet version, which wasn't evaluated. Public-Sector.com, Inc. USL (UNIX System Laboratories, Inc.) An AT&T subsidiary formed in 1990, responsible for developing and marketing Unix. In 1993, USL was acquired by Novell and merged into Novell's UNIX Systems Group (USG). See Univel. 1. Financials USL Financials is a mid- mid- pref. Middle: midbrain. to high-level product suitable for both NPOs and government entities. The Internet version was evaluated for this review, but the client/server version was not. One of USL's strengths is its ability to keep both funds and grants in balance--an unusual and useful feature. Another strength is its hyperlink dexterity. Users can add hyperlinks, in the form of yellow arrows Yellow Arrow is a global public art project created and run by Counts Media in New York, New York. Yellow arrow stickers can be obtained from their website and placed anywhere in the public realm. , on most of the input forms. A right click on one of these arrows takes the user to the next logical step in a given process. Considering the complexity and functionality of this product, it's relatively user friendly. Since setup is complex, USL's staff does the initial setup, which includes requirements definition, data conversion and design of the chart of accounts. Budgets can be set up at the account level or at the general account level (that is, control account level) allowing flexible budgetary control. USL allows up to five different versions of the budget to be attached to any account. The purchase order module "pre-encumbers" the budget automatically and the budget is subsequently encumbered Encumbered A property owned by one party on which a second party reserves the right to make a valid claim, e.g., a bank's holding of a home mortgage encumbers property. in the accounts payable module. The software can be defaulted to disallow To exclude; reject; deny the force or validity of. The term disallow is applied to such things as an insurance company's refusal to pay a claim. budget overrides, which provides good control over purchasing. On the other hand, while the built-in controls are good, their implementation does create some problems. For example, once a journal entry has been posted it cannot be easily accessed or traced. The result: good control but a poor audit trail. The controls should prevent posting to improper
tr.v. pro·voked, pro·vok·ing, pro·vokes 1. To incite to anger or resentment. 2. To stir to action or feeling. 3. To give rise to; evoke: provoke laughter. a warning. A cautionary note: It was very difficult to get product and technical information from the vendor for this evaluation, which means customers may face the same problem. CONSIDER THE TRADE-OFFS As you can see, none of these packages is perfect. Each one has good and bad features. But some of the features this review gives low marks to may not be critical to your software use. Likewise, highly rated features may not be important to you. Your needs should dictate TO DICTATE. To pronounce word for word what is destined to be at the same time written by another. Merlin Rep. mot Suggestion, p. 5 00; Toull. Dr. Civ. Fr. liv. 3, t. 2, c. 5, n. 410. which of these products you choose. If you are doing write-up work for small NPOs, Fund E-Z might be a good choice, and for CPAs working with a church, Shelby may be the way to go. If high reliability is your concern, New Generations could be an excellent start. Sungard (SunGard Data Systems Inc., Wayne, PA, www.sungard.com) A computer software and services company specializing in financial services, investment support systems and business continuity. SunGard was formed in 1983 from four subsidiaries of the Philadelphia-based Sun Company. might be the option for strong imaging needs, but if you require built-in reports, Blackbaud or FundWare would be good selections. USL Financials and ForFund might be the place to start if you are interested in applications to run on the Internet. If your organization is growing and adding new funds and accounts on a regular basis, then MIPs' table-driven account code structure is worth looking into. And if fundraising is a big issue, then consider starting with FastFund or Fund E-Z. But whatever you do, before buying, run comprehensive evaluations. It is not good enough to trust the claims of a vendor. You must try the product, and it's best to try it with data typical for your organization. Read This First If your goal in reading this article is to find the best not-for-profit accounting software, then you can stop reading now. That goal is unattainable. What is best for one user may be just barely acceptable--and perhaps even a disaster--for another. Every user has specific and unique needs, and only by carefully evaluating them, then examining the pluses and minuses of the available products, can a user ever begin to match requirements with product capabilities. Low End, High End? What's the Difference? There are no clear-cut boundaries Natural or artificial separations or divisions between adjoining properties that show their limits. Boundaries are used to establish private and public ownership by determining the exact location of the points at which one piece of land is distinguishable from another. between low-end, mid-level and high-end accounting software. A common error is to categorize cat·e·go·rize tr.v. cat·e·go·rized, cat·e·go·riz·ing, cat·e·go·riz·es To put into a category or categories; classify. cat the products by the dollar volume of the organizations using the software. In fact, the distinction is traditionally made by the cost of the software, but the lines are not sharply drawn. For example, a product is considered low-end if it costs less than $1,000. Such products generally have relatively bare-bones functionality and few controls. Usually the product is packaged in a single module with no separate add-ons. Such products usually are easy to use. Mid-level products cost between $1,000 and $3,000 for each of the core modules, which generally includes the general ledger, accounts receivable and accounts payable. These products tend to have more functionality, moderate controls and at least seven or eight modules available for purchase. A high-end product generally costs more than $3,000 per module and can easily cost hundreds of thousands of dollars. For those prices, expect plenty of functionality and lots of controls, which can make the software hard to use. High-end products can have as many as 10 or 12 optional add-on modules.
Exhibit 2: Software Assessments
Concert
Product Blackbaud series
Controls and Audit Trail
[8] General journal Average Excellent
[8] Cash disbursements Excellent Excellent
[8] Cash receipts Excellent Excellent
[8] Accounts payable Poor Above average
[8] Purchase orders Poor Above average
[8] Accounts receivable Above average Excellent
[8] Access logs Yes Yes
[3] Audit trail Excellent Excellent
[10] Overall ease of use Poor Average
[11] Reliability Had to reboot No crashes
twice
Suitability for
intended use
[1] Due to/due from User setup Yes
[1] Encumbrance User option Yes
accounting
[2] FASB 117 reports Yes No
[2] GASB reports Yes No
Extras
Auditor's guide No No
[15] Hyperlinks Yes Yes
[15] Hyperlinks in custom No No
reports
[17] Data extraction/ No Yes
reporting tool
[17] ODBC gateway Yes No
[17] Outside system Yes Yes
interface
[19] Source code No Yes
[16] Imaging Some No
Specialty accounting
[18] Fundraising Yes No
[18] Donor management Yes No
[18] School accounting Yes No
[18] Student billing Yes No
[18] Private pay/ No No
medicaid billing
[18] Project/grant Yes No
accounting
[18] Church accounting No No
Multi-currency United Kingdom Yes
capability only
[18] EFT Yes No
[18] Direct deposit Yes Yes
[13] Accounts receivable
[13] A/R open-item Yes Yes
[13] A/R balance forward Yes Yes
[13] A/R choice by No No
customer
[13] A/R choice in general Yes Yes
[14] Application on the No Yes
Internet
FastFund
Nonprofit
Product Software ForFund/AEE
Controls and Audit Trail
[8] General journal Poor Excellent
[8] Cash disbursements Average Poor
[8] Cash receipts Below average Excellent
[8] Accounts payable Poor Above average
[8] Purchase orders Not applicable Above average
[8] Accounts receivable Not tested Not tested
[8] Access logs No Yes
[3] Audit trail Average Above average
[10] Overall ease of use Average Below average
[11] Reliability No crashes No crashes
Suitability for
intended use
[1] Due to/due from Yes User setup
[1] Encumbrance No Yes
accounting
[2] FASB 117 reports Some Yes
[2] GASB reports Some Yes
Extras
Auditor's guide No No
[15] Hyperlinks Some Some
[15] Hyperlinks in custom No No
reports
[17] Data extraction/ Yes Yes
reporting tool
[17] ODBC gateway No Yes
[17] Outside system No Yes
interface
[19] Source code No No
[16] Imaging No Yes
Specialty accounting
[18] Fundraising Yes No
[18] Donor management Yes No
[18] School accounting No No
[18] Student billing No No
[18] Private pay/ No No
medicaid billing
[18] Project/grant Yes Yes
accounting
[18] Church accounting No No
Multi-currency No No
capability
[18] EFT No No
[18] Direct deposit No Yes
[13] Accounts receivable
[13] A/R open-item Yes Yes
[13] A/R balance forward No No
[13] A/R choice by Not applicable Not applicable
customer
[13] A/R choice in general Not applicable Not applicable
[14] Application on the No Yes
Internet
Product Fund E-Z FundWare 7
Controls and Audit Trail
[8] General journal Average Average
[8] Cash disbursements Average Average
[8] Cash receipts Average Excellent
[8] Accounts payable Poor Average
[8] Purchase orders Not tested Average
[8] Accounts receivable Poor Excellent
[8] Access logs No Yes
[3] Audit trail Excellent Excellent
[10] Overall ease of use Excellent Above average
[11] Reliability No crashes No crashes
Suitability for
intended use
[1] Due to/due from Yes Yes
[1] Encumbrance No Yes
accounting
[2] FASB 117 reports Yes Yes
[2] GASB reports Yes Yes
Extras
Auditor's guide No No
[15] Hyperlinks No Yes
[15] Hyperlinks in custom No Yes
reports
[17] Data extraction/ Yes Yes
reporting tool
[17] ODBC gateway Yes Yes
[17] Outside system No Yes
interface
[19] Source code No No
[16] Imaging No No
Specialty accounting
[18] Fundraising Yes No
[18] Donor management Yes No
[18] School accounting No No
[18] Student billing No No
[18] Private pay/ Yes No
medicaid billing
[18] Project/grant Yes Yes
accounting
[18] Church accounting No No
Multi-currency No No
capability
[18] EFT No Yes
[18] Direct deposit No Yes
[13] Accounts receivable
[13] A/R open-item Yes Yes
[13] A/R balance forward No Yes
[13] A/R choice by Not applicable Yes
customer
[13] A/R choice in general Not applicable Yes
[14] Application on the No Yes
Internet
Nonprofit
Product IFAS Series
Controls and Audit Trail
[8] General journal Average Excellent
[8] Cash disbursements Average Below average
[8] Cash receipts Average Average
[8] Accounts payable Average Above average
[8] Purchase orders Average Above average
[8] Accounts receivable Average Above average
[8] Access logs Yes Yes
[3] Audit trail Excellent Above average
[10] Overall ease of use Above average Above average
[11] Reliability Had to reboot No crashes
several times
Suitability for
intended use
[1] Due to/due from Yes User setup
[1] Encumbrance Yes Limited
accounting
[2] FASB 117 reports Yes Some
[2] GASB reports Yes Some
Extras
Auditor's guide No Yes
[15] Hyperlinks Yes No
[15] Hyperlinks in custom Yes No
reports
[17] Data extraction/ Yes Yes
reporting tool
[17] ODBC gateway Yes Yes
[17] Outside system Yes Yes
interface
[19] Source code No No
[16] Imaging Yes No
Specialty accounting
[18] Fundraising Yes No
[18] Donor management No No
[18] School accounting Yes No
[18] Student billing Yes No
[18] Private pay/ Yes No
medicaid billing
[18] Project/grant Yes No
accounting
[18] Church accounting Yes No
Multi-currency Yes No
capability
[18] EFT Yes No
[18] Direct deposit Yes No
[13] Accounts receivable
[13] A/R open-item Yes Yes
[13] A/R balance forward Yes Yes
[13] A/R choice by Yes Yes
customer
[13] A/R choice in general Yes Yes
[14] Application on the Yes No
Internet
Shelby 2000
Product Financials USL Financials
Controls and Audit Trail
[8] General journal Excellent Above average
[8] Cash disbursements Poor Average
[8] Cash receipts Below average Average
[8] Accounts payable Average Above average
[8] Purchase orders Average Above average
[8] Accounts receivable Average Average
[8] Access logs Yes Yes
[3] Audit trail Excellent Excellent
[10] Overall ease of use Poor Average
[11] Reliability Had to Had to reboot
reboot once several times
Suitability for
intended use
[1] Due to/due from User setup Yes
[1] Encumbrance Yes Yes
accounting
[2] FASB 117 reports Some Some
[2] GASB reports No Some
Extras
Auditor's guide No No
[15] Hyperlinks Yes Yes
[15] Hyperlinks in custom No No
reports
[17] Data extraction/ Yes No
reporting tool
[17] ODBC gateway Yes Yes
[17] Outside system Yes Yes
interface
[19] Source code No Yes
[16] Imaging No No
Specialty accounting
[18] Fundraising Yes Yes
[18] Donor management Yes Yes
[18] School accounting No No
[18] Student billing Yes No
[18] Private pay/ No No
medicaid billing
[18] Project/grant Yes Yes
accounting
[18] Church accounting Yes Yes
Multi-currency No Yes
capability
[18] EFT Yes Yes
[18] Direct deposit Yes Yes
[13] Accounts receivable
[13] A/R open-item Yes Yes
[13] A/R balance forward Yes Yes
[13] A/R choice by No Yes
customer
[13] A/R choice in general Yes Yes
[14] Application on the With terminal Yes
Internet server. True
ASP due by
yearend
Exhibit 3: What the Software Can/Can't Do
Product Blackbaud
Vendor Blackbaud, Inc.
If feature
is judged
to be
excellent,
answer
should be:
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? No Yes
Is posting to future
periods allowed? No Yes
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? No No
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? No No
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? No No
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? No No
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Yes Not applicable
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Yes Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No Yes
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Yes Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? No Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? No Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes No
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? No Yes
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Yes Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? No No
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? No No
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Yes Yes
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes Could not test(*)
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Yes Could not test(*)
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Real-time Batch
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes No
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes Not very
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both Online
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Yes No
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Yes Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Yes Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities Yes Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes Yes
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Yes Yes
[2] True statement of cash flows Yes No
Product Concert Series
New Generation
Vendor Software, Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? If open
Is posting to future
periods allowed? If open
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? Yes, with warning
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check G/L effective
date in different periods? date posts
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? No
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? If open
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Not applicable
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes, with warning
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? No
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? No
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? If open
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Not applicable
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Batch
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? No
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Moderate
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Moderate
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet No
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances No
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position No
[2] Combined statement of
activities No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets No
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets No
[2] True statement of cash flows Not applicable
FastFund
Nonprofit
Product Software
Vendor Araize, Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? Yes
Is posting to future
periods allowed? Yes
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? Yes
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? No
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? Yes
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? Yes
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? Yes
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Could not evaluate
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Yes
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? Yes
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Not applicable
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? Yes
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? Could not test(*)
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Could not test(*)
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? No
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? No
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Yes
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Real-time
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Not applicable
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Yes, except for setup
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? No
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Partial
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Partial
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Not applicable
[2] True statement of cash flows Not applicable
Product ForFund/AEE
Vendor Mirasoft, Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? Same year
Is posting to future
periods allowed? Same year
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? Yes
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Not applicable
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check Yes, but posts to
date in different periods? current period
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? No
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? No
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? Prior periods only
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Not applicable
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes, with warning
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Prior periods only
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? Could not test(*)
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Could not test(*)
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? Could not test(*)
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Could not test(*)
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? No
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Not applicable
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Batch
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? No
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Moderate
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Moderate
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Moderate
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Partial
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Partial
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Yes
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Product Fund E-Z
Fund E-Z
Vendor Development Corp.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? If open
Is posting to future
periods allowed? Yes
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? Yes
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check Yes,
numbers allowed? with warning
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? No
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? No
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? Yes
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? No
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Yes
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Yes
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? Yes
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? No
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? Yes
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Yes
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Yes
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Yes
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Real-Time
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Yes
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets No
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Yes
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Product FundWare 7
American Fundware,
Vendor Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? Yes
Is posting to future
periods allowed? Yes
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check Yes, but has auto control
numbers allowed? number that cannot be changed
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Not applicable
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? No
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? No
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? No
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Not applicable
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? No
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? No
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? No
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? No
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Yes
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Real-Time
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Moderate
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Yes
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Product IFAS
Sungard Bi-tech,
Vendor Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? If open
Is posting to future
periods allowed? If open
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? Yes
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? No
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? Yes
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? No
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? Yes
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? User defined
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Yes
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? Yes
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? User option
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? Yes
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? User option
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Yes
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Yes
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Yes
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Both
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Moderate
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Moderate
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities Yes
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Configurable
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Yes
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Product Nonprofit Series
Micro Information
Vendor Products, Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? User controlled
Is posting to future
periods allowed? User controlled
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? Yes
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? Yes
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate Yes in cash receipts,
posting of receipts? no in accounts receivable
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? Yes
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Not applicable
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Yes
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes, with warning
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Budget warning
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? No
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? No
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Yes
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? No
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Not applicable
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Yes
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? User option
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? Yes
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? User configured
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Yes
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances No
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position No, balance sheet
[2] Combined statement of
activities No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows Yes
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets No
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Not applicable
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Shelby 2000
Product Financials
Shelby Systems,
Vendor Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? If open
Is posting to future
periods allowed? If open
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? Yes
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Yes
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? Yes
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? No
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? Yes
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? Yes
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Not evaluated
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? Yes
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? No
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? Yes
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Yes
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? No
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Yes
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Yes
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Could not test(*)
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Could not test(*)
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Batch
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? No
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? No
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Moderate
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Moderate
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet No
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances No
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position No
[2] Combined statement of
activities No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Not applicable
[2] True statement of cash flows No
Product USL Financials
Public-Sector.com
Vendor Inc.
General journal controls
Is posting to prior
periods allowed? If open
Is posting to future
periods allowed? Yes
[9] Can changes be made to
posted AJEs? No
Cash disbursement controls
[8] Are duplicate check
numbers allowed? Yes, with warning
[9] Do voided checks appear
on bank reconciliation? Not applicable
[9] Are voided checks left
in CD listing? Yes
Will system allow check
date in different periods? No
Can reasonableness limits
or not-to-exceed limits
be established? Yes
Cash receipt controls
[8] Will system allow duplicate
posting of receipts? Yes
[8] Will system allow receipt
date in different periods? No
[9] If duplicate postings are
allowed, does subsidiary
ledger reflect credit balance? Yes
[9] Does bank reconciliation
reflect changes in cash
receipts? Not applicable
Accounts payable/purchase
order controls
[9] Can vendor codes be changed
for existing vendors? No
[9] If vendor codes can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that vendor be
automatically updated? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
of duplicate invoice numbers
for the same vendor? Yes, with warning
Will system allow posting of
invoices in different periods? Yes
Will system alert
about/warn about/ not allow
posting of invoices for more
than amount encumbered? Yes
Accounts receivable controls
[9] Can client code be changed
for existing customers? No
[9] If client code can be
changed, will transactions
linked to that customer be
automatically updated to
contain the new code? Not applicable
[8] Will system allow posting
duplicate invoice numbers
for the same customer? Yes
Will system allow posting of
invoice in different periods? Prior periods only
[3] Audit trail
[4] Does audit trail show
posting date? Yes
[5] Do transactions post to
current period or period
of AJE? AJE
[6] Are changes to AJEs
reflected in audit trail? Not applicable
[6] Do voided checks appear
on audit trail? Yes
[7] Do duplicate postings
appear on audit trail? Yes
Do changes in receipt
amounts appear on audit trail? Not applicable
Ease of use
[10] Is closing required before
posting in noncurrent periods? No
[10] Is posting real-time
or batch? Batch
[10] Do voided checks
automatically post to
the general ledger? No
[10] Will system automatically
record due to/due from
transfers for spreads
among different funds? Yes
[10] Are the screens intuitive? Yes
[10] Is hard copy and online
documentation available? Both
[10] Are the screens
consistently maintained? Yes
[10] Was the software easy to
use? Yes
[10] Are automatic allocations
possible? Yes
[2] Reports included with
software
[2] GASB
[2] Combined balance sheet Yes
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and Yes, except for
changes in fund balances change in fund balance
[2] Combined statement of
revenues, expenditures and
changes in fund balances:
budget and actual No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] FASB no. 117
[2] Combined statement of
financial position Yes
[2] Combined statement of
activities No
[2] Combined statement of
cash flows No
[2] Balance sheet includes
total assets, total liabilities,
unrestricted net assets,
temporarily restricted net
assets, permanently restricted
net assets and total net assets Yes, in equity section
[2] Statement of activities
includes change in unrestricted
net assets, change in
temporarily restricted net
assets and change in
permanently restricted net
assets Not applicable
[2] True statement of cash flows No
(*) Could not test: This indicates that I was not given access to the module and thus could not test how it worked. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY * TRYING TO ADAPT CONVENTIONAL accounting software to handle the books of an NPO is like struggling to fit a square peg in a round hole. Their differences are so significant that without major customizing, for-profit software just can't handle NPOs' unique accounting needs. * NPO ACCOUNTING SOFTWARE should be able to accommodate, among other things, multiple self-balancing funds, encumbrance accounting and special reports to meet FASB and/or GASB requirements. * WHEN YOU EXAMINE PRODUCTS, you'll probably find that you'll have to make some trade-offs when it comes to software functions. * EACH PACKAGE HAS GOOD and bad features. But in some cases, features this review gave low marks to may not be critical to the way you use the software. Features that were highly rated may not be important to you. Your needs should dictate which product is right for you. * WHATEVER YOU DO, before buying, run comprehensive evaluations. It is not good enough to trust the claims of a vendor. Test the product with data typical for your organization. ROBERTA ANN JONES, CPA, PhD, is an associate professor of accounting at California Polytechnic State University This article is about the university in San Luis Obispo, California. For Cal Poly Pomona, see California State Polytechnic University, Pomona. California Polytechnic State University, commonly called Cal Poly , San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo (săn l `ĭs ōbĭs`pō), city (1990 pop. 41,958), seat of San Luis Obispo co., S Calif., near San Luis Obispo Bay; inc. 1856. .
Her e-mail address See Internet address. e-mail address - electronic mail address is roajones@calpoly.edu See .edu. (networking) edu - ("education") The top-level domain for educational establishments in the USA (and some other countries). E.g. "mit.edu". The UK equivalent is "ac.uk". . |
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