CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020 - 10

REVIEW: NONPROFIT ACCOUNTING SYSTEMS
Aplos Nonprofit Software	
STRENGTHS:
* Offers complete fund accounting capability
* Donor management and
fundraising tools included
* Affordable pricing for all
nonprofits
* Custom Report Builder
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* No grant management module
* Account segments only in
Advanced Accounting
* No Due To/Due From
capability

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

www.aplossoftware.com
fund accounting capabilities.
The latest version of Aplos offers numerous
system additions and enhancements including the
ability to attach files to A/R, A/P, journal entries, and
bank reconciliations.
Aplos Suite subscription pricing starts at $59 per
month for the complete suite of features, and supports
up to 2 system users and up to 500 contacts, with an
option to purchase additional contacts in blocks of
1,000 for $10 per month per block. Additional user
licenses can also be purchase for $10 per month. An

FastFund Nonprofit Accounting	
FastFund Nonprofit Accounting
from Araize is best suited for
small nonprofit organizations
and government entities. Offered
as an online application, FastFund
offers flexible purchasing options,
with two editions available,
Standard and Premium, and
users are able to add modules to
the Standard version or scale up to the Premium version
when necessary.

STRENGTHS:
* Two plans available
* Product support included in
the price
* Good budgeting capability
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* Does not include a separate
grant management module
* Not suitable for very large
nonprofit organizations

www.araize.com
FastFund is currently rolling out an updated user
interface for its online application, with the updated
user interface available in Administration, Fundraising, Payroll, and various Accounting features including
budgets, vendors, clients, and projects. The roll-out is
expected to be completed by mid-2020.
The Standard version of FastFund currently runs
$42 per month for a single user, with AR, AP, and Cost
Allocations modules available for an additional $19 per
module per month., The Premium edition is $94 per
month and includes the AR, AP, and Cost Allocations

Financial Edge NXT	

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.75

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21132068

Advanced Accounting bundle is also available for
$250 per month and includes Advanced Budgeting,
Recurring Transactions, and Tag Dimensions, which
can be useful for organizations that manage multiple
grant, funds, or programs. Aplos also offers a free
15-day trial for new users.

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.75

Edge NXT includes features such as G/L, A/P, A/R,
Cash Management, Purchasing, Fixed Assets, and budgeting, as well as options designed specifically for the
nonprofit market including endowment accounting,
complete restricted fund management, encumbrance
reporting, and project and grant accounting.
Offering multiple add-on options ranging from
donor management to a comprehensive fundraising
platform, Financial Edge NXT is a good option for
nonprofit organizations, associations, and government entities. The application also offers view-only

modules. The Fundraising module starts at $42.00 per
month and Payroll starts at $66.00 per month for up to
five employees, with payroll for 50 employees running
$176 per month. The monthly subscription includes
unlimited customer support by telephone, email,
and web as well as weekly training webinars and any
software enhancements and upgrades.

5

10

Denali Fund Nonprofit Accounting from Cougar Mountain
Software is a good fit for small
to mid-sized nonprofit organizations and government entities
looking for solid fund accounting
capability. Denali Fund is available as an on-premise application as well as on the cloud.
Denali Fund now offers a

APRIL 2020 ■

cleaner, more streamlined user interface that provides easy access to all installed modules, as well as
a navigation bar to the left of the screen that offers
drill down access to features. Users can also access
reporting, training videos and other frequently used
functions from the navigation bar, while the dashboard feature in Denali Fund allows admins to create
custom dashboards for each system user.
Denali is available in three packages: Basecamp,
Ascent, and Summit, or users can purchase desired

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com

2020 OVERALL RATING
Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21132073

licenses for those that need access to reports and
other information but are not responsible for adding
or editing data. If interested, sign up to view an online
demo or request a more comprehensive demo from
Blackbaud. Pricing can also be obtained directly from
Blackbaud upon request.

Cougar Mountain Denali Fund Nonprofit Accounting	www.cougarmtn.com
STRENGTHS:
* Modular structure allows users
to buy only the necessary
modules
* Offers an enhanced interface
for easier navigation
* Now offers cloud deployment
POTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* Does not offer a grants
management module
* Donor management not
included in core application

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21132070

www.blackbaud.com

Financial Edge NXT from BlackSTRENGTHS:
* Good selection of modules
baud is best suited for mid-sized
* Good integration options
nonprofit organizations and
* Grant management capability
government entities looking for
included
solid fund accounting capabilPOTENTIAL LIMITATIONS:
* Complex product setup and
ity. Accessible via the cloud, as
training required
well as from mobile platforms,
* Not suitable for smaller
Financial Edge NXT integrates
nonprofits
with a variety of other Blackbaud
applications, all designed for nonprofit organizations.
As a complete fund accounting solution, Financial

Read the full review for
this product online at:

2020 OVERALL RATING

4.75

Read the full review for
this product online at:

www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/
21132072

modules separately. Pricing for all modules and packages is available from Cougar Mountain Software upon
request, and a 60-day demo is available for those that
wish to try out the application prior to purchasing.
http://www.aplossoftware.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21132068 http://www.araize.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21132070 http://www.blackbaud.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21132073 http://www.cougarmtn.com http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com/21132072 http://www.CPAPracticeAdvisor.com
CPA_Practice_Advisor_April_2020

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