The Benefits of FUND Management in Public Service Organizations

DonorExpress started as a volunteer project for a domestic violence shelter in Boone, North Carolina, in 1992. It has since been developed with a user-friendly interface that increases effectiveness and success in donor management for nonprofit organizations and public services that want to build better relationships with donors.

In a recent interview, DonorExpress’ CEO Bob Holder discussed the evolution of donor management, the benefits of the right software, and how DonorExpress and Cougar Mountain Software can build effective relationships with donors.

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Denali’s FUND Integrated Modules Offer Organizational Peace of Mind to Local Government Agencies and Public Service Providers

Cougar Mountain Software’s Denali FUND is fully integrated, affordably priced public services accounting and financial management software designed exclusively for public service and government agencies. Denali FUND abides by Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP), as mandated by the Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB), so it’s built to meet your organization’s unique needs.

Our complete accounting package includes nine software modules that combine to form a complete accounting package for your accounting needs. And each module has unique benefits that can help you manage your organization.

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The Right Software Manages Risks and Keeps You Accountable in the Event of an Audit

When you keep an audit trail, you’re affirming to your town, city, or county that your government accounting practices are legal, legitimate, and transparent. For government agencies and city services, audit trails are invaluable.

Audit trails mean something different to every industry (from local government to nonprofits and health care). But at its core, an audit trail is a chronological record of all the transactions and documents that affect your operations, procedures, and events. And maintaining these records is vital for several reasons.

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Error-Prone and Unreliable Spreadsheets Are Dangerous to Nonprofit Organizations

Think about it: Without software, your cell phone, computer, and television would just be boxes of circuits and hardware. Software lights and heats your home, and powers your city’s water supply — it’s incredibly powerful. So when Tim Worstall, Fellow at the Adam Smith Institute and Forbes contributor, called Microsoft Excel “the most dangerous software on the planet,” he had a good reason.

According to Worstall, spreadsheet-heavy software like Excel is too difficult to manage. “It’s handled in such a slapdash manner that no one is really on top of it anymore.” A lack of controls, inaccurate information, and manually copy-pasted numbers within spreadsheets are too often to blame for financial errors.

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Think Like a Business to Attract Donors, Acquire Board Members, and Keep Your Organization on Track

It’s easy to think about your nonprofit organization by its mission, values, and impact on your community. Each of those factors is vital to the continued success of the organization. But just because a nonprofit is a “nonbusiness entity,” doesn’t mean your nonprofit organization can’t borrow tips and techniques from profitable businesses. And like any business, big or small, your nonprofit organization needs a business plan.

Without a business plan, you’ll have a hard time obtaining loans and grants, attracting corporate donors, meeting qualified board members, and keeping your organization on track. A business plan is the foundation for your organization — the who, what, when, where, and how you’re going to make a positive impact. In drafting, revising, and updating your business plan, you’ll need to cover all your bases.

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