RSMUS.comNot-For-Profit organizations have faced many challenges during this Covid-19 pandemic. Near the top of that list is how they can securely and efficiently utilize cloud software to securely and efficiently accommodate a remote work environment securely and efficiently while maintaining strong internal controls and staying within an increasingly scrutinized budget.
Across the NFP landscape, leadership is planning their next move, and while there are many options in the cloud Accounting ERP space, let’s make a case for why Business Central is the most robust and cost-effective option for Not for Profits on the market today.
Licensing – Long-Term Cost Saver
With additional budgetary scrutiny, cost matters. In the age of Subscription-based licensing, NFPs need to look beyond the sticker price of implementation cost and focus on how ongoing monthly licensing costs will impact their long-term bottom line. Most NFPs will consider Business Central along with Oracle NetSuite and Sage Intacct. There are occasions where the initial price of implementation for Sage Intacct is lower than D365 Business Central but is that initial 10-15k cost savings today worth paying 70k more per year in licensing When you consider licensing in the investment you are making, Business Central is the most cost-friendly on the market For NFPs, there is an additional 60% discount for registered 501c3 organizations which makes the 5-year cost far lower with Business Central than its competitors.
Office 365 Integration
Like most of the world, the NFP market leans heavily on Microsoft Office to keep its organization running. Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central was built to operate seamlessly with Office 365 with robust integrations to Outlook and Excel. Create an Invoice directly from a Vendor email, upload journal entries from Excel with a button, and handle your accounting system licensing now in Office365. In addition, Microsoft leverages systems you know to make the scary transition to a new accounting system easier to handle.
Ease of Customization for Unique Requirements
All Organizations have unique requirements that Out of Box accounting systems do not have the bandwidth to support. F example, some organizations are required to track W-9 dates for Vendors. Additionally, users may need additional fields for Vendors/Donors for reporting purposes and integration between a 3rd party software and the accounting system. These are a few ways Business Central can meet the ever-changing needs of Not-for-Profit organizations. With assistance from our Application Development team, it can take only a few hours to add fields for visibility/reporting or a few dozen for integration with a 3rd party tool.
Microsoft’s Commitment to Improvement
At every event, Microsoft has emphasized its commitment to improving Business Central for its user base. With two major updates and at least 10 minor updates to D365 Business Central every year, Microsoft is committed to rapidly improving the application. The need for customers to schedule involved upgrades is a thing of the past, as Microsoft allows you to schedule these updates at your convenience and let them do the rest. We each update, Microsoft is enhancing Business Central’s functionality making it the fastest-growing solution on the market today. However, the knowledge that no ERP is perfect and want to hear from customers and partners. So, how do they do this? By including a link to their ERP Suggestion page directly in the system, allowing all of us to put ideas now in front of Microsoft’s engineers and, with enough votes, watch our ideas come to life in newer releases that make the system work better for everyone.
