Who Needs an Accounting Package?
What type of organization should use an accounting package? The consultants we talked to agreed: every nonprofit can benefit from one. Even if you work for a small organization that makes only a few basic transactions a month (such as deposits, withdrawals, and invoices), an application like Microsoft Excel may not be enough. Truth be told, Excel is dangerous as an accounting tool. There are no built-in safeguards to keep you from deleting a transaction or accidentally duplicating a line on a report. Learning to use new accounting software can be daunting, but in the long run it will save you a considerable amount of time. Most accounting packages allow you to create new reports (such as a cash-flow summary or Form 990 information) at a touch of a button. And many programs will update your accounts automatically when you write a check or create an invoice.
