Non-profit institutions often struggle with financial obstacles, which leads them to seek grants, contributions, and other income sources, while also requiring precision and accuracy. Nonetheless, if you try to buy this software or hire a full-time accountant for your organisation, it might cost your company a bit. The following scenario is more pronounced for non-profit institutions with limited budgets to operate.
Moreover, you can find a lot of open-source and reliable, both free and paid, software on the internet. However, you need to look at several features that will address most queries for your company’s needs. For example, you can refer to transaction detection, reporting, and many more.
Nonetheless, in this blog, we will talk about the top 10 free accounting software for non-profit organizations and what features they can experience from them.
What Is Non-profit Accounting Software?
You can refer to non-profit accounting software as a kind of commercial management facility that is mainly designed to address the unique requirements of a non-profit institution. Moreover, these software operate differently compared to the for-profit software that mainly observes the benefit and loss margin.
Nonetheless, these software aims to assist non-profit organizations in regulating contributions, fund accounting, regulatory compliance, grants, and many more. Alongside, they can also manage liability and transparency to their stakeholders and donors.
Benefits of Using Free Non-profit Accounting Software
If you use free non-profit accounting software, it can offer you several benefits for your non-profit organization. Moreover, this software is ideal for mid to small-sized non-profit institutions that run on a restricted budget. Nonetheless, here are a few benefits of using free non-profit accounting tool:
Budget-friendly
The free non-profit organizations require no subscription charges, which is ideal for most non-profit organizations that have a tight budget. Also, they can free up finance for pre-eminent activities other than management charges.
Availability for Small Institutions
Free non-profit accounting system is highly accessible to churches, smaller non-profits, and small groups without requiring a robust financial investment. Nonetheless, most of this software is user-friendly, especially for employees and volunteers without considering frameworks.
Integrated Core Facilities
Several free non-profit accounting software programs provide crucial facilities such as donation detection, budgeting devices, general commercial reporting, fund accounting, and many more.
Optimized Financial Administration
These free software activate efficient expense and income detection through assignments, funds, programs, and many more. Moreover, it can also decrease manual mistakes if we compare it to implementing spreadsheets.
Liability And Transparency
Many general accounting system programs can assist you in developing reports for several figures. For example, you can refer to donors, board meetings, auditors, and many more. Nonetheless, it can also assist you in managing reliability and compliance with donor and grant needs.
Top 10 Free Non-profit Accounting Software
1. Aplos
At the top of our list, we have the Aplos free accounting software, which is mainly ideal for non-profit institutions. Moreover, it provides all commercial administrative devices and facilities that you might require for your non-profit organization. Also, with these facilities, you can detect donations, regulate grants, and remain compliant with policies.
With this free software, organizations can streamline their commercial procedure and highlight transparency to their stakeholders. Moreover, the whole process makes it convenient to observe their objectives. All such facilities undoubtedly make this an ideal software for non-profit institutions.
Key Features
- Donation Administration: The software can easily regulate and record donations, which include single-time gifts and recurrent donations.
- Personalized Reporting: It can develop reports that are crafted for the distinctive commercial needs of non-profit institutions.
- Incorporated Email Marketing: This facility lets its users regulate their donor conversations in a single place.
- CRM Facilities: Users can make comprehensive donor accounts for detecting conversations and historical correlation.
Pricing Details
- Premium subscription charges you $29.50 each month.
2. Xero
Another prominent free non-profit accounting software is Xero, which can provide all the necessary facilities that you might require for your non-profit institution. Moreover, this software highlights itself as a cloud-driven accounting facility that is suitable for small or mid-sized corporations.
Also, the software has several unique features, and some of them are invoice regulation, expense detection, and even assisting users to make commercial reports for their organisations. And the factor that makes it a distinctive software is its ability to emphasize engagements.
As this facility lets several users manage the system concurrently, it makes it easier for your group to operate together.
Key Features
- Payment Approval: The software can easily approve transactions or payments from donors or customers.
- Personalized Reporting: It can create reports to detect certain commercial information or make predictions, which is ideal for your business requirements.
- Bank Affinity: This free accounting software can connect to different banks for smooth transactions or payments, and reconciliation.
- File Capacity: It can save crucial files and documents safely for better accessibility.
- Integration: The software can integrate with many facilities such as banks, Mailchimp, Stripe, Shopify, and many more.
Pricing Details
- The premium subscription charges $15 each month. (Annual charges applicable).
3. Sage
A different free non-profit accounting software that we can recommend is the Sage software. Moreover, Sage Intacct mainly operates towards larger non-profit organizations that require modern financial administration efficiency. Also, the main feature of this software lies in its capacity to provide the maximum number of automation choices to its users.
Nonetheless, this software is ideal for those institutions that visualise a bigger picture with their operations. This software can also assist you in presenting the financial data of your non-profit institution. Users can also get a digital book to address most of their business problems.
Key Features
- Modern Commercial Reporting: It can develop detailed commercial reports that offer insights into your non-profit institution’s production.
- Multi-entity Administration: The software is ideal for non-profit organizations that work on a global scale. Moreover, this facility lets its users regulate the funds among different locations or establishments.
- Automation: The software has many automation features such as decreasing the manual labour needed for monthly tasks, digitalising standard accounting assignments, and many more.
- Incorporation Capacity: This software can integrate with many financial facilities such as Gusto, DonorPerfect, PayPal, and many more.
Pricing Details
- Contact the relevant authority.
4. Fresh Books
Coming up next, we have the FreshBooks account software, which is free to use and has many features that you can use for your non-profit business. Moreover, FreshBooks is ideal for those who run their non-profit organization and want to manage its operations without much unnecessary financial investment.
Nonetheless, this facility is mainly popular among users and organizations for its convenient usage and simplicity, which in turn also makes it suitable for small non-profit institutions that are running on a tight budget. Also, by using this software, you can access more features than its other competitors.
Key Features
- Detecting Funds: Users and organisations can easily track the restrained finances, which ensures that donations are legally kept.
- Time Detection: This is one of the most useful features of this software, which allows your non-profit organization to keep track of the time spent on a certain assignment.
- General Reporting: It can create basic reports that can offer an outline of an organisation’s commercial stability, despite not having complete control over the finances.
- Expense Regulation: If non-profit organizations want to manage their budget efficiently, this feature can help them detect where their finances are being transferred.
- Incorporation Capacity: The software can operate with facilities like Gusto, Hubspot, and many others.
Pricing Details
- The premium package is available for $10 every month.
5. Quicken
Another major free non-profit accounting software suggestion goes to Quicken Software, which is highly famous among non-profit institutions. And what makes this software fascinating is its capacity to become more than an accounting facility just for your business. Moreover, this particular software can also operate with a personal commercial administrative system.
The software is user-friendly for most users as they can easily navigate through the software alongside its several plausible reporting features. Nonetheless, these features can help you keep track of your commercial spending. Furthermore, it can also provide you with hints on where your finances are spent.
With all its features, this software is an ideal option for small non-profit institutions where only a few people work.
Key Features
- Automatic Detection: The software can effortlessly detect your company’s finances by implementing personalized spending groups.
- Budgeting Devices: It can also help to utilize the expense information with budgeting and predicting devices for an efficient commercial strategy.
- Personalization: Modern users can customize crafted reports to address their specific requirements.
- Predictions: You can implement the ‘what-if’ inspection feature for projecting your upcoming finances and navigating unique scenarios.
- Incorporation Feature: The software can mainly integrate with many facilities, such as PayPal and your bank accounts.
Pricing Details
- The premium subscription charges you $8.90 each month.
6. Zoho Books
You can get a lot of suggestions when it comes to finding a free non-profit accounting software; however, one reliable software that comes to mind is the Zoho Books facility. Also, this particular software is very popular among non-profit institutions for its unique and convenient features.
Furthermore, the facility, Zoho Books, presents itself as an online accounting facility that is primarily ideal for small-sized non-profit organizations. Alongside its robust collection of features, some of the most useful ones are expense detection, invoicing, commercial reporting, and many more.
Also, if you are already operating with other Zoho Books facilities, the integration becomes more accessible for its users.
Key Features
- Zoho Books Participant: By using or operating with different facilities of Zoho Books assets and services, you can easily integrate with other facilities, for instance, IT administration, HR, marketing, and many more.
- Multi-currency Accessibility: It is suitable for those non-profit organizations that operate on a global scale.
- Customer Portal: One of the major factors in a non-profit business is its transparency. Moreover, this facility lets donors observe their donations and transaction records easily.
- Incorporation Capacity: Just like other accounting software, it can integrate with facilities such as WePay, PayPal, Stripe, and other payment facilities alongside different Zoho products.
Pricing Options
- The premium package is available for $8.90 per month.
7. Realm
Alongside our other recommendations, we would also like to suggest the Realm software for non-profit accounting. Nonetheless, just like other software, this facility also carries several distinctive features that might be beneficial for your non-profit organization. For example, the software can assist you in creating innovative and responsive smartphone applications effortlessly.
Other than that, a lot of people also enjoy several features. For instance, you can refer to its basic design, efficient performance, accessibility across different platforms, and many others. Nonetheless, this facility is ideal for non-profit organizations with religious motives or churches.
Key Features
- Church Relation: It provides its users with an application that assists congregants and pastors in communicating properly and maintaining a proper engagement flow.
- Commercial Dashboard: Users can access commercial dashboards with complete insights for a neat vision of church funds.
- Donor detection: It can help you detect donors and administer contributions efficiently.
- Integration Facility: The software offers a one-stop system integration.
Pricing Details
- The premium subscription is available for $29 each month.
8. Wave
Another remarkable free non-profit accounting software suggestion that we can offer is the Wave software. Nonetheless, this non-profit facility provides free accounting services for your company. For instance, these solutions include important tools for administering the institution’s funds.
This software is suitable for small-sized non-profit organizations that are running on a low budget. Moreover, this software primarily focuses on availability and affordability as its top priority in services. Also, users can develop a profile and initiate their financial management within a few minutes.
Key Features
- Unrestricted Connections: You can link your profile with several bank accounts and credit services to meet your requirements.
- Simplistic Invoicing: You can develop and transfer invoices effortlessly.
- Administering Several Institutions: If you are managing multiple non-profit institutions, the software allows you to regulate all the operations effortlessly in a single profile.
- Integration Capacity: The software can integrate with Zapier.
Pricing Details
- The premium subscription is available for $16 each month.
9. Serenic Navigator
There are many non-profit accounting software programs you can find on the internet; however, one such reliable example is the Serenic Navigator software. This software is a cloud-driven ERP solution that is crafted for non-profit institutions and other administrative organisations.
Moreover, if your primary concern is adjustment and scalability, then you might find the Serenic Navigator an ideal choice for your non-profit organization. Nonetheless, the facility ensures regulatory compliance with standard protocols, which ultimately assists the agencies in optimizing their transparency and proficiency in their operations.
Furthermore, it is overall an excellent choice for addressing the proper needs for your non-profit organization.
Key Features
- Centralized Program: The software can access a variety of relevant facilities which including HR and IT assistance, in a single accessible place.
- Accounting Devices: This software helps you depend on efficient reporting devices that assist in detecting your funds efficiently.
- Financial Management: This non-profit accounting software regulates your finances without errors and further ensures neat and precise funding oversight.
- Incorporation Capacity: It can properly integrate with Sylogist.
Pricing Details
- Customized pricing.
10. QuickBooks
At the end of our list, we are referring to the QuickBooks software that is among the top non-profit accounting facilities. Moreover, QuickBooks offers reliable services to its services for managing accounting concerns for your non-profit organizations.
Even though you can not experience several features that you cannot find in other accounting software or its competitors, you can undoubtedly rely on QuickBooks for unique accounting services.
Key Features
- Fund Detection: The software can effortlessly classify your expenses and finances by assignments or funds. From this, users can properly track where their funds are going.
- Personalized Reports: It can create finance reports that address your non-profit requirements, which makes it convenient for reporting to stakeholders or grant appeals.
- Mobile Availability: Users can regulate their funds through their smartphone app, which lets them stay relevant and create frequent updates.
- Integration Facility: It can integrate with facilities such as Shopify, Stripe, Salesforce, Mailchimp, and many more.
Pricing Details
- The premium subscription is available for $35 each month.
Key Features to Look for in Non-profit Accounting Software
While choosing a suitable non-profit accounting software for your organisation, here are a few key features you need to consider, for example:
Fund Accounting
You need to ensure that your non-profit software lets you detect your finances and expenses by assignment, program, finance, appeal, and many more. Moreover, it also needs to make sure that confined and unrestricted finances are efficiently regulated.
Donation Detection
The following software needs to track donor funds and group them in various disciplines, such as single-time, in-kind, and recurring. Also, it can make funding receipts and year-end tax declarations.
Budgeting Devices
Your chosen software needs to support program-driven and institution-wide budgets. Nonetheless, it also needs to compare precise performance and fund amounts.
Grant Regulation
Your preferred software needs to detect grants and relevant expenses. Furthermore, it also has to make sure that finance is managed accordingly.
How to Choose The Right Free Software for Your Non-profit
Choosing the right free software will require you to follow several steps. For instance, you can refer to:
Defining Your Non-profit Requirements
You need to inquire about several things, such as whether you require funds for accounting, the number of users who will need access, whether you will need track detection, volunteers, or grants.
Setting A Growth Strategy
You need to set a growth strategy in several steps. Done instance, you can refer to software scaling with your institution, and providing paid tiers.
Highlighting Crucial Features
There are several features you need to look at, for instance, donation detection, user-friendly interface, backup choices and data security, reporting devices, and many more.
Evaluating Efficient Usage
You need to select a software that non-accountants can comprehend, look for efficient user assistance, community forums, documentation, etc.
In Conclusion
Free non-profit accounting software can offer several benefits for low-budget institutions; however, it is also important for these non-profit organizations to look for this software that is reliable and safe to use. Several free software programs might steal your data or harm your non-profit organization in some other way.
Nonetheless, despite these factors, free non-profit software also has some restrictions when it comes to offering features. Moreover, we really advise you to engage in your research and choose a software that fits your organisation’s requirements.
FAQs
Is QuickBooks a free non-profit accounting software?
Yes, QuickBooks is a free non-profit accounting software that provides several unique features for your non-profit organization.
What is the most efficient accounting strategy for non-profit institutions?
Although there is no definitive best strategy for accounting but you can refer to the accrual accounting method.
What is the ideal platform for a non-profit institution?
There are several platforms that fit the best category for a non-profit institution, such as Salesforce, Bloomerang, Qgiv, and many more.
Which facility is better between Zoho and QuickBooks?
Comparing these two facilities, QuickBooks has gained more popularity from various users for its non-profit accounting.
