Why Nonprofits need a secure, scalable, and user-friendly ERP suite to plan and deliver impact
Among operational obstacles such as legacy systems, poor integration of data, and fragmented processes, nonprofits need a software suite that is also secure, scalable, and user-friendly. These are concerns not just for nonprofit leaders but for a non-profit’s invaluable workforce and volunteers.
Without a secure, scalable, and user-friendly operational and planning solution for finance, HR and projects, users will struggle to provide the service and impact nonprofits need, and organizations will struggle to attract staff, let alone volunteers, without an accessible solution.
In this blog, we will explore why a secure, scalable, and user-friendly solution is a vital consideration for modern nonprofits, how it enables users, and why Unit4 ERP and FP&A are the perfect choice – keep reading to find out more.
Three obstacles to nonprofit project delivery
ERP software presents a unique opportunity for nonprofit organizations to leverage technology to manage their resources, and when empowered with data they gain visibility of resources and data that is key to planning.
Beyond operational planning, nonprofits can use a Financial Planning & Analysis solution to also plan their finances, including grants and donations - a vital requirement in modern environments that are unpredictable and volatile, exasperated by reduced funding and financial support for nonprofits.
This said, there are three considerations that nonprofits must seek to satisfy when selecting an ERP provider, to ensure that operations can go off unhitched.
Security
Naturally, nonprofits deal with some sensitive information, whether that’s employee data, financial data, or even protected details around projects and grants.
Projects will never succeed and trust will be lost with grant bodies if security and transparency is not guaranteed. This can become an issue when relying for example on siloed Excel spreadsheets, which can host multiple versions of the truth including siloed offline or online copies.
Security particularly suffers with the disparate and fragmented systems that legacy operations with siloed data rely on, with so many files and data changing hands, and little to no security to protect them from increasingly innovative cybercriminals. In the Cloud, nonprofits can ensure data security by delegating this responsibility to the Cloud provider.
Click to read Optimize Your Funding Allocation with ERP 2 - Gated
Scalability
Ensuring the ERP software you choose meets today’s challenges is important, of course, but should your nonprofit's needs grow in the coming years, your initial investment in ERP will deteriorate, requiring even more investment in the future.
Moreover, your ERP software must enable users to easily extend and innovate within your ERP successfully, as operations, compliance, and needs change as you grow. Operational or financial planning will suffer if your operations cannot adapt to the plans you make.
User experience
User experience is key not just for productivity, but for employee and volunteer satisfaction. If the tech and processes you provide key personnel with aren’t easy to use it will be hard to retain or attract the talent needed. Vitally, you must listen to your end-users to understand what they need to be effective.
Ensuring you choose an ERP system with integrated data in the Cloud can enable simple collaboration, and ensure all users work with the same information and truth. Automation and AI can help users eradicate fatiguing manual data entry, while pre-built templates and workflows make compliance and financial reporting simple.
Why Unit4’s ERP suite is the secure, scalable, and user-friendly solution nonprofits need
Unit4 solutions make resource management simple, providing a clear view of utilization across programs and projects and visibility of assets, so you can allocate your people and resources efficiently.
With our baseline budget setting feature, you can establish a solid foundation for your nonprofit’s financial planning. Set clear targets and benchmarks and build a roadmap that aligns with your nonprofit’s goals and priorities.
But we understand that impactful programs go beyond financial planning. That's why our software solution offers comprehensive people, grant, and budget planning capabilities too. With this holistic approach, you can align your resources, allocate grants strategically, and plan for success.
With pre-built, out-of-the-box templates specifically designed for nonprofit planning, you can streamline your processes by leveraging these templates, ensuring that your programs are set up quickly and efficiently and are pre-built with your users needs in mind.
Unit4’s high security standards ensure that data is only accessible based on role so in case of any confidential activity you can hide information and make it visible only to the right people.
Unit4’s Industry Mesh makes importing timelines from your programs effortless, enabling you to seamlessly integrate with your CRM system, for smooth program set-up and coordination. You can easily access donor information, manage relationships, and ensure that your programs are tailored to meet their needs.
Our ERP and FP&A solutions are scalable and provide a trustworthy software solution to take care of the technology so you can focus on making a positive impact – consult our datasheet to learn how.
Discover the power of our Unit4 and embark on a journey to retain and grow your digitally empowered Nonprofit workforce, just talk to sales today!
