Putting in Place a Non-Profit ERP System to Support Your Mission: Important Factors and Features

Non-profit organizations have grown in today’s time. It needs dedication and proper management for all the processes and tasks. Effective management system is the key to success in any organization. Sometimes it gets hard to manage all the activities in a non-profit organization. Keeping a track record of volunteers, donations and other things becomes hard. This ERP which is Enterprise Resource Planning can help a non-profit organization a lot. 

From managing fund donations to keeping performance records of volunteers, it can provide all the support that a non-profit organization can need. Now Enterprise Resources Planning has become a crucial part of every organization. We can say that it balances every department through technology resources. Today in this blog post we will discuss how to choose the right ERP application for your non-profit organization and what factors you should consider while selecting. So let’s dive into this here:

What is a Non-Profit ERP System?

Before understanding the non-profit ERP system we understand the ERP system. ERP (Enterprise Resources Planning) is a software that helps an organization to manage its activities such as company’s finance, human resources, production, etc. While talking about non-profit ERP, the system is also the same and offers support to the organization by offering top management and tracking tools for a non-profit organization’s donation, volunteer performance record, and much more. It makes most of the tasks easy to manage and offers top solutions. Using a non-profit ERP system can offer lots of help for the organization.

Top tips to Select the Right ERP System for Your Non-Profit

Choosing the right ERP system for your non-profit organization is important for better performance. Let’s explore some tips to choose the best enterprise resource planning solution for non-profit organizations here: 

• You should first understand your company’s mission and goal. Every organization wants to reach somewhere and by identifying that goal along with the mission you can choose the best ERP system.
• Along with this focus on your business process and work level. 
• Identify which functions you need in your non-profit ERP system.
• Design your budget for a non-profit ERP system.

What is Your Mission?

As a non-profit organization, you would have a mission to accomplish. If you want to select the best ERP system for your non-profit organization you need to find out your mission. Find what impact as a non-profit organization you want to leave in the society positively and what positive changes you want to bring in the world for the betterment of the world.

What is Your Goal for the Software?

Apart from your organization’s mission, identifying your company’s goals is also important in the selection process of the non-profit ERP system. For your goal, you need to ask yourself why you need an ERP system for your non-profit organization and what process you want to improve in your non-profit company. As a non-profit organization, you would have to choose the best ERP system as the management process should be top-notch.

Benefits and Drawbacks of Application Size

Enterprise resource planning is a helpful tool for the organization that manages most of the complex processes of your non-profit organization with its innovative and high-technology features. Sometimes it can be expensive as more features, technology, and size of the application increase the cost of production. 

If you want to decrease the cost of the application, you should identify your most important needs and priorities. You have to design your budget and funds availability before investing in the ERP system. Along with this an advanced ERP system manages most of the non-profit organization tasks effectively. From managing finance work to volunteer performance records, it can be your company’s helping hand.

Things to Keep in Mind When Choosing ERP?

Choosing an ERP system can be a daunting task because in the process you have to focus on most of the things that matter to your non-profit organization. Let’s explore some important things to keep in my while selecting an ERP system for your non-profit organization here:

Business Needs

Business needs are among the top things that you should focus on when choosing an ERP system. Analyze your non-profit organization’s requirements. Check all the departmental processes and issues of management that they are facing and select the ERP system accordingly.

Management Support

To select an ideal enterprise resources planning system for your non-profit organization you will need the support of your management system. In a non-profit organization, there are lots of people in the upper positions whose suggestions and support matter a lot in the selection of an ERP system for your organization.

Department Needs

In a non-profit organization, there will be every department needs that you have to focus on while selecting the ERP system for the company. You should go through each department whether it is finance or human resource. Ask managers about the needs of the department and what problems they are facing in the operation of the company. It will help you a lot in ERP system solutions.

Functionalities

Every ERP system has many different functions and tools that help in the management of the organization. For your non-profit organization you should find out what functions and features are required and crucial for the business process. 

Integration Flexibility

Flexibility of the ERP system integration also matters a lot. If your non-profit organization has an existing system then you should select the ERP system that can integrate with your existing company software easily.

Budget

Budget is the most important factor to consider for ERP system selection. Everything depends upon your budget. The more budget you will invest, the more high-capacity ERP systems you will get. There are lots of under-budget ERP systems for your needs that can be customized accordingly.

ERP Cost for Non-Profit

There are lots of ERP systems that are available at different costs. Some also depend upon your requirements. If you need more features and a high support system for your organization then it can cost you more. There are some ERP system services that start from $10/month along with free demo. You can also ask for customization from the vendor. They will design ERP according to your needs. It will take some additional cost.

Conclusion

ERP should be used in companies because it is a useful tool to manage most of the business process. Talking about the ERP system for a non-profit organization is essential for it. By using an ERP system for non-profit organizations you can keep track of work and volunteers. You can also manage all the finances and donations with this. By focusing on all the considerations mentioned you can choose the best ERP system for your non-profit organization.