Intuit - QuickBooks Accounting Premier Nonprofit Edition 2009

From the Nov. 2009 Review of Not-for-Profit Accounting Programs.

With QuickBooks’ dedicated focus on small businesses, it’s no secret that it has quickly become the product of choice for small business owners. When Intuit began adding industry-specific versions and opening up the product through its SDK, it spread to even more markets. QuickBooks Accounting Premier Nonprofit Edition 2009 successfully combines the ease of QuickBooks with industry-specific functionality that will suit smaller nonprofit organizations very well.

EASE OF USE/FLEXIBILITY-
Upon installation, users will choose the Nonprofit Edition of QuickBooks. The Easy Step Interview feature guides users through a series of relevant screens ranging from company information to fiscal year to organization type. The QuickBooks user interface is easily navigated, with functions segregated into related centers. Each center displays a workflow diagram where system functions can be accessed, or the drop-down menu at the top of the screen can be utilized. The Nonprofit selection displayed on the toolbar offers access to all nonprofit-specific activities.

While QuickBooks continues to add updated functions in each product release, the program has retained its easy navigation, with several options available to customize the user interface to suit any business or organization. Organizations that are outgrowing QuickBooks Premier can easily migrate to QuickBooks Enterprise, which offers a more robust financial solution and increased user capability.

MODULES/SCALABILITY-
QuickBooks Accounting Premier Nonprofit Edition 2009 contains GL, AP, AR, Inventory, Time Tracking, Audit Trail, Purchase Orders, and Customizable Reports. A Nonprofit option is available that provides access to nonprofit-specific features and functions. Organizations can track valuable customer/donor information, accept credit cards and customize forms for a more professional appearance. And as previously noted, the product line offers scalability through it Enterprise edition.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY-
QuickBooks Accounting Premier Nonprofit Edition 2009 contains several system enhancements, including the ability to run reports while in multi-user mode and the multi-user chat. The Company Snapshot offers a real-time view of an organization, including money owed, bills to pay, and necessary tasks to be completed. The new Online Banking feature allows users to easily download transactions from any bank account, making it easier than ever to maintain real-time cash availability.

The addition of Accountants Tools makes it easy to work directly with an accountant. The Client Data Review in the Accountant Edition (which can be used with the Nonprofit Edition) allows the accountant to assist with finding and correcting data errors, and importing client data is now easier than ever. Nonprofit-specific features include options to set up a budget, enter donations, enter pledges, and the ability to send follow-up letters to donors. Letter templates can be customized as needed. From the nonprofit selection, users can also make deposits, enter and pay bills, and write checks. When setting up an industry-specific edition of QuickBooks, the system swaps out all common names with nonprofit related names, so donation receipt forms will actually say ‘donation’ at the top of the form. Also of use to many users will be the multi-currency feature.

QuickBooks works with a variety of add-ons and third-party applications, including the Remote Access feature, which starts at $3.95 per month.
QuickBooks also offers a free three-page website, with 12 months of free hosting. More than 2,000 web templates are available from which to choose, along with 100+ sample sites for various industries.