Cougar Mountain Software — CMS FUND

Cougar Mountain’s strength in flexibility has long been best realized
in the customization options for its products. CMS FUND uses a 45-digit account
number structure, allowing for six segments to track unlimited funds. User-defined
fields abound with simple import/export functions. Custom programming is available
from CMS to further tailor CMS FUND to an agency’s specific needs.

MODULES/SCALABILITY – 5 Stars
The base CMS FUND is designed for small to mid-sized organizations, offering
GL (including fund, grant tracking and budgeting functionality) and Bank modules
as a base. Budgeting and FASB 116 and 117 reports are also included with CMS
FUND. For smaller organizations, this may be enough, as other optional modules
can be added as needed.

Cougar Mountain offers the CMS FUND Revenue Center for fundraising, thrift
store or mail order operations of an organization to fill needs with Inventory,
Order Entry and AR modules. For a more complete package, the CMS FUND Suite
includes full modules for AP, GL, PO, BR and Payroll.

Add-ons are also available for Aatrix Tax Forms, Advanced Bill of Materials,
BarTender Label generator (Bar Coding), CMShip for FedEx and UPS, Credit Card
Authorization, CRM Bridge to ACT!, CMS Total eCom (online sales), Fixed Assets,
GL Report Generator, Merchant Transaction Services, PDF Blaster (mass e-mail;
the Lite version is included with CMS Fund), POS Hard-ware, R&R ReportWorks
Infinity, Single Point (Remote Access), and Tax Updates. Considering all options,
CMS Suite is extremely adept to handle many different operations while offering
the fund accounting foundation to meet an organization’s financial needs.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY – 5 Stars
CMS FUND provides full account-ing for an unlimited number of funds, departments
or grants, and easily handles inter-fund transfers, fund balancing, and multiple
grants with varied year ends. A 36-month calendar allows for flexibility in
closing and reporting. Cougar Mountain also offers consolidation for multiple
organizational needs.

Allocations can be made by fixed cash or fixed percentage, allowing posting
to unlimited accounts. The Purchase Order module offers options to track encumbrances
and manage budgets more effectively. Paperless functionality was added this
year with the ability to attach documents within the main record windows. By
simply clicking on an attachment within most record screens, you can add pertinent
documentation to your file. Another paperless enhancement is the PDF Blaster
integration. As previously noted, PDF Blaster Lite is included, allowing users
to e-mail and fax 30 invoices, statements and notices per month. The full version
is available as an add-on and offers unlimited e-mail and faxing capability.

This year’s new version release is focued on ease of information retrieval
and the ability to do more functions from just one screen. The latest version
offers numerous new features in inventory and payroll, along with tighter security
for credit card processing.

REPORTING – 4.5 Stars
CMS FUND includes all necessary GAAP financial statements as well as audit trail,
operations analysis and basic budget reports. The addition of the GL Report
Generator module allows customization of all standard reports, custom report
creation and scheduling of recurring reports. By incorporating the R&R ReportWorks
Infinity add- on, complete customization and multiple report views are available.

Specialty reporting, such as the Snapshot reports, offer quick access to management
information, such as the ability to print financial data based on a period or
date range in the GL module. Or for AR, a user can quickly pull a report by
period that outlines the top 10 customers or the top 10 delinquent customers.
The ability to reprint posting reports is also a nice addition.

SUPPORT/HELP – 5 Stars
Telephone Support is available from 6:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. (Mountain Time) Monday
through Friday. Cougar Mountain also offers the online Customer Service Center,
which provides efficient access to product documentation, e-learning tools,
product news, updates and downloads.

Training is available at CMS locations, onsite and online. E-Learning video
training options and other resources are available from their Customer Service
Center. Software Assurance packages provide access to additional resources,
upgrades, technical support and discounted training. CMS also offers additional
packages for more computer or accounting assistance your organization may need,
including installation, wellness and phone support plans.

RELATIVE VALUE – 5 Stars
Cougar Mountain pricing includes Software Assurance. CMS FUND is priced at $2,245
(single-user) and $4,647 (multi-user). CMS FUND Suite is available for $4,887
(single-user); $7,047 (multi-user). Add-on module pricing varies. Cougar Mountain
is an exceptional value and offers excellent nonprofit functionality to small
and mid-sized organizations with features often found in higher-end packages.

2009 OVERALL RATING: