Sage Software -- Sage MIP Fund Accounting

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

For more than 25 years, Sage MIP Fund Accounting has been serving the needs
of nonprofits with excellence; this year is no exception. With many enhancements,
particularly the Visual Analyzer tool, Sage MIP is worthy of consideration by
any nonprofit organization.

EASE OF USE/FLEXIBILITY – 5 Stars
The user interface consists of drop-down menus and a vertical Navigator on the
left of the screen, both allowing access to modules. Once modules are selected,
workflow diagrams appear to point users to the individual activities. The screens
are crisp, colorful and easy to understand. To the right of the activity screen,
the user will find access to the Process Manager and Help. The Process Manager
allows users to add links to any process for customized workflow. Tabs at the
bottom of the screen allow toggling between activities in progress.

Sage MIP can serve the needs of virtually any type of nonprofit, including
Animal Welfare; Arts, Culture and Humanities; Environmental and Conservation;
Faith-Based; Foundations; Health and Hospitals; Higher Education; Human and
Social Services; Independent, Charter and Private Schools (K-12); National Organizations;
and State, Local and Tribal Governments.

MODULES/SCALABILITY – 5 Stars
Modules available to add as needed are GL, AR, AP, Grant Administration, Visual
Analyzer, Allocations Management, Multicurrency, Budget, Payroll, Electronic
Requisitions, Direct Deposit, Purchase Orders, Fixed Assets, Encumbrances, Advanced
Security, Inventory Control, Forms Designer, Sales Order Entry, Data Import/Export,
Scheduler, Electronic Funds Transfer, Data Consolidation, GASB 34 and Bank Reconciliation.

Sage MIP also offers an Executive View so decision makers can have access
to reports and budget without the full package. Although Sage Fundraising products
are stand-alone, each one is excellent and available with varying degrees of
functionality to fit the needs of small to large organizations. With strategic
business partnerships, solutions are also available for utilities, tax authorities,
schools, donor management and economic development agencies. Sage MIP Fund Accounting
includes SQL 2005 Express to support the database, but it can also be utilized
on SQL Server (purchased separately) for larger organizations.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY – 5 Stars
Sage MIP offers automatic fund balancing and multi-year grant management capabilities.
The Grant Administration module expands these capabilities to manage the details,
including customizable fields for attributes unique to each organization. The
Encumbrance module monitors and allows controlled spending at any level, including
individual funding sources, grants, programs, or other GL account segments.
The Allocations Management module allows for the same flexibility in assigning
costs based on variable criteria with fixed or dynamic percentage options.

The Visual Analyzer module provides an interactive dashboard view of key financial
data. All analyses offer drill-down capabilities to further review details in
real time. On the way to an organization’s paperless office, Sage MIP
allows attachment of source documents at the transaction level. Import/Export
capabilities make integration options more abundant. A few of the new enhancements
this year include the Recurring Manager (allows processing of percentage- and
amount-based recurring documents percentage-based recurring documents), sizable
navigator and process manager panels to customize individual workspace preferences,
and streamlined backup and login procedures.

REPORTING – 5 Stars
Sage MIP Fund Accounting’s Report Manager offers more than 140 standard
reports, including FASB 117 and GASB-compliant reports. Line assignments for
form 990 are required when setting up the chart of accounts, and reporting is
standard to meet this compliance need. All reports can be run over multiple
fiscal years. Regeneration of standard reports is simple using the Report Binder,
eliminating querying each time. Reports can be previewed, printed, e-mailed,
exported to Excel or saved in PDF format. Chart generation is also available
for main financial statements.

SUPPORT/HELP – 5 Stars
In-product Help is very complete with dynamic suggestions and web integration.
Client Care Maintenance and support plans include unlimited telephone and e-mail
support incidents, payroll tax updates and access to an online knowledgebase,
user forums and product upgrades released during contract. Training is available
through Sage University and through a network of local business partners that
offer onsite support, training and expertise.

RELATIVE VALUE – 5 Stars
Pricing for a single-user Sage MIP system begins at under $3,000 with additional
modules starting at $495. Although originally designed for the mid-market, the
structure and pricing make it a great value to any nonprofit organization. Sage
MIP Fund Accounting again proves itself as a dynamic, versatile powerhouse in
the not-for-profit accounting sector. Any size organization can benefit from
its attention to the details of fund accounting, allowing the organization to
concentrate on the details of its mission.

2009 OVERALL RATING: