Intuit — QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition 2007

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From the Oct. 2007 Review of NFP Accounting Systems

QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition 2007, one of Intuit’s vertical editions of QuickBooks, combines the convenience of QuickBooks with basic nonprofit functionality to provide smaller nonprofit organizations with an easy way to track expenses, record donations and monitor pledges, as well as provide users with a solid financial product that can be up and running in hours, not days.

EASE OF USE/FLEXIBILITY – 5 Stars
After software installation, users can choose the nonprofit edition from the list of available program versions. In minutes, the system will reconfigure the software, and users will be able to access the sample nonprofit company for training purposes. The QuickBooks Overview and Setup function offers an overview of QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition, along with information on how to enter transactions, grants, vendors and items into the system.

Like all QuickBooks editions, the main screen contains the standard drop-down menu that provides access to all system features, including all nonprofit functions, company, vendors, customers and payroll. Below the menu bar are the QuickBooks Centers along with icons that provide access to frequently used functions. The standard QuickBooks flowchart is also found on the main screen and provides alternate access to system functions, as well. QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition is easily navigated with useful Help functionality found throughout the program. Data-entry screens are uncluttered and contain the necessary lookup options throughout.

MODULES/SCALABILITY – 4 Stars
QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition offers smaller nonprofits the ability to track donations, pledges and annual organization budgets, along with the ability to keep a handle on regular financial information. Along with nonprofit capability, QuickBooks handles bills, payments, bank reconciliation and inventory, as well. An optional payroll service is also available through Intuit. QuickBooks Nonprofit is available for both Premier and Enterprise Solutions, which makes it easy to scale up for more simultaneous users. For those converting from another system, data can be easily imported from Quicken, Peachtree, Microsoft Office Accounting or Microsoft Small Business Accounting.

FEATURES/FUNCTIONALITY – 4 Stars
QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition 2007 offers numerous system improvements, including a more efficient setup interview, better form customization, improved sales tax management, and a new search function that provides users with the ability to locate customer, vendor or financial information by entering relevant search criteria. Improved item management and improved links to both FedEx and UPS shipping programs makes it easier to track item shipments.

The Donations and Pledge screens are similar to the standard sales receipt and invoice data-entry screens that QuickBooks normally uses. Pledges can be recorded in the system and then linked to the incoming payment when received. Partial payments are easily tracked, allowing users to always know the amount that remains unpaid. Donors can be categorized by type if desired, and all donation types are supported, including cash, other assets and grants. Donor and vendor history can be viewed, including grant awards, donation and donation levels, and detailed contact information. The improved letter creation function allows for the creation of donor mailings from templates. It also enables users to create and maintain a mailing list and easily choose who should receive a letter or a donation request. The Nonprofit edition of QuickBooks uses the Unified Chart of Accounts (UCOA) that was developed by a group of nonprofit specialists. Nonprofit users may modify this default chart of accounts to meet their specific needs. Improved data integration with Microsoft Excel and Word makes it even easier to export data for spreadsheet creation and ensure better communication with donors and pledges.

REPORTING – 4.5 Stars
QuickBooks: Premier Nonprofit Edition 2007 comes with nine nonprofit-specific reports, including Biggest Donors/Grants, Donors/Grants report, Donor Contribution Summary, and Budget vs. Actual by Donors/Grants. As well, over 120 standard financial reports are available. Users can choose the date range for reports or add, delete, and edit criteria for that report. Edited reports can be saved for future access, and all reports can be exported to Excel, e-mailed, previewed or printed.