I wondered if anyone could recommend a charity software which is cloud based, I need it to be able to deal with multi currency, gift aid and potentially group charities.
I have been showed Paxton but it looks rather dated and I would like to import bank statements etc.
Wouldn't recommend online for that, try sage 50, possibly pro, charities version. Go for perpetual disc version not pay as you go, no need to upgrade for donkies years so will get your monies worth. You don't need to buy from sage, lots of reputable software companies out there sell it and often cheaper than sage.
Please add your name to the signature bar, via edit your profile.
-- Edited by Cheshire on Monday 2nd of May 2016 09:44:11 AM
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
I suppose it comes down to who the cloud is more likely to benefit. Are you seeing it from your point of view? Is it so you can process bank feeds etc, or is it your client, for whatever reason want to use the cloud? I assume most cloud offerings would be up to the job (tongue in cheek) Or as mentioned by Joanne, Sage - single licence, it isn't expensive. I know some folk don't get on with Sage either, lol.
__________________
Johnny - Owner of an overly-active keyboard.
A man who can read, yet doesn't, is in no way wiser than a man who can't.
I was looking at the angle of gift aid and multi currency, ignoring bank feeds as thats pretty common with most now (sage even sage pro latest version). But not all cloud do the latter, some do it but badly. I personally use a very old version of Quick books for a charity and as its so old I just data dump to the gift aid claims. Its a doddle even in that old thing. But I could make it even easier for myself and manoeuvre it all across to sage pro but its my sage, not the charities, so when I go that might be problematic for them and frankly none of them are really that kind of software savvy. So when I leave (as I keep threatening, but they keep dragging me back!) then they can have the quick books which I can show them easily how to use in 5 minutes. You can share any reports people want to via something like dropbox.
Edited - as I forgot to add. There are software specific offerings for charities, like the one the OP suggested and a few others (some cloudy some not), but I havent used any of them. There was a post on Aweb a while back, but mostly it was just being pounced on by a variety of software sellers, with no feedback evidenced. I would be looking for independent feedback, rather than any contained on the software companies own websites.
-- Edited by Cheshire on Monday 2nd of May 2016 11:56:52 AM
__________________
Joanne
Winner of Bookkeeper of the Year 2015, 2016 & 2017
Thoughts are my own/not to be regarded as official advice,which should be sought from a suitably qualified Accountant.
You should check out answers with reference to the legal position
I know some folk don't get on with Sage either, lol.
To be fair I like Sage better now that I've used Xero. lol.
My issue with Sage is very much around their licensing, specifically the client tax.
The software sits on my machine for the same amount of time used by the same number of people so why do I have to pay more for it the more clients that I have? (that criticism also applies to every cloud supplier).
The model is clearly aimed at business owners rather than accountants so as its not aimed at me I'll stick with software that is.
Bah humbug
__________________
Shaun
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
Responses are not meant as a substitute for professional advice. Answers are intended as outline only the advice of a qualified professional with access to all relevant information should be sought before acting on any response given.
I already use sage but need something cloud based as I will be using in in the uk but I would like it to be accessed in Africa by colleagues if possible.
is there no software online that can deal with multi currency and charity reporting that's not sage? reluctant to go to software companies as feel you never get the whole picture.
It would be great if colleges could upload receipts etc when they are out of the country.
Hi Gem
I would warn against allowing colleagues to actually amend the 'accounting' data if they have no knowledge of what needs to be allocated to what nominal/cost code or indeed what is actually allowable in terms of costs etc. Too many cooks and all that. Besides what is the internet connection going to be like where staff are in Africa - you cant do anything when there is dropout. Plus you need to consider internet safety more carefully outside the UK, which Im sure you will have covered off! # Plus why would you pay for software (ie the sage you already have) and then abandon it and pay what will be a lot for cloudy based stuff, when Im sure the aims of the charity are to keep costs low? But of course that is up to you and the Accountant who has to sort the year end out.
I suspect there arent that many folk on here who do in depth charity accounts who are not using sage - certainly not come across any, although they not necessarily have the right version of sage (!). Also - if you have a look round the site, there are a lots of posts about generic cloud based software along with the fact that quite a few of us wouldnt touch it with a bargepole. But I will stand to be corrected if someone comes back on here after the holiday weekend with a cast iron recommendation that will suit all of your purposes. Plus we have no idea of the size and nature of the charity. Failing that - take a look at the usual suspects or a google search but then search for independent reviews on all of them. Remember that a lot will possibly say they are great but eg will not be using multi currencies.
