3 Reasons Why Your NFP Needs Sage Intacct
If this looks like you (or this is just what it feels like), we can help.
Author note: I asked my AI companion for some good hooks to increase engagement on our blog posts and this one really filtered to the top. Why did I use AI? The reality is I found myself trapped. Unable to write. Reaching for my next hit off the AI bong. It just makes it so easy right? But I know this too well to need to rely on AI. Instead, I’m going to do this the old-fashioned way, typing my words with my fingers. Gonna make Mavis Beacon proud! (I know it’s legit because I had double blue lines in Microsoft Word all over this thing!)
We are often asked: why should a not-for-profit organization (NFP) add Sage Intacct to their tech stack?
In my experience it comes down to a bajillion small reasons but only a couple of big ones: 1) Funder reporting requirements and 2) De-centralized spend authority.
Sorry, the title of this blog post is a little misleading. There really only are two that I want to highlight here, but three sounds better for a blog post title, ya know?
No two funders are created equal.
“Dear NFP doing the great work that the rest of us wish we had in us in to deliver. Here is $50.00 in support of your worthy cause. Please provide a monthly report on the attached template to ensure that our objectives are aligned. Sincerely, your most generous benefactor.” Sound familiar?
So what do you do? Create a new GL account (or 7). Maybe a new program or project or segment. Commit to training your AP Clerk to understand the difference between Junior Employment Initiative 2026 and 2026 Employment Initiative for Jrs? Monitor every posting even if you yourself are unsure? Hope that your annual report is accepted? Hope that the Program Manager doesn’t dispute it? Hope that adding a line to your excel tracking sheet doesn’t break your VLOOKUP? Hope that the funds already landed in your bank before you sent them out the door?
How does Intacct help?
1) Customizable reporting. By having each line item that enters your GL coded with various segments, you can have a tonne of permutations and combinations of reports available to you through the native core reporting engine.
Does one funder consider IT “Support Admin” but another consider it “Professional Services”? Use custom account groups to present your data the way each deems it appropriate.
Does one Program Manager refer to IT services as “Computer Expense”? Use account labels.
Does one funder want to see YTD but another Trailing 12? Use Reporting Periods.
Does one Funder want to see Calendar Year but another more interested in Fiscal? Use Reporting Periods.
2) Sage Intacct’s tabular access to it’s GL allows you to easily and repeatably flex for changing needs; without having to change your core.
De-centralized spend authority.
Whoever said the Finance team should decide who spends what when? I think it was the people who decided to lock out decision makers from real-time visibility of their financial performance. I used to be the Controller of a medium-sized business here in Edmonton, and I was also “in-charge” of “approving” AP bills. How would I ever know if the Computer Services bill was in line with the agreement made with our IT department? How could I ever say yes to a 5K bar bill in Nashville?
How does Sage Intacct help?
1) By allowing Managers to have restricted access to real-time filtered access to dashboards and reports, no one can be surprised when they are over their budget.
2) By including managers in the AP bill approval. Finance can shift accountability down to the people who are making the day to day spend decisions.
3) Frees Finance to focus on it’s core functions: Balance sheet recs, cash management and compliance.
I’m not here to tell you that Sage Intacct is the saviour to all the pressure points a well run Finance team face (yes you still have to do month-end) but what I can say is that it goes a really long way in freeing up capacity within your team. The platform was literally made for this.
