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The Nonprofit CFO's Survival Guide 9 In the mission-driven nonprofit world, accounting and financial management can sometimes slip down the priority list. It's not always easy to allocate budget dollars to backoffice infrastructure that doesn't directly support the nonprofit agenda, and it's even harder to find the time and expertise to make it all work. Consider some of the obstacles: • Capital investment for so ware and hardware • Facilities and expert personnel to implement and maintain the system • Lengthy deployment cycles • Capacity / scalability • Reliability / availability These issues aren't part of most nonprofit organization's core competencies. That's why many nonprofits are increasingly turning to new-generation cloud-based solutions to automate financial management. Cloud-based financials enable the application vendor to deliver shared, scalable services that the nonprofit agency can access over the Internet using a web browser or mobile device. There's no need to buy, own, license, understand, manage, or control the underlying hardware, so ware, or data / networking infrastructure that supports the financial infrastructure. Cloud services are typically delivered on a term-based subscription basis, eliminating the need for upfront so ware licensing fees or major purchases of hardware. The result is cost-effective, anytime, anywhere managed access. "Let's face it—nonprofits want to deliver programs, not buy technology," said Tiso. "They typically lag private enterprises in their technology adoption and usage, and hold onto technology longer because they don't want the expense and the distraction that comes from complex technology implementations. Cloud technology lets them sidestep those hurdles." "All of our chapters can access our cloud-based financials," said Jones. "We have volunteers working all over the world at all hours of the day and night. With our system, they access the same world-class financial foundation that many companies use. Our board and our chapter leaders have real-time access to reports, registrations, metrics, and analyses. That means we're constantly on top of our operation and can make strategic decisions faster. For us, the cloud is critical. It's the only way to go." Cloud financials are absolutely key to running a nonprofit today. James Linday, Vice President and CFO, Great Books Foundation "Cloud financials are absolutely key to running a nonprofit today," said Linday. "Now we can eliminate lots of manual work, be more productive, and eliminate all of those capital investments. This is a predictable, flat operating expense, and we save at least $30,000 a year this way." In nonprofit financial management, survival depends on predictable costs, a reliable infrastructure, and world-class functionality.

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