Introduction
Charities can receive donations in several systems such as a website, JustGiving and other payment systems such as:
- Stripe
- PayPal
- JustGiving
- (GoCardless)
Charities may then need to reconcile with:
- Bookkeeping software
- Donation management software
Background
Prospero Software has been able to solve this using:
- Documentation on SharePoint both for Prospero and for the client
- Problem solving techniques
- SQL Server database
- Integration services - for data integrating data
Solution
Prospero Software has worked with a client to research the necessary reports to export from each piece of software. It is then possible to record matches on each side either using references numbers by matching dates and values.
Reconcile in Excel - not best
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
- Difficult
- Time consuming
- Subject to errors
- Due to difficulty it may be done less often
Note: There are fewer payouts to bookkeeping so this would be easier
Software solution - better
Bringing the exports into a database makes it a lot easier to reconcile:
- Fewer steps making it easier and quick
- Repeatable
- Iterative development for both quality and feature
- May be done more regularly - improving organisation intelligence
- Future features
- Analysis - possibly Power BI
- Makes it easier to work with gift aid
- Adjacent possible:
By introducing a database and software you introduce the possibility of solving other data issues, increasing automation, and reducing costs while improving information supply.
As a nonprofit the database costs may fall within the cost of your cloud credit. See: Benefits for nonprofits