Nonprofit organizations are often on tight budgets. Every dollar spent must be thought out and accounted for. Not every nonprofit can afford to hire a professional accountant, and many nonprofits rely on in-house accounting methods. If you don't have the funds to hire a professional, free accounting software can help guide your organization in the right direction.
Free Accounting Software Options for Nonprofits
When considering a free accounting program for your nonprofit organization, keep in mind what tasks you need the program to perform and if there are any specific reports you are interested in producing. Every program has something different to offer so choose the one that will best match your needs.
Nonprofit Treasurer
As its name suggests, Nonprofit Treasurer was created specifically to meet the needs of small nonprofit organizations, such as parent-teacher associations, homeowners associations, professional association chapters, youth sports clubs, and more. With its integrated reporting and budgeting tools, this program is this free and easy-to-use. It is designed to make life easier for volunteer treasurers and other board members when it comes to financial management and oversight, along with all nonprofit accounting needs.
GNUCash
This free software program can be useful for small nonprofit organizations. It is an open source program that has some characteristics of Quicken and some small business accounting features. This software will allow you to create a multitude of reports, but you may need to export some data in Excel to complete them. You can use this software on Windows, Mac, or Linux systems.
Adminsoft Accounts
This software is a full double-entry accounting system and even allows you to manage payroll if needed. It will run on any system running a Windows platform and on Mac or Linux machines in certain situations.
BS1 Free Accounting
BS1 software works for small businesses and allows you to establish your files in different currency formats, which would allow you to manage international billing or purchasing. You can also create user-defined financial statements. You can upgrade for a fee to get your software customized if you would like.
Lazy8 Ledger
This free accounting program is a double-entry accounting program that is designed for users who are knowledgeable about bookkeeping practices. Your organization can also follow receipts and payments automatically. This program can also run on Windows, Linux, and Mac systems.
LedgerLite
This free accounting software by Responsive Software runs on Windows systems. This shareware program is a double-entry ledger system that can be scaled upward as your organization grows. One of the benefits for non-profit organizations is that you can also calculate account balances when you want rather than only on a quarterly or yearly calendar.
FrontAccounting ERP
This is an open source solution for small businesses, making it a good option for nonprofit organizations. This program lets you keep up with bank accounts, general ledgers, and different reports. You can have multiple user access and can use this program on Windows, Linux, and Mac.
ZipBooks
The free version of ZipBooks can be helpful for nonprofits looking for a software application to handle basic accounting functions. Program features include unlimited invoicing, digital payment processing via Paypal or Square, basic reports, and management of vendors and customers (such as members or donors). One bank account can be connected to the program.
Choosing the Best for Your Nonprofit
There are numerous nonprofit accounting and budgeting software programs available that can assist your organization with anything from cutting checks to preparing financial reports. Try out various programs until you find the one that works the best for your organization's financial management needs. You may find that one of the free programs listed here does everything you need, though if your group is large or has complex accounting needs, you may need to look at fee-based options such as Quickbooks or other more sophisticated business accounting software applications.
