How nonprofits can bring fundraising and finance together in Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central

Fundraising and finance often share the same goal—supporting the organization’s mission—but they don’t always work from the same information.

Development teams manage donor relationships, fundraising campaigns, and gift activity. Finance teams are responsible for recording donations, managing restricted funds, producing financial reports, and demonstrating accountability to boards, donors, and grantors.

When those teams rely on separate systems, they often spend valuable time reconciling data instead of acting on it.

In a previous Sikich webinar, attendees identified data silos and duplicate data entry as two of their biggest challenges when connecting fundraising and finance. Those challenges are common when donor management and financial systems operate independently.

The better approach is to connect fundraising and finance in one integrated solution where donor activity, financial data and reporting work together.

Watch the webinar

In this session from our “Less chaos, more clarity” webinar series, Sikich and Sylogist  demonstrate how nonprofit organizations can connect fundraising and finance using Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central and Sylogist Mission ERP.

Watch the full recording to see how nonprofits can reduce duplicate data entry, improve donor visibility, automate financial processes, and create more connected reporting across fundraising and finance.

Fundraising and finance should tell the same story

Donors want to know their contributions are making an impact.

Leadership wants accurate financial reporting.

Finance teams need confidence that donations are recorded correctly.

Fundraising teams need visibility into donor relationships and campaign performance.

When each department maintains its own data, answering even simple questions can become difficult. Teams spend time exporting reports, reconciling information and verifying that everyone is working from the same numbers.

Instead of supporting better decisions, disconnected systems create unnecessary administrative work.

Eliminate duplicate work across departments

Many nonprofits still enter the same information more than once.

A donation may first be recorded in a fundraising system before someone manually enters it into the accounting system. Staff then spend additional time reconciling reports to ensure both systems agree.

Manual processes increase the likelihood of:

• Duplicate data entry
• Reporting discrepancies
• Delayed financial information
• Time-consuming reconciliations
• Greater risk of human error

Connecting fundraising and finance helps eliminate these repetitive tasks while improving confidence in the underlying data.

Give every team better visibility

Fundraising and finance answer different questions, but both depend on accurate information.

Development teams want to understand donor engagement, campaign performance, and giving history.

Finance teams need visibility into fund balances, financial activity, and reporting.

When both teams work from connected data, everyone has access to more timely and reliable information without waiting for manual reconciliation.

This creates stronger collaboration while giving leadership a more complete picture of organizational performance.

Strengthen donor stewardship and financial accountability

Building trust requires more than sending thank-you letters.

Donors increasingly expect organizations to demonstrate how contributions are being used to support the mission. Boards, auditors, and grantors expect accurate financial reporting backed by clear documentation.

A connected fundraising and finance solution helps organizations:

• Maintain accurate donor records
• Improve financial transparency
• Strengthen reporting for boards and stakeholders
• Support better stewardship of restricted funds
• Reduce reconciliation between fundraising and accounting

The result is greater confidence in both donor communications and financial reporting.

Turn connected data into better decisions

Information becomes more valuable when it is connected.

Instead of combining reports from multiple systems, nonprofit leaders can access dashboards and reporting that bring fundraising and financial information together.

This allows organizations to identify fundraising trends, monitor campaign performance, evaluate financial results, and make more informed decisions using current data.

Rather than spending time preparing reports, teams can focus on using information to guide strategy.

Still using Microsoft Dynamics GP? Start with our free assessment.

If your nonprofit is still running Microsoft Dynamics GP, budgeting is one area where modern ERP capabilities can significantly improve collaboration and visibility.

Many organizations using GP continue to rely on spreadsheets to manage annual budgets, revisions, and approvals. Moving to Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central provides an opportunity to modernize those processes while creating stronger financial controls.

Sikich is one of a select group of Microsoft partners with access to a GP to Business Central Assessment Tool that helps organizations understand their current environment before planning a move to Business Central.

Our free assessment can help identify:

• Current GP setup and configuration
• Modules, ISVs, and integrations in use
• Customizations that may require attention
• Data quality considerations
• Potential issues that could affect your move to Business Central
• Recommended next steps for planning your transition

The goal is to provide practical insight before making technology decisions so your organization can move forward with confidence.

Start your free GP to Business Central Migration Assessment

Plan your move with certainty, not guesswork.

Migration Assessment Tool

Sikich helps nonprofits connect technology with organizational goals

Technology alone will not eliminate data silos.

The greatest value comes from designing systems and processes that allow fundraising, finance and leadership to work from the same trusted information.

Sikich works with nonprofit organizations to evaluate existing business processes, identify opportunities for improvement, and implement solutions that connect fundraising, finance, and reporting in ways that support long-term organizational success.

From planning through implementation and ongoing optimization, our goal is to help nonprofits spend less time reconciling data and more time advancing their mission.

Is Business Central right for you?

If Business Central is the right fit, we’ll help you get there. If it isn’t, we’ll tell you that too.

Talk with a Sikich ERP advisor

Part 1: How nonprofits can close month-end books with confidence – Sikich

Part 2: How nonprofits can eliminate Excel workarounds with D365 Business Central finance reporting – Sikich

Part 3: How can nonprofits simplify grant tracking from proposal to reporting?

Part 4: How nonprofits can improve procurement with Dynamics 365 Business Central

Part 5: How nonprofits can build budgets without the back and forth in Dynamics 365 Business Central  

Part 6: How nonprofits can bring fundraising and finance together in Dynamics 365 Business Central  (You’re here)