If the last time you and your team took advantage of training for your nonprofit accounting system, you may want to think about budgeting and scheduling some follow up training.  If you’ve experience staff turnover or changes in responsibilities, a refresher course would be beneficial.  If several years have gone by, updates in the solution have brought new features and functionality that perhaps you haven’t fully utilized.  Here are four good reasons why training would be productive for your nonprofit organization.

Staff Turnover

If your organization has had turnover, chances are the new users of the system haven’t been adequately trained.  Their comfort on the system may be limited to only a few of the many features of the system.  By receiving professional training, these team members will see increased proficiency on the system, greater confidence, and enhanced productivity – all of which lead to better employee morale.

In some cases, organizations have had employees leave and due to tight budgets have not replaced the headcount.  Additional responsibilities have been picked up by remaining staff members who have not been trained on this particular aspect of the system.  Reduce the stress of the increased workload by permitting these employees to get properly trained.

Changes in the product

Each year significant enhancements are made to your nonprofit accounting system.  Each upgrade brings with it new features and functionality.  Ongoing training is a great way to educate your system users and allow them to leverage these upgrades by putting them to use for your organization.  If you’ve had your system for several years, because of the periodic updates, you’ll want to make sure you understand the new features and enjoy the benefits they can bring your department and organization.

Better Productivity

Proficiency leads to greater productivity.  Providing opportunities for training to your staff will improve their skill set with the system.  They will learn how to improve their daily, weekly, monthly regimen of duties performed on the system.  In addition, and maybe more importantly, they will learn new ways to use the system resulting in better reporting, quicker turnaround on projects and the ability to better serve their internal customers.  Greater proficiently leads to greater confidence and more fulfillment in the job.  Greater morale means a more energized work environment.

Face time with consultant

It’s always good to have an opportunity to pick the brain of someone who is familiar with the system and more importantly has real life experience with how other nonprofits are using the system to better equip with organization with critical, timely data.  Participating in training allows you and your team to interact with consultants who are system experts.  It’s a chance to problem solve, get answers to lingering questions and learn new best practices.

Given the considerable investment in your system, don’t scrimp on training.  It prevents you from realizing all of the benefits (saving your organization time and money) of your fund accounting system.  Feeling less than proficient on a system and how it works leads to manual workarounds, inefficiency and frustration.  By strengthening your team through better mastery of your systems, you put your nonprofit in a better position to fulfill your mission.

We have a number of training options designed to help you.  Give us a holler.