Presented by JMT Consulting
Featuring Buu-Linh Tran, CPA – SVP of Financial Solutions, JMT Consulting
Featuring Heather Johnson, CPA – Partner, Han Group

Introduction

Many nonprofits stay on QuickBooks far beyond the point where it can support their needs. Teams end up buried in Excel, juggling grants manually, and struggling to produce the reporting their boards and funders expect. In this session, Buu-Linh Tran and Heather Johnson break down why these challenges happen and how Sage Intacct Essentials offers a more affordable, more reliable path forward for small but growing organizations.

What Risks Do Nonprofits Face When Staying on QuickBooks Too Long?

QuickBooks is familiar and cost-effective, but nonprofits eventually hit structural limits that create operational and compliance risks. Common pain points include:

• Grant tracking limitations
  Restricted funds, multi-year awards, and multi-dimensional reporting quickly push QuickBooks past what it was designed for.
• Consolidation and visibility problems
  Organizations with multiple programs or entities struggle with fragmented reporting and limited oversight.
• Excel dependence
  Teams resort to spreadsheets to bridge gaps, increasing the likelihood of errors and audit concerns.
• Limited internal controls
  Growing nonprofits need stronger approval workflows, reporting structure, and separation of duties.
• Manual, time-intensive processes
  The leaner the finance team, the more damaging repetitive work becomes.

Why Small Nonprofits Struggle to Upgrade

Many teams know they have outgrown QuickBooks but still hesitate to move. Buu-Linh and Heather highlight the most common barriers:

• Cost fear
  Nonprofits assume modern systems are out of reach. Essentials reduces this barrier with predictable, smaller-scale pricing.
• Lean staffing
  Teams worry they don’t have the time or resources to take on an implementation.
• “Nothing is broken” mindset
  If reports can technically be produced, it can feel safer to wait, even when the burden is increasing.
• Uncertainty about timing
  Organizations often don’t know the “right moment” to move to a new system.

Solution: Sage Intacct Essentials for Nonprofits

Sage Intacct Essentials is a pre-packaged, nonprofit-focused version of Sage Intacct built for smaller organizations. Key benefits include:

• Cloud-based, secure, multi-dimensional accounting
  Designed from the ground up for nonprofits rather than adapted from for-profit tools.
• Pre-configured charts of accounts and templates
  Teams get best practices built in from day one.
• Grant and donor reporting dashboards
  Provides visibility that QuickBooks cannot replicate without heavy spreadsheet work.
• Fixed scope and lower complexity
  Client-led setup with guidance from JMT keeps implementations lightweight.
• Built to scale
  Organizations can grow without switching systems again.

JMT Support: Why the Right Partner Matters

Implementation success depends heavily on alignment, expectations, and nonprofit experience. Buu-Linh emphasized essentials for any small-team rollout:

• Choose a partner who knows nonprofit finance
  Your system should mirror nonprofit structure, not force workarounds.
• Assign a strong internal project champion
  Someone who understands reporting needs and internal workflows.
• Clean your data early
  The cleaner the starting point, the stronger the go-live.
• Phase your implementation
  Start with must-haves, build from there, and avoid overwhelming your team.
• Treat it as a long-term investment
  Your system should grow with you and reduce manual work over time.

Best Practices for Nonprofits Considering an Upgrade

• Evaluate your current pain points
  If Excel is doing the heavy lifting, it’s time to explore other options.
• Map out reporting needs
  Boards and funders drive much of the structure your financial system must support.
• Review integrations
  CRM, payroll, and budgeting tools work far better with a true multi-dimensional system.
• Plan your change management
  Clear communication and phased rollout prevent implementation fatigue.

If your team is spending too much time in Excel, struggling with grant reporting, or feeling the pressure of growing complexity, Sage Intacct Essentials may be the right next step. JMT specializes in helping nonprofits transition smoothly and confidently to systems that deliver visibility, control, and scalability.