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Band 3

Costing more than £1000. Analysis much better than Bands 1 or 2. Allow for some consultancy/installation costs. Ongoing support (preferably including upgrades) is a good idea, otherwise changes in requirements or regulations could be problematic. All are 'modular': Purchase and Sales Ledgers, and usually Cash Book, are separate. Prices are for single user unless otherwise stated.

AccountView Team 2 user Nominal/Sales/Purchase Ledger system for £1395, Project Costing £995. Unlimited number of companies, cost centre accounting. Loads of other modules, such as Activity Based Costing, Transaction Import (to link with membership, for instance). OLE Drag and Drop allows simple transfer of displayed info to Excel or Word, and has ODBC facilities too. A European package, which is able to meet Dutch, German and Belgium VAT regs. Seems worth a look.
- AccountView UK, 120 Old Broad Street, London, EC2N 1AR, phone 020 7477 6524, email: info@accountview.com. UK Web site
- See Resellers on Suppliers page.

Access Accounts - Horizons A fully featured package with good reporting, analysis and import/export facilities, but quite a reasonable starting price and winner of awards. As many chart of accounts (= companies) as you like, effective use of Windows and good drill-down. Latest versions run on 32 bit systems Windows or PowerPCs (Macs). Typical user: small to medium organisation with ambitions (as can build up facilities or move on to Dimensions - see High-End). £1495 for single user bundle, including Sales and Purchase ledgers, Nov 99, also 25% charity discount. Extra modules and users at £450 each, including Project Management, KPI. Also Transaction Broker module, allowing interfaces to be set up with just about anything. Crystal Reports Pro is extra.
- Contact Access Accounting for resellers details. The Old School, Stratford St Mary, Colchester, Essex, CO7 6LZ, phone 01206 322575, email: info@access-accounts.com. Also Edinburgh office, phone 0131 317 7700, email: info@access-scotland.co.uk, and Dublin, phone 01668 4991, email: accessac@indigo.ie

Arrow Financials Comparable with Access Accounts, but claimed to be cheaper, starting at £400 per single user module with support charged at 12.5%. Fully scalable and upgradeable, ODBC and SQL compliant, can define own input and print screens. Used by a number of high profile non-profits in its native Australia. Suppliers Genesys Business Solutions say that, for example, "Arrow allowed [Australian Alzheimer's Association] to run multiple sub-organisation accounts, centrally co-ordinated but with the ability to track, cost and report at will." Genesys House, Sandbeck Way, Sandbeck Industrial Estate, Wetherby, LS22 7DN, phone 01937 586586, email Julian Taylor: julian@genesysgroup.co.uk UPDATE NOV 06 - genesys no longer seems to be in this business.

Pegasus Opera II, 32 bit software, with 2 analysis 'segments'. With a new new Advanced Nominal Ledger option (Mar 03) with nominal account, cost centre, project and department analysis, plus user definable views, this may now be a suitable product. Typical 10 user system £2500 for system manager, plus £600 per module (Mar 01). Phone 01536 495000, email: mailbox@pegasus.co.uk

Sage Line 100 Unfortunately this is not a big brother version of Line 50, but a completely different accounting package. It does have an import facility for Line 50 and increasingly the Windows versions look similar. Has greater analysis capabilities (3 character Department and Cost Centre codes, as well as alpha-numeric nominal). Some very good add-ons for the sector - see Membership software page. Note that a complete re-write of the program using Microsoft .NET architecture was announced March 03, which will have impact on the modules - it also adds the electronic eBIS-XML financial document exchange system. Typical user: medium-size organisation wanting safety but some flexibility. Financials 'bundle' starting from £2500 including Crystal Reports, 10% charity discount.
- See Suppliers page for specialist charity resellers, including Intelligent Solutions (have developed an Excel-based SOFA reporting facility), Avant-Garde.

Accounting for Non-Profits (AfNP) NOTE: we understand this package is no longer sold or supported in the UK. Comes from the US, like the basis of the Charity SORP, so will meet such requirements. Some very useful features come with Project, Grant and Endowment Management module (£1500). Its powerful analysis features are easier to use than many, as they are geared to charity needs. Typical user: complex funding or project structures, active project managers. £2000 single user price for each core module (Nominal, Sales, Purchase).
- Blackbaud UK, 112 Cornwall Street South, Glasgow, Scotland, G41 1AA, phone 0141 575 0200, email: sales@BBEurope.co.uk

High End

With a 2 user special 'bundle' for Great Plains Dynamics now starting at £4500, the cut-off from Band 3 is becoming less clear. At this level, it is important to know what modules include and which you are likely to need in the near future. They all require careful setting up to realise their potential and can be extensively customised for different users and areas of activity. Some larger audit firms have specialist consultants, although whether they liaise with their charity experts would need to be checked.

Access Accounts - Dimensions (the next step on from Horizons, under Band 3). From £3900. Client/server version with great flexibility in configuring screens, field names, etc.

Exchequer Enterprise (now part of Iris) A true 32-bit Windows Accounting System with a full suite of business modules including Commitment Accounting and e-Commerce. "Has won more consecutive Accountancy Age awards for ‘Best Mid-Range Accounting Software’ than any of its rivals". Customers include British Deaf Association, The Samaritans, Frog Life, Population Concern, Butterfly Conservation and One World Action. Exchequer Grange, Wootton Gardens, Bournemouth, Dorset, BH1 1PW, phone 01202 298008, email: info@exchequer.com. Reseller in the south-east: 5-Star Computer Systems, phone 01843 844000, email: louis.crow@5-star.co.uk

OpenAccounts The package used by professional accountancy body ICAEW, PDSA, St Vincent de Paul Society, Hospitaller Order of St. John of God (Ireland) and others. Now part of COA - see Charity/not-for-profit pages. Our experience is with the version supplied for housing association use by IBS, which has connected specialist housing modules.

Microsoft Great Plains Was somewhat taking over from Sun on the more sophisticated/medium to large charity requirements, before it became part of Microsoft. Designed totally for the Windows environment and SQL based. Seven analysis segments, plus FRX drill-down reporting tool. Contact Great Plains at Dakota House, Poyle Road, Colnbrook, Slough, SL3 0QX, phone 01753 767300. Touchstone is a reseller - see Suppliers.

Navision Financials Used by Woodland Trust, Archbishops Council, Diocese of London, amongst others. Now also a part of Microsoft Dynamics, so these contact details may be out of date: Elstree House, Elstree Way, Borehamwood, Herts, WD6 1SD, phone 020 8207 4141, email: sales@navision.co.uk

PS Financials Charity users include Save the Children Fund, Women's Royal Voluntary Service. Stated strengths are: SORP and SoFA reporting, Automation of partial VAT recovery, Restricted and unrestricted fund accounting, Web reporting for trustees and remote users, Valuing volunteer input, Easy integration to membership, fundraising & other operational systems. Buy direct from the software authors. 7 The Forum, Minerva Business Park, Peterborough, PE2 6FT, phone 01733 367330.

SunAccounts Very solid and well-respected package. Loads of analysis features, very powerful recording and reporting once you've got it set up, but does require that initial effort. Not for the novice. See Resellers on Suppliers page.

Software house: SunSystems, 1 Lakeside Road, Aerospace Centre, Farnborough, Hants, GU14 6XP, phone 0800 555 789, email: information_desk@systemsunion.com

Well at the top end:

Agresso Clients includeBritish Museum, Salvation Army, Wellcome Trust, Age Concern, Jewish Care. Pricing - dependant on modules required, though typically starting at £50,000 +, for an integrated solution. Phone 01275 377340, email: sales.support@agresso.co.uk

Exact Software Modules are 5000 euros each, plus per user annual support at 360 euros (at Mar 01). Users include Charity Christmas Card Council.