2020 Review of Abila MIP Cloud

www.abila.com

From the April 2020 reviews of nonprofit accounting systems.

MIP Cloud from Abila/Community Brands, offers convenient online access with true fund accounting capability. Like MIP Fund Accounting, MIP Cloud is best suited for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations and government entities, offering 25 different modules to choose from, with core modules including G/L, A/P, A/R Reporting, Bank Reconciliation, Budget, Data Import/Export, and Forms Designer.

MIP Cloud’s latest addition offers numerous upgrades and enhancements including extensive improvements to the user interface, the addition of drill-down configurable user dashboards, and various reporting enhancements. Those interested in submitting ideas or suggestions for new features can do so using the MIP Ideas Portal.

MIP Cloud includes a flexible, segmented chart of accounts, with users able to configure multiple account segments in varying lengths to better suit their needs. Abila support personnel work with all new customers to create the initial chart of accounts structure, though users can easily add or edit accounts if desired. 

MIP Cloud processes a variety of transactions including standard A/P and A/R activity, as well as cash receipts, bank reconciliations, fixed assets, allocations, purchase orders, and encumbrances. Users can also create an unlimited number of budgets in MIP Cloud, including cross-year budgets. The what-if option allows users to create multiple budget scenarios to determine the impact of each scenario, and the forecasting feature allows users to forecast future income and expenditures across the organization or by department, project, or program. 

MIP Cloud offers a variety of optional fundraising modules, including Fundraising Online and Fundraising 50. Fundraising Online provides a variety of online fundraising options including online giving platforms, event management, and peer-to-peer fundraising options, while Fundraising 50 is designed for donor cultivation and retention management.  Users looking for a nonprofit CRM can opt to subscribe to NetForum’s fundraising and donor management CRM, or choose Millennium, which tracks donation activity, events attended, and personal relationships. MIP Cloud does not offer a grant management module, though the flexibility of the account structure available in the application makes it easy to manage grant activity properly.

MIP Cloud also includes an Allocations module which makes it easy to manage direct and indirect allocations by percentage or transaction.

Security options are good in MIP Cloud, with Abila partnering with Rackspace®, an industry leader in cloud hosting. Managers and admins can also restrict system access to specific features and limit access to sensitive payroll and financial data.  

MIP Cloud Accounting includes a good selection of reports, with all reports fully customizable.  Built-in reporting tools are also available in the application, which allows users to easily create custom reports from scratch. Reports can be processed across fiscal years, and MIP Cloud offers a variety of add-on reporting options including Dashboards, DrillPoint Reports, and GASB Reporting for governmental organizations. In addition, nonprofit specific reports such as Statement of Revenues and Expenditures, and Statement of Cash Flows are available in MIP Cloud and all reports can be displayed on screen, emailed to recipients, exported to Microsoft Word or Excel for customization, or saved in the application as a PDF or HTML file.

Along with the core modules mentioned earlier in the review, MIP Cloud offers a variety of add-on modules including Payroll, Direct Deposit, Human Resource Management, Employee Web Services, Benefit Enrollment, Encumbrances, Fixed Assets, Purchase Order, Allocations Management, Multicurrency, Scheduler, Data Consolidation, and Accounts Receivable Reporting with Billing and Sales Order Entry. Optional fundraising and donor management modules are also available directly from Abila. 

Users can easily access all system help and support options through the Abila Support Center. The center requires a password in order to access resources such as a searchable knowledgebase, Community Forum, and Subscription Center.  MIP Cloud also includes toll-free telephone support during regular business hours, with support available via email and chat as well. Other resources available include online, classroom, and instructor-led training, along with a variety of on-demand webinars. Registered users also have access to numerous non-profit related articles and whitepapers, as well as a complete resource library.

MIP Cloud from Abila is an excellent solution for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations that are in the market for a modular nonprofit specific application that can grow with their organization. Pricing for MIP Cloud varies, with pricing dependent on the number of modules purchased along with the number of system users. Pricing details are available from Abila upon request. All product implementation is typically handled by Abila personnel or authorized resellers, with implementation charges separate from product pricing.

2020 Rating – 5 Stars

Strengths:

·        Offers 25 different modules

·         Product implementation handled by Abila

·         Excellent budgeting capability

·         Forecasting feature

·         Ideas Portal

Potential Limitations

·         No grant management module

·         Segment length cannot be changed once implemented