2020 Review of Cougar Mountain Denali Fund Nonprofit Accounting

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From the April 2020 reviews of nonprofit accounting systems.

Denali Fund Nonprofit Accounting from Cougar Mountain Software is a good fit for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations and government entities looking for solid fund accounting capability. Denali Fund is available as an on-premise application as well as on the cloud.

Denali Fund now offers a cleaner, more streamlined user interface that provides easy access to all installed modules, as well as a navigation bar to the left of the screen that offers drill down access to features. Users can also access reporting, training videos and other frequently used functions from the navigation bar, while the dashboard feature in Denali Fund allows admins to create custom dashboards for each system user.

Denali can support an unlimited number of fund accounts, with users able to create a separate chart of accounts and budget for each fund. The chart of accounts supports up to 50 characters and up to six separate segments for account names, with each segment supporting up to six characters. Denali Fund also includes a default chart of accounts which can be edited as needed, or users can import a current chart of accounts if desired.

Denali Fund easily handles a variety of transaction types including journal entries, cash receipts, inventory management, order entry, job costing, and payroll. Users can easily manage multiple funds in Denali Fund, and automatic fund balancing helps to ensure that accounts remain in balance at all times.

Denali Fund’s Budget Management module allows users to set up and manage all current funds, with users able to create a budget from scratch, copy information from a previous budget, or import an existing budget for use. Multiple budgets can be created, and the inclusion of the budget grid allows users to enter budget totals quickly. The budget feature now allows easy allocation of budget totals across multiple periods, and a budget can be created for any account currently in the chart of accounts.

Denali Fund does not offer donor management capability in the core application, but it does offer integration with Donor Express, which allows users to import and export donation information into the application for easy donor management.  The product also offers easy fund tracking, with users able to track multiple funds, programs, and grants, and each fund is able to have its own chart of accounts and financial statements.

Denali Fund offers good system security options, with the option of assigning system users to a group or provide them with individual system rights, with rights set by module, and then by features within each module.

Denali Fund offers good reporting options, with reports accessible from each module. Industry-specific reports such as the Statement of Activities and the Statement of Financial Position have been recently updated, and users have the option to run financial statements by organization, fund, or grant. All reports are easily customizable, with users able to export reports to Crystal Reports for even more customization capability. All Denali Fund reports can also be exported to Microsoft Word or Excel. Other optional reporting features include Custom Report Services as well as Pre-Made reports.

Modules included with Denali Fund include G/L, A/P, A/R, Bank Reconciliation, Inventory, Purchase Order, Point of Sale, Order Entry, and Payroll. Denali Fund also offers several add-on modules including Crystal Reports, Donor Express, NeonCRM Donor Management, Integrated eCommerce, and Fixed Assets modules, along with several others, with all modules and add-ons designed to work together seamlessly. Denali Fund also integrates with Avalara Avatax for easy sales tax management, and it offers QuickBooks Conversion services, while the Denali API provides added integration options. Cougar Mountain also offers a variety of add-on services that can be purchased separately, including IT Services, Conversion Services, and Custom Report Services.

Denali Fund offers excellent help functionality with users able to access help resources directly from the application. In addition to standard product support accessible via telephone and email, Denali Fund also offers additional support options including the Software Assurance plan, which provides users with access to all product updates and enhancements throughout the year. In addition, conversion services are available, as are installation services, with various training options including onsite, telephone, and classroom training options available.  

Denali Fund from Cougar Mountain Software is well-suited for small to mid-sized nonprofit organizations and government entities that need solid Fund accounting capability. Denali is available in three packages: Basecamp, Ascent, and Summit, or users can purchase desired modules separately. Pricing for all modules and packages is available from Cougar Mountain Software upon request, and a 60-day demo is available for those that wish to try out the application prior to purchasing.      

2020 Overall Rating: 4.75 Stars

Strengths:

·        Modular structure allows users to buy only the necessary modules

·         Offers an enhanced interface for easier navigation

·         Now offers cloud deployment

Potential Limitations:

·         Does not offer a grants management module

·         Donor management not included in core application