The document discusses building a tech stack around QuickBooks Online to automate financial processes for nonprofits. It recommends stacking apps that integrate with QBO like Bill.com for accounts payable, Gusto for payroll, Divvy for expenses, and Fathom for reporting. Combining the right apps can increase operational efficiency, staff productivity and transparency. The presentation provides an overview of how each app works and its costs.

2. BUILDING A TECH STACK
AROUND QUICKBOOKS
ONLINE
November 1, 2021

3. Hello!
Tristan Pierce
Chief Innovation Officer
Advisor for Change since 2016
Austin Office
tpierce@advisorsforchange.com | linkedin.com/in/tristanpierce

4. Hello!
John Freedman
Systems Associate
Advisor for Change since 2020
Austin Office
jfreedman@advisorsforchange.com | linkedin.com/in/john-freedman-48184719a/

5. OUR EXPERIENCE
In 2020, we served 45 nonprofit organizations, most with budgets under $10 million and staff sizes
under 50 employees
Since inception, we have worked with over 200 nonprofit organizations, mostly 501(c)(3)’s
We are a team of 15 nonprofit financial professionals with many years of experience working with
finance and non-finance teams to build internal financial management capacity
200+
nonprofits
served since
2007
15
Advisors ready
to serve across
the country
45
nonprofits
served in
2020

6. ● Zoom etiquette
● Polls & chat
● Q&A
Housekeeping

7. Goals
1. Understand what a tech or app stack is
2. Understand how your organization can benefit from having a tech stack
3. Learn how AFC stacks apps around QBO to automate processes for our
Partners

8. Word association:
What comes to mind when you think of
financial apps/software/systems?
Type a 1-2 word response in the chat box.

9. I
What is a “Tech Stack”?

10. Tech Stack
● The technologies (software) used by your organization to
perform a particular task or function
● Building a tech stack = how you combine (“stack”) software
together to automate your processes

11. Tech Stack
● Can involve almost any aspect of running an organization but
financial and accounting processes are the most common, i.e.
○ Accounting
○ Payment processing
○ Time tracking
○ Expense management
○ Payroll
○ Budgeting
○ CRMs (Donor Management)

12. Tech Stack App Stack
● Software; System; App; Tool; Solution; Technology; Program
● “App stack”

13. II
Why stack apps?

14. Benefits and Added Value of Combining Apps
● When apps work together seamlessly, they lead to an increase in:
○ Operational Efficiency
○ Relevance
○ Transparency
○ Staff Wellbeing & Productivity

15. Operational Efficiency
● App stacks solve the problem of efficiency loss at an organization
● Fill the gaps that cause delays and inefficiencies by your team
● Prevent bottlenecks and process failures, such as:
○ Manual entry, data errors, missing information
● Many processes can be outsourced to apps and platforms, freeing
up staff

16. Common Inefficiencies (“Pain points”) which can be
alleviated by an effective app stack
● Siloed data
● Wasted time
○ Duplicate data entry into multiple systems
○ Having to format or manipulate data prior to importing or exporting
from system to system
● Inability to sync or reconcile between systems - potentially two different
versions of “truth” in two different systems.
● Lack of scalability - as orgs grow and their reporting needs become more
intense, the Finance Team will need to be efficient and able to easily pull
information they need

17. Discussion:
In what ways have you seen systems, or
lack thereof, affect operational efficiency
at an organization?

18. Relevance
● Nonprofits have an increasing and evolving need for
technology
● Same goes for Accounting/Finance Teams in general
● Digital, “cloud” accounting
● Remote work
Recommended resource: Cloud Accounting Podcast
(cloudaccountingpodcast.com)

19. Relevance
Source: G2 State of Software Happiness Report 2019

20. Transparency
● Ability for teams to pull financial information from their specific app
instead of it having to be pushed out to them from a centralized
Finance system
● Team members and other stakeholders gain greater understanding of
financials
● Allow for internal controls and visibility

21. Staff Wellbeing & Productivity

22. People and Time: Your most valuable resource
● When evaluating potential new apps, consider your people and their
time as your most precious resource
● Apps/systems are more than just technical tools. They impact staff:
○ Productivity
○ Happiness
○ Retention

23. Productivity
● The right software makes people more productive
Source: G2 State of Software Happiness Report 2019

24. Productivity & Employee Happiness
● Save people from getting bogged down by mundane administrative tasks
● Take time saved and apply to higher level tasks like analysis,
forecasting
● Create a positive feedback loop between finance and the rest of the
organization

25. Employee Happiness & Retention
● We all already use software to improve
our lives and work
● Look for new opportunities
Source: G2 State of Software Happiness Report 2019

26. Employee Happiness & Retention
● The wrong software can make people
waste time and feel frustrated
Source: G2 State of Software Happiness Report 2019

27. Support
● Consider quality of customer service
● Chat, phone, email
● Alleviate pressure on Finance Team to be the “help desk”
○ Users can contact app support directly

28. App-pocalypse - Avoid App Overload

29. Considerations for App selection
● Barrier to entry
● Separation of Duties
● Positive/negative effect on staff
● Transparency, Accuracy, Useful, Timely

30. A note on systems implementation
● Rolling out a new app/system to your team is more than just attending
a demo and entering you credit card details
● It can be a bit of an emotional journey ...

31. The Emotional Journey of Systems Change
EMOTIONAL JOURNEY OF
DOING ANYTHING GREAT
*Originally “valley of tears” curve was created
by death and grief researcher Elisabeth Kübler-Ross

32. The Emotional Journey of Systems Change
This is going to
to be the
best ever!
This will
be fun This will
be fun
Uh, this is harder
than I thought
This is a lot
of work!
I HAVE NO IDEA
WHAT I AM
DOING!!!!
SWAMP OF NONPROFIT DESPAIR
The Struggle is Real
OK, still a lot of
work but at least
there is hope.
Am I starting to see
some progress?!
This system is
working!
I did that!!!!!
It’s great!!

33. III
Building an app stack around
QuickBooks Online

34. Poll - WHAT ACCOUNTING SYSTEM DOES
YOUR ORGANIZATION USE?
1 Quickbooks Online
2 Quickbooks Desktop
3 MIP
4 Sage Intacct
5 Other

35. Quickbooks Online (QBO)
● Core accounting and reporting system
● Get the most out of QBO through automation
● At the center of the stack - use as little as possible
○ Integrations with time-saving apps bring data directly into QBO

36. Cost
● Through a free TechSoup membership, nonprofits are currently
able to purchase a 1-year subscription to QBO Advanced for a
significant discount.

37. Why have QBO at the center?
● The changing role of the GL
● From Push to Pull
● Integrations
○ The QBO Ecosystem ...

38. The QBO Ecosystem
● Cloud-based
● Process-specific solutions
● Support and development
● Attach to QBO
○ apps.com

39. The QBO Ecosystem

40. IV
The AFC App Stack

42. Why we recommend these apps
● Scalability - built to grow with organization
● Value - relatively low cost compared to other bespoke solutions, yet provide
tremendous value comparatively
● Reliability - fairly popular and well-vetted, with thousands of companies
using them; systems like this will have ample training and support
resources available
● Interoperability - strong integrations with one another where needed
○ All in the QBO ecosystem

43. Poll - WHICH OF THESE TOOLS ARE YOU
MOST INTERESTED IN LEARNING ABOUT
TODAY?
1 Bill.com (Accounts Payable)
2 Gusto (Payroll)
3 Divvy (Credit Card / Expense Management)
4 QuickBooks Time (Time Tracking)
5 Fathom (Smart Reporting)
6 SaaSant (Bulk importer to QBO)
7 Rewind (Data Backup)

44. Bill.com
What is Bill.com?
It's a cloud-based software that automates accounts payable and
accounts receivable processes.

45. Why we like Bill.com
● Create internal controls through separation of duties
● Clear audit trail to ensure proper internal controls and easy
interface you can share with auditors
● Save time and increase efficiency by reducing manual data
entry

46. Cost
● User-based fee monthly
● Per-transaction cost for payments
○ $0.49 / ACH
○ $1.69 / check
● Resellers are able offer discounted
pricing

47. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

48. Divvy
What is Divvy?
It's a free cloud-based expense management software linked to
an integrated business credit card.

49. Why we like Divvy
● Eliminate traditional expense reports - cardholders upload
receipts and input expense coding immediately after
purchase
● Create custom "budgets" and virtual cards to increase control
and transparency over organizational spend
● Access a credit line without an individual personal guarantee

50. Cost
● Free (yes, really)
○ Includes Reimbursements feature
● Rewards contingent upon 30% credit line utilization

51. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

52. Gusto
What is Gusto?
a cloud-based payroll and benefits management software for
small businesses and organizations.

53. Why we like Gusto
● Ease of use
● Low cost, flexibility
● Payroll can be run on auto-pilot

54. Cost
● Base subscription fee
+ per user per month

55. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

56. Fathom
What is Fathom?
a robust reporting system which can be layered on top of QBO

57. Why we like Fathom
● Give people ability to see information in a controlled real-time
setting
● Pull information into automated reports
● Avoid using Microsoft Office tools

58. QBO integration
● Direct integration with QBO
○ 1-2 clicks to authorize
● Built in to QBO Advanced already as “Smart Reporting” tool

59. Cost
● $44/month, or included with QBO Advanced
● Added value in TechSoup QBO Advanced discount:

60. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

61. QuickBooks Time
What is QuickBooks Time?
Web-based and mobile time tracking app for employees
(formerly known as TSheets)

62. Why we like QB Time
● Robust reporting: track time to specific projects and/or grants
● Integrations with Gusto and QuickBooks
● Intuitive interface for employees and supervisors

63. Cost
● Base subscription fee
+ $10 per user per
month

64. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

65. SaaSant
What is SaaSant?
Bulk import, export, or delete transactions into QBO from Excel

66. Why we like SaaSant
● Time-saving
● Data validation
● Reliability
● The “band-aid” to patch together multiple systems as app
stack is being developed

67. Cost
● $9.99 per month for 1 company (2 users)
● $30 per month for 10 companies (10 users)

68. Poll:
1. I have worked with this system and like it.
2. I have worked with this system but
dislike it.
3. I have never used this system.
4. I have never heard of this system.

69. Rewind
What is Rewind?
Continuous, cloud-based backup of QuickBooks Online company

70. Rewind
This means you can restore:
● individual items, including attachments, reports, expenses
● your complete QuickBooks Online file if needed
Cost - $14/month

71. A note on CRMs & QBO
● CRMs are a common addition to many nonprofits’ app stack
● Donor management, consolidate spreadsheets, integrate with email
marketing software
● Ensure CRM has direct integration with QBO before implementing
● Examples: Kindful, DonorPerfect, Little Green Light

72. The “Living” App Stack
● The power of these specialized apps being in the cloud is that
developers are singularly focused on making these functions
more useful and updating them frequently
● Bill.com
○ Dynamic Approval policies
○ Bill.com + Divvy

73. Revisiting Goals
1. Understand what a tech or app stack is
2. Understand how your organization can benefit from having a tech stack
3. Learn how AFC stacks apps around QBO to automate processes for our
Partners

74. QUESTIONS & TAKEAWAYS

75. Thank you for having us!
John Freedman
Systems Associate
jfreedman@advisorsforchange.com | linkedin.com/in/john-freedman-48184719a/
Tristan Pierce
Chief Innovation Officer
tpierce@advisorsforchange.com | linkedin.com/in/tristanpierce