Why do Charities like Business Central so much…

My name is Richard Mullan, I’m an Account Manager at mhance, looking after both existing clients and organisations that are new to our company.

Recently, I attended a meeting with a customer who is considering moving to Dynamics 365 Business Central, Microsoft’s cloud-based ERP system. The customer is currently running a charity campaign while utilising a non-Microsoft solution. I was asked the following question by my contact: Why is Business Central so popular with charities?

I had to consider a question that initially appeared to be fairly straightforward but left me totally stumped. After careful consideration, these are my top three reasons for why charities love Business Central:

1. The Microsoft Ecosystem – when customers are looking at Business Central they are considering a very competent ERP system but also a solution that incorporates many aspects of the wider Microsoft portfolio. Business Central works in synch with familiar tools such as Excel, Word, Teams and SharePoint. This link with familiar Microsoft tools aids user adoption and assists customers with extracting more value from the solution. Charities love this, as do commercial businesses, because quicker adoption means quicker Return on Investment (ROI) and improved efficiency. Coupled with discounted licencing for Charities, the combination of a state-of-the-art ERP solution along with market leading business tools means Business Central is a natural choice for many charities.
2. Modular Nature – As with all organisations, Charities need to make sure they deliver software that is relevant for their existing requirements but has scope for growth. In addition to this, cost is key. Business Central is a modular solution and allows potential customers to begin life with a very simple solution (with a resultant lower entry point for cost) and add elements over time as capacity or budget allows. This flexibility of delivery is a huge benefit to many charities as it allows them to move to a platform that will grow with them over time, delivering an expanding and changing service at very reasonable cost.
3. Reporting – the value of information and data in a modern charity goes without saying. Business Central is equipped with hundreds of reports as standard, all of which are easily accessible. Where Business Central really goes to the next level is when it’s used in conjunction with Power BI. The ability to report graphically, from multiple data sources, in dashboards with the option to drill down into the underlying data is game changing and will elevate a Charity’s understanding of their data and finances. I believe Power BI skills will become a requirement that is explored on future interviews and will be one of those qualities employers expect staff to have, such is it’s potential.

These are just three reasons charities love Business Central. I could go on about how easy it is to integrate with other applications, how localised it’s versions are for different countries, how simple and logical it’s data structure is overall, how simple and compact it’s Chart of Accounts is, or how it uses a Dimensional structure for analysis, but what i do know is that the more people learn about Business Central, the more excited they get about it. This goes hand in hand with the knowledge that the charities to whom we have provided the solution to are thrilled with their new ERP system.

As an Account Manager, having the confidence in a solution I feel very comfortable in recommending, is a real asset, especially when you work with organisations as important to society as charities. If you would like to talk to me or a member of the mhance team about Dynamics 365 Business Central the please don’t hesitate to get in touch.