Financial Accountability Ranks #1 for Nonprofit Success Measures for Grant Awards, According to Sage Nonprofit Insights Survey

AUSTIN, TX--(Marketwire - Jul 8, 2011) - Sage North America today announced the results of its recently conducted Sage Nonprofit Insights, Q2 2011, survey of U.S. and Canadian organizations, which focused on questions about nonprofits' views and practices related to grant funding and success measures.

About half of the organizations responding to the survey (52%) said grantors are demanding more success measures (also called "impact measures" or "outcome measures") than two years ago. According to the survey results, grantors most often request information about the following types of success measures: financial accountability/stewardship (81%); number of constituents served (77%); program quality from a participant perspective (57%); and program sustainability (57%).

"In the current competitive environment for grant funding, it's clear that organizations are going to have to demonstrate accountability and show the value their organizations and programs bring to their communities," said Krista Endsley, senior vice president and general manager for Nonprofit Solutions at Sage. "Defining, budgeting, and reporting on key success measures are critical to strong grant funding."

Only 17 percent of the survey's respondents are "very satisfied" with their organizations' grant management processes. The most frequently mentioned reason (37%) for not being very satisfied with the grant management process is a "lack of integration/centralization/organization." Other common reasons for a lack of satisfaction in the grant management process include a "lack of communication/collaboration" (20%), "tracking issues" (20%), and "reporting issues" (16%).

Other interesting findings from the Sage Nonprofit Insights, Q2 2011, survey:

• 70 percent of respondents said their organizations' senior-level executives are very engaged in the grant management process.
• When it comes to the types of funders pursued by organizations, 38 percent of the survey's respondents cast a "fairly wide net based on contacts, funds available, etc.," while only 30 percent pursue the "few, engaged funders who are totally aligned with their mission."
• 84 percent of organizations seeking an engaged funder for a multi-year application are either "very successful" or "somewhat successful" in doing so.
• About two-thirds of respondents (65%) said grant funding is managed as both a top-level (strategic) and lower level (administrative) function;
• Respondents expect to receive the largest portion of their 2011 funding (47%) from government grants and contracts.

An executive summary of the survey and results are available at the following link: http://bit.ly/rdX1Vv. The online survey was conducted among Sage customers in the U.S. and Canada during June 2011, and had a total of 438 respondents. The margin of error on the overall sample is +/- 4 percent (greater for sub-samples).

About Sage Nonprofit Solutions
Based in Austin, Texas, the Sage Nonprofit Solutions business unit has been serving nonprofit and governmental organizations for more than 30 years. Sage helps more than 32,000 unique not-for-profit organizations increase efficiency and more easily manage their operations through the use of technology. From fund accounting, donor and fundraising management, and fixed asset management, to online donation processing, human resources (HR), payroll, and health care, Sage offers a software product or service to meet the organization's need. For more information, call 800-811-0961, or visit www.sagenonprofit.com and http://www.sagenorthamerica.com/Solutions. Follow Sage Nonprofit Solutions on Twitter, www.twitter.com/SageNonprofit, and Facebook, www.facebook.com/sagenonprofitsolutions.

About Sage North America
Sage North America is part of The Sage Group plc, a leading global supplier of business management software and services. Sage North America employs 3,900 people and supports more than 3 million small and midsized business customers. The Sage Group plc, formed in 1981, was floated on the London Stock Exchange in 1989 and now employs 13,600 people and supports more than 6 million customers worldwide. For more information, please visit the Web site at www.sagenorthamerica.com. Follow Sage North America on Facebook, http://www.facebook.com/SageNorthAmerica, and Twitter, http://twitter.com/#!/sagenamerica.

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