Business Central for fundraising teams

Unify fundraising, finance and operations in one system. Dynamics 365 Business Central gives fundraising leaders clear visibility of income, funds and cash flow so they can grow income, control cost and stay compliant.

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Why fundraising teams need Dynamics 365 Business Central

Fundraising becomes harder when finance, fundraising and operations run on separate systems. Dynamics 365 Business Central connects your data, automates manual work and gives decision‑makers a single source of truth.

Dynamics 365 Business Central is a modern ERP system that works brilliantly for fundraising organisations. It brings together core finance, budgeting, purchasing, stock, projects and reporting in one place, with tight integration to other Microsoft tools your teams already use.

With Business Central for fundraising, you can replace spreadsheets and legacy finance systems with a connected platform built for growth and control. You get real‑time insight into donations, grants, pledges and costs, and you can see the true impact of every appeal, event and campaign. If you want to see what a dedicated ERP for fundraising could do for your organisation, keep reading.

Meet Business Central, an ERP built for fundraising organisations

An ERP that understands the realities of fundraising helps you raise more, do more and prove impact. Here is how Business Central supports fundraising decision‑makers.

Unified income, funds and finance data

Business Central connects donations, grants, memberships, legacies and trading income with your general ledger, budgets and projects. Finance and fundraising teams work from the same real‑time figures, which reduces reconciliation work and removes arguments about “whose numbers are right”. This makes it much easier for fundraising leaders to drive decisions based on accurate, shared data.

Clear visibility for fundraising decision‑makers

Dashboards and role‑based workspaces give heads of fundraising, finance directors and CEOs a simple view of income, performance and risk. You can see how campaigns, events and appeals are performing, where costs are creeping up and which activities deliver the best return. This helps you protect your existing income and spot new opportunities to grow it.

Better control of restricted and unrestricted funds

Managing restricted, unrestricted and designated funds is a core need in fundraising organisations. Business Central helps you track each fund properly, link it to income and spend, and report on it clearly. This reduces the risk of misallocation, protects your reputation and gives trustees confidence that money is being used as promised.

Stronger compliance and audit readiness

Charities, non‑profits and fundraising organisations face increasing regulatory and donor scrutiny. Business Central supports good governance with clear approval workflows, audit trails and accurate financial records. You can evidence how donations are handled, how funds are spent and how you meet internal and external standards, which makes audits less disruptive and far more predictable.

Scalable platform for growing fundraising teams

Many fundraising teams still rely on manual reconciliations, copy‑and‑paste imports and offline reports. Business Central automates routine tasks, such as recurring journals, approvals, allocations and certain bank reconciliations. This reduces time spent on admin and gives your team more capacity to focus on building relationships and raising income.

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Why your business needs an ERP

82%

of businesses are utilising an ERP

1 in 5

businesses are dissatisfied with their current ERP

96%

of businesses say using an ERP has contributed to achieving business outcomes

Data taken from a survey we commissioned in December 2024

ERP designed to support real‑world fundraising

Fundraising decision‑makers need clarity on income, cost and impact. Dynamics 365 Business Central gives you joined‑up financial and operational data so you can plan with confidence, respond quickly to change and prove value to trustees and stakeholders.

End‑to‑end visibility of campaigns and events

Business Central lets you track the full financial picture of each campaign, appeal or event. You can see income, fees, supplier costs and internal time in one place, not scattered across separate systems. This gives fundraising leaders a clear view of which activities truly deliver value and which need to change or stop.

Confident budgeting and reforecasting

With real‑time data and scenario‑based budgeting tools, you can build realistic income and expenditure plans. Fundraising leaders can model different income assumptions, adjust spend by programme and see the impact on cash flow. This makes conversations with trustees and finance committees more evidence‑based and less speculative.

Better collaboration between fundraising and finance

Disputes between fundraising and finance teams are often caused by disconnected systems. Business Central creates a shared platform where both teams see the same actuals, commitments and forecasts. Fundraising managers get timely financial information, and finance teams get structured data that supports good accounting practice.

Seamless working with the wider Microsoft stack

Business Central connects naturally with Microsoft 365, Power BI and other Dynamics 365 applications. Your teams can work in familiar tools like Outlook, Excel and Teams, while Business Central handles the finance and operations layer in the background. For fundraising leaders, this means quicker adoption, less training time and a smoother overall experience.

Why fundraising decision‑makers choose Dynamics 365 Business Central

Managing restricted funds and donor intent

When donors give to specific causes, you need to prove that money has been used as intended. Business Central lets you set up and track restricted funds alongside unrestricted income, then allocate income and expenditure accurately. You can produce clear reports for trustees and major donors that show how each fund has been managed over time.

Understanding the true cost and return of fundraising

Many organisations struggle to see the full cost of fundraising, especially when staff time and overheads are spread across teams. Business Central enables you to allocate costs to campaigns, events, channels and programmes in a structured way. This means you can calculate return on investment more accurately and focus on the activities that genuinely grow net income.

Reducing month‑end stress and manual reconciliations

Month‑end can be painful when income data sits in fundraising platforms and costs live elsewhere. Business Central helps you streamline month‑end by bringing bank transactions, journal entries, payables and receivables into one place. Consistent processes and automation reduce the need for manual reconciliations, which shortens your month‑end cycle and reduces the risk of error.

Connecting fundraising and CRM systems

Most fundraising teams use a dedicated CRM system to manage supporters and campaigns. Business Central can be integrated with your chosen CRM or Dynamics 365 applications so financial and supporter data can flow between systems. This avoids double data entry, supports more accurate income recognition and gives leaders a more complete picture of donor behaviour and value.

Supporting growth, mergers and new programmes

When your organisation merges, launches a new programme or enters a new territory, legacy systems can become a blocker. Business Central provides a flexible structure for managing additional entities, cost centres and funds. This makes it much easier to onboard new teams, migrate data and maintain consistent reporting after periods of change.

Improving transparency for trustees and stakeholders

Trustees, boards and senior stakeholders increasingly expect clear, timely reporting. Business Central allows you to create dashboards and standard reports that answer common questions about income, costs and reserves. You can share consistent information with governance groups, which builds trust and helps them make better decisions about strategy and investment.

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The Dynamics of Success

Get a better understanding of the benefits of using a CRM system - allowing businesses like yours to overcome fragmented systems and disconnected workflows. Don't just read about them either, our report provides you with actionable insights and practical recommendations so that you can begin to make data-led decisions.

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Download our report

The Dynamics of Success

Get a better understanding of the benefits of using a CRM system - allowing businesses like yours to overcome fragmented systems and disconnected workflows. Don't just read about them either, our report provides you with actionable insights and practical recommendations so that you can begin to make data-led decisions.

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Power your fundraising with an ERP built for charities and non‑profits

Fundraising organisations need systems that keep pace with their ambitions. Business Central for fundraising brings your finances, programmes and operations together so you can raise more, manage cost and prove impact with confidence.

To learn more about Business Central for fundraising, or to see how an ERP for fundraising could work in your organisation, get in touch using this short form.

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Frequently asked questions

What is Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central for fundraising organisations?

Microsoft Dynamics 365 Business Central is a cloud‑based finance and operations system that helps fundraising organisations manage income, funds, suppliers, projects and reporting in one place. For fundraising teams, it provides a single, reliable view of donations, grants and costs so leaders can make better decisions and support sustainable growth.

How does Business Central help charity and non‑profit finance teams?

Business Central helps charity and non‑profit finance teams by automating core processes such as purchase invoices, approvals, journals and reconciliations. It supports fund accounting, dimensions and multi‑entity structures, which makes it easier to track restricted and unrestricted funds, manage programmes and produce the reports that trustees and regulators expect.

Is Business Central suitable for smaller fundraising teams?

Yes. Business Central is suitable for both smaller fundraising teams and larger, more complex organisations. Smaller charities benefit from having a single, modern finance system that replaces spreadsheets and basic accounting software. As the organisation grows, Business Central scales with them, so they do not need to switch systems every few years.

Can Business Central handle restricted and unrestricted funds?

Business Central can be configured to support restricted, unrestricted and designated funds through its chart of accounts and dimensional structure. This lets you record income and expenditure against the right funds, produce accurate fund‑level reports and demonstrate that you are using money in line with donor intent and regulatory expectations.

Does Business Central integrate with fundraising and CRM systems?

Business Central can integrate with a range of fundraising and CRM systems, including other Microsoft Dynamics 365 applications. Integration allows supporter and income data to flow between systems, which reduces manual data entry, improves data quality and gives fundraising and finance teams a more complete view of performance.

How does Business Central improve reporting for fundraising leaders?

Business Central includes flexible reporting tools and can be connected to Microsoft Power BI for richer analysis. Fundraising leaders can see real‑time dashboards that show income by campaign, channel, programme or fund, as well as key measures such as cost of fundraising and reserves. This makes it easier to track progress and act quickly when performance changes.

Is Business Central cloud‑based and secure enough for donor data?

Business Central is a cloud‑based solution hosted on Microsoft infrastructure, which is designed to meet high standards for security, privacy and compliance. Access controls, roles and permissions can be configured so that only the right people see donor‑related financial data. This supports your wider data protection approach and helps you reduce risk.

How long does it take to implement Business Central for a fundraising organisation?

The time it takes to implement Business Central depends on the size and complexity of your organisation, as well as the number of integrations and bespoke requirements. Many fundraising organisations start with a focused core finance implementation, then add further capabilities and integrations once the system is embedded and teams are comfortable.

What kind of reporting can trustees and boards get from Business Central?

Trustees and boards can receive clear, consistent reports from Business Central that cover income, expenditure, funds, reserves and programme performance. Reports can be designed to match your existing board packs, with the added benefit of real‑time data and drill‑down capability when questions arise. This supports better governance and more informed strategic decisions.

Why should fundraising organisations choose Business Central over basic accounting software?

Fundraising organisations should consider Business Central when they need more than basic bookkeeping. It offers stronger support for fund accounting, multi‑entity structures, approvals, integrations and advanced reporting. This helps fundraising leaders move beyond reactive reporting and build a data‑driven view of income, cost and impact that can support long‑term growth.