Where do you start?
Start with what hurts. Write a list of the processes that waste time or create risk: payments chased by email, budgets in many spreadsheets, indicator data in different formats, no single place for contracts.
Put each process in one line, with who does it and how often. This list is the base for every later choice. Without it, you will judge software by its screens, and screens do not solve problems.
Add the size of the problem. How many people use each process, how many records per month, how many countries or sites? A tool for a team of five in one office is a different choice from a tool for forty people in four countries. Size shapes cost, training and the controls you need.
How do you set criteria?
Turn the list into criteria and mark each as a must-have, should-have or nice-to-have. Do this before you see any demo, because a good demo will change what you think you need.
Typical criteria areas are:
- Fit: does it cover your processes, such as approvals, budgets, indicators and documents?
- Access control: can you set roles and keep duties apart?
- Security and data: hosting, encryption, data location, a data processing agreement. See our list of cloud security questions.
- Languages: does it work in the languages your staff use? See working in several languages.
- Ease of use: can a new officer use it after a short session?
- Reports: can you produce what your donors ask for?
- Support: who helps you, in what hours and in what language?
- Cost and exit: the price over three years, and how you export your data.
How do you build a shortlist?
- Ask peers in similar NGOs what they use and what they regret.
- Choose three vendors that meet all your must-haves on paper.
- Send each the same written questions and the same scenario to demonstrate.
- Drop any vendor that avoids a clear answer.
Check how long each vendor has operated and how it handles changes to its product. Ask how often the product changes, how you hear about changes and whether you can keep using a feature that you rely on. Ask each vendor to state what the software does not do. An honest limit is a good sign, and a claim to do everything is a warning.
How do you test it?
A demo shows the best path. A test shows your real path.
- Pick three real tasks, such as approving a purchase, recording a budget and entering indicator results.
- Use your own data, or a realistic copy with sensitive details removed.
- Let the daily users try it, not only managers.
- Score each task from 1 to 5 for ease and fit, and note the problems.
- Test a leaver and a joiner: how long does it take to add and remove a user?
- Test an export. Can you get your data out in a usable form?
- Test the hard case. Try one awkward situation from your own work, such as a split payment, a late correction or a user who changes role, and see whether the software copes.
How do you compare cost?
Look past the first price. Compare over three years:
- subscription, by plan and by number of users,
- extra costs for storage, features or support,
- setup, data migration and training,
- staff time to run the system,
- the cost of leaving, including export work.
Ask what is included in each plan and which features need a higher plan, so you do not find limits after you sign. Look for limits on users, storage and sign-in options, because these often differ by plan. Ask if prices change when your team grows, and when the next change could happen.
How do you decide, and then start?
Use a scorecard that weights must-haves most. Do not rely on one number. If two vendors score close, repeat the test on the criteria that matter most, or ask a peer NGO for a reference. Keep the scores, the vendors’ written answers and the reasons, so your board or a donor can see how you chose. Check any contract and any DPA with a qualified adviser.
Then plan the rollout before signing: an owner, a pilot group, a cut-off date for the old way. Our article on planning digital change in a small NGO walks through that part.
Where EMPOBase fits
EMPOBase is operations software for NGOs and CSOs. It covers projects and monitoring, finance, people, procurement and logistics, and governance in one workspace, with roles and permissions, nine interface languages and a library of 235 indicators in 8 sectors. It has limits: field reporting is online, the ledger is for projects and grants rather than statutory accounting, and language coverage varies by screen. Compare it with your must-haves as you would any vendor. See the platform page, the pricing page and the comparison with other approaches on our page for NGOs.