What do you think of when you hear ‘automation’? You might imagine robots working an assembly line, automated phone menus or something to do with processing on a large scale. 

But automation is transformative for all kinds of organizations, from Fortune 500 behemoths to sole traders to small charities and everything in between.

Indeed, accounts automation streamlines work in tangible, real ways even if you’re working on accounts or admin by yourself. 

Here are some of the immediate, transformative benefits of automation for a charity or NPO. 

1- It’s much, much faster 

This is the big one. With something like AutoEntry, you can fast-forward your admin and accounts. 

Take data entry, for instance. Instead of browsing through receipts, you can photograph them and send them directly to your accounts software (or those of your accountant). 

This applies to other aspects of data entry too; you can say goodbye to manually entering invoices, receipts or bank statements. Snap, email or upload your invoices, receipts and statements. Then send that data to your accountants or software of choice.

In some cases, you can even have the software scan electronic pdfs, for even faster processing. 

Time saved is money saved. And for charities and NPOs, this means smarter use of available resources. On that note...

2- More time to work on other tasks 

Automation doesn’t eliminate jobs - it eliminates tasks. 

Time is a precious resource for any organization, especially charities. Less time spent on data entry means more time spent on meaningful tasks, whether that's fundraising, organising events, communications or other tasks.

3- It’s more accurate 

It’s fair to say that accuracy is important when it comes to charity accounts. Like many digital tasks, automated data entry is typically more accurate than when a human does it all. 

Computers and software don’t get bored, don’t get tired and make much fewer mistakes. 

Enjoy improved accuracy and greater visibility on your finances, and the better peace of mind that brings.

4- It’s a step towards being paperless

Finally, automation is a huge step towards a paperless organisation. The most obvious example is receipt capture, which will free your wallets, pockets and workplace of receipts; simply snap, send to AutoEntry and dispose of the receipt. 

But it also greatly reduces the need to print other documents too. In some cases (such as bank statements) you need never see a hard copy of the document at all. 

A paperless workplace isn’t just good for the environment (though it is that); it also means less clutter, more space and less money spent on either premises or storage.