Don't Overlook This One Tool When Replacing Your Accounting Software

When your organization is evaluating new accounting or ERP software, there’s a lot to consider—data migration, implementation timelines, training requirements, and risk mitigation. But amid all the spreadsheets, demos, and deadlines, one tool often gets overlooked:

Your budgeting and reporting platform.

It’s an easy mistake to make. If your new accounting system includes a bundled planning module, you might assume it makes sense to use it. But replacing your budgeting tool just because it comes with your ERP can be a costly step backward.

What Happens When You Replace What’s Already Working?

We’ve seen many teams switch from a purpose-built planning tool like Martus to an ERP add-on - and they end up coming back.

Here’s why:

Ease of use matters.

Bundled planning tools often aren’t intuitive. What seems efficient on paper becomes a headache in practice—especially when you’re trying to empower department leaders, collaborate across teams, or build multi-scenario forecasts.A purpose-built platform like Martus is designed for real-world collaboration. It simplifies workflows, offers guided templates, and keeps everyone aligned through every budget cycle.

Reporting gets harder, not easier.
Some planning tools force you into rigid report templates or limit your ability to drill into key metrics. Martus gives you access to the reports you actually need—from high-level dashboards to transaction-level detail. And you don’t have to rely on exported spreadsheets to get them.

Switching tools adds unnecessary disruption.
Your team already knows Martus. You’ve built workflows around it, trained staff on it, and created reports you rely on. Changing both your ERP and your budgeting tool at the same time means a steeper learning curve, more delays, and more risk.

Why Keeping Your Budgeting Tool Makes Sense

Familiarity reduces training time. If your team is already comfortable with Martus, that’s one less system they have to learn while onboarding to a new ERP.

Your data stays intact. Martus holds your historical budgets, forecasts, and reports—critical context when planning for the future. During an ERP transition, we help you align that data with your new chart of accounts.

You keep the value you’ve already built. Replacing Martus means recreating templates, approvals, workflows, and reporting logic from scratch. Why start over when you don’t have to?

Questions to Ask Before You Switch Planning Tools:

• Will your budget owners be able to use the new tool without additional training?
• Does it support collaborative, scenario-based forecasting?
• Can you get the level of reporting detail you need?
• What happens to your historical planning data?
• Is this a better solution, or just a bundled one?

Planning Tools Deserve a Seat at the Table

Budgeting, forecasting, and reporting are essential to your mission and your operations. They deserve the same thoughtful consideration as your ERP—and the best tools to support them.

If you're navigating a software transition, check out our latest resource: [Nonprofit Finance Buyer’s Guide]. It walks through what belongs in your finance stack, what questions to ask, and how to choose tools that work together.

And if you’re already mid-transition and starting to rethink your planning setup, our team can help. We’ll walk you through what it looks like to integrate Martus with your new system—and help you move forward without giving up what works.