Bruce L. Nickerson, CPA
B.L. Nickerson & Associates was founded in 1990 by Bruce L. Nickerson, CPA, specifically to serve 501(c) [nonprofit] organizations, among them human service organizations, Native American tribes, foundations, K-12 and private schools, museums, religious organizations, voluntary health and welfare organizations, and others.
Before establishing B.L. Nickerson & Associates, Mr. Nickerson was a senior and founding member of an international management-consulting company’s nonprofit automation practice. With more than thirty years of professional experience in this sector, he has personally assisted many, many, hundreds of nonprofit organizations in the US and some abroad, as well.
B.L. Nickerson & Associates’ core services include:
- Systems planning, review, and assessment
- Application implementation, training, and data conversion
- Financial planning, budgeting, and controls/fraud deterrent reviews
- Organization and operations assessments and
- Strategic — senior-level and Board – advisement and guidance.
Our associates comprise accountants, system analysts/programmers, trainers, and other professionals with skills and knowledge relevant to this specialized sector.
Our MIP Fund Accounting Relationship
Shortly after our founding, it became evident nonprofits were struggling with and hampered by outdated, underpowered, and in many instances, inappropriate and ill-fitting accounting software.
The result was frustrated and overworked staff scrambling to cobble together requested financial information and senior and departmental managers dissatisfied with the results.
We knew there had to be a better way.
We undertook a thorough review of major nonprofit accounting packages – in some cases traveling to the developer’s offices or annual conferences – assessing:
- the software itself
- the developers’ leadership and management team’s qualities and traits
- the company’s’ history of innovation, delivery, and customer service
- caliber of customer support resources
- the developers’ internal “culture”
During this review, one company emerged above the others: Micro Information Products (MIP) of Austin, TX, now Abila MIP Fund Accounting.
With the urging and support of our client base, we then became one of MIP Fund Accounting’s very first Business Partners and have been one since.
Our MIP Fund Accounting relationship is now into its 26th year.
Providing, configuring, and implementing MIP Fund Accounting software is a major component of our client service portfolio and, as a result, we have become one of Abila’s most experienced and senior Business Partners.
Our MIP Fund Accounting clients include from quite small to the very, large; some with simple needs and others with complex accounting, reporting, and interface requirements. These organizations represent virtually every segment within the nonprofit sector.
Each uses MIP Fund Accounting to meet their specific needs.
In conjunction with providing MIP-related assistance, we oftentimes develop or provide applications enhancing the client’s ability to process data more efficiently, interface disparate systems, establish written operating procedures, and help better align staff resources and responsibilities to function more efficiently.
As an Abila Authorized Partner and Certified Consultant, B.L. Nickerson & Associates provides full implementation support. We assist the client with all critical aspects of establishing MIP software, including configuring the software, managing the system implementation, and providing end-user training.
Over the years, MIP Fund Accounting has awarded B.L. Nickerson & Associates “Service Provider of the Year” and has formally recognized our firm in various manners, including participating on MIP Fund Accounting’s Charter VAR Council.
BL Nickerson-developed Software
As well, BL Nickerson has developed specialized productively applications extending Sage Fund Accounting’s capabilities and enhancing client operations, including:
- easyReconciler©
- VendorVision©
- ExpenseExpress©
- Check Defender©
- Entry Dates Manager©
- DataVault© Automated Off-site Back-up/Data Storage
A History of MIP Fund Accounting
Founded in 1982, MIP provides fund accounting software for nonprofit organizations, municipalities, and governmental agencies. The Austin, Texas-based company’s mission is to produce the highest quality software to strengthen nonprofits’ accountability to fulfill their missions.
MIP’s founders – Mr. Rusty Turley and Mr. Bill Locklear – set out to achieve a bold vision: developing a flexible, feature rich, easy-to-use fund accounting system designed specifically for the nonprofit sector, and making certain it was appropriately priced and well supported.
They achieved their vision.
In 2001, Sage Software, a world-wide provider of business management software, to ‘mid market’ organizations, acquired MIP.
In July of 2013 Sage Nonprofit Solution became Abila – a company dedicated to serving dynamic nonprofit organizations and government agencies through high-value solutions that simplify and streamline processes.
Presently, MIP Fund Accounting helps more than 19,000 nonprofit organizations – many on a national level, including the American Lung Association and others – to better manage their accounting and other essential processes.
Abila MIP Fund Accounting
Abila offers a range of award-winning solutions: fund accounting, donor and grant management, fundraising, relationship management, association/member management, and more.
The company’s clients include leading nonprofits, government agencies, associations, membership organizations and higher education institutions throughout North America, as well as some foreign organizations..
Abila is the leading provider of software and services to associations and nonprofit organizations that help them improve decision making, execute with greater precision, increase engagement, and generate more revenue. With Abila solutions, association and nonprofit professionals can use data and personal insight to make better financial and strategic decisions, enhance member and donor engagement and value, operate more efficiently and effectively, and increase revenue to better activate their mission. Abila combines decades of industry insight with technology know-how to serve thousands of nonprofit organizations throughout the world.
Bio
Before establishing B.L. Nickerson & Associates in 1990, Mr. Nickerson was a senior and founding member of an international management consulting firm’s nonprofit industry group and was responsible for the Nonprofit Systems and Technology Management Practice.
With more near thirty years of professional service to the nonprofit sector, he has assisted numerous nonprofit organizations and institutions of higher education with addressing a variety of needs, including:
- Conducting financial planning, budgeting, and fiscal management reviews
- Performing operational and organizational reviews
- Providing strategic systems advice and assistance
- Designing and implementing management reporting systems
- Conducting systems plans and feasibility analyses
- Selecting and implementing a wide variety of automated systems
Mr. Nickerson served on New York State Society of Association Executives’ [NYSAE] Office and Information Technologies Committee and is past chair and vice-chair of that Committee. He also served on NYSAE’s Associate Member Advisory Committee of and was the only non-Certified Association Executive [CAE] to provide NYSAE’s CAE candidates technology training sessions. Mr. Nickerson is past founding chair of the New Jersey Society of Association Executives’ Technology Committee.
Mr. Nickerson has spoken at ASAE, NYSAE, NJSAE, MIP and client-sponsored conferences on a variety of nonprofit financial, organization, technology, and management topics. Mr. Nickerson has also provided executive training workshops for senior nonprofit personnel on behalf of the Fund for the City of New York, New York Regional Association of Grant Makers, and the Corporation for Supportive Housing.
Mr. Nickerson earned a M.S. in Accounting from the New York University Stern School of Business Administration and received a B.A. with dual majors in English and Psychology from Amherst College. He is a Certified Public Accountant and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and the New York State Society of CPA’s.
Mr. Nickerson is active in veteran affairs, a 35-year SCUBA diver, avid equestrian, motorcyclist, and an addictive reader. He resides with his family in Mendham, New Jersey.
For more information please contact us