We partnered with Sparkrock to host a free product demo – watch the recording! 

In part one of our How to Evaluate an ERP Vendor series, we covered practical tips for assessing your nonprofit’s true software requirements and building out a vendor shortlist. Once you have your shortlist established, the next step is to get in-depth demos from each potential vendor.

Too often, nonprofit leaders enter vendor demos without the tools or information they need to get the most out of the session. It’s not for lack of effort—it’s because they’re already stretched thin managing day-to-day demands, often in systems that make even simple tasks time-consuming. The goal of this article is to help you turn that time into a focused, productive conversation that speaks directly to your organization’s needs.

Without careful preparation, selection decisions can be overly influenced by the most polished presentation or the system that “looked good” in the moment. Without a clear approach, it’s easy for a demo to become more of a product tour than a decision-making tool, leading to gaps that only become obvious once the system is live.

The most effective way to avoid this is to prepare targeted demo questions and use a structured assessment framework to evaluate the answers. Together, these tools help you compare vendors on substance, not style.

Demo questions + A clear assessment framework (and why you need both)

A vendor demo can be overwhelming. You’re seeing unfamiliar screens, hearing new terminology, and trying to picture how the tool will work for your organization. Without structure, what sticks in your mind may be small details rather than the bigger picture of fit.

Specific demo questions keep the conversation focused on what matters most to your nonprofit—your workflows, compliance needs, and pain points.

A clear assessment framework turns those answers into comparable, weighted scores so you can make a confident decision backed by evidence.

By combining both, you ensure each vendor gets a fair evaluation and every stakeholder has a voice in the decision.

Section one: Questions to ask in a vendor demo

The most useful questions are specific, plain-language, and tied to your daily operations. Ideally, you’re not just asking “Does your system do X?” Instead, you’re asking them to show you how the system does it, using examples that match your reality.

Here are question examples you can adapt, grouped by theme. Select the ones most relevant to your organization and add your own, if needed.

1. General user experience

  • What you should ask: Can you demonstrate how dashboards and interfaces can be customized for different roles within our nonprofit?
  • Why you should ask: Confirms that both finance staff and program managers will have relevant, accessible information.

 

  • What you should ask: Could you show us a practical example of simplifying workflows to save time and reduce duplicate data entry?
  • Why you should ask: Reveals whether the system truly improves efficiency.

 

  • What you should ask: Can you show an example of how the system helps ensure data accuracy and reduce manual-entry errors?
  • Why you should ask: Accuracy protects compliance and decision-making.

2. Expense management and approvals

  • What you should ask: How easy is it to set up expense claim approvals, check budgets, and automate reimbursements?
  • Why you should ask: Reduces bottlenecks and speeds up reimbursement.

 

  • What you should ask: How does the system handle corporate credit card transactions and reconcile them quickly?
  • Why you should ask: Prevents delays in reporting and keeps budgets current.

3. HR and payroll management

  • What you should ask: Can you show the process of onboarding a new employee, including automatic task assignments and HR document management?
  • Why you should ask: Demonstrates automation of common HR processes.

 

  • What you should ask: How does payroll allocate labour costs directly to specific grants, programs, or cost centres?
  • Why you should ask: Prevents manual journal entries and improves accuracy.

 

  • What you should ask: Can you show how managers access employee data, manage time-off requests, and complete performance appraisals through self-service?
  • Why you should ask: Ensures usability for non-finance staff.

4. Financial management

  • What you should ask: Can you show how dimensions work in the general ledger to simplify fund accounting and grant tracking?
  • Why you should ask: Avoids overly complex account structures while enabling detailed reporting.

 

  • What you should ask: Can you walk us through budget-to-actual reporting at the grant, project, and departmental levels?
  • Why you should ask: Essential for both internal control and funder reporting.

 

  • What you should ask: Can your system demonstrate commitment and encumbrance accounting with automatic budget checking?
  • Why you should ask: Stops overspending before it happens.

 

  • What you should ask: How does your ERP manage restricted funds to ensure donor compliance?
  • Why you should ask: Verifies that fund restrictions are enforced automatically.

 

  • What you should ask: Can you demonstrate the integration between procurement, accounts payable, and vendor management workflows?
  • Why you should ask: Shows whether the purchasing process is truly end-to-end.

5. Integration and connectivity

  • What you should ask: Can your ERP integrate with other tools we use, such as our donor database, CRM, or Microsoft 365 applications?
  • Why you should ask: Integration is key to maintaining a single source of truth.

6. Reporting and visibility

  • What you should ask: How does your software provide real-time financial insights without manual report compilation?
  • Why you should ask: Ensures leaders can make timely, informed decisions.

 

  • What you should ask: Can you show reporting capabilities that specifically address nonprofit and funder compliance requirements?
  • Why you should ask: Verifies built-in support for varied funder formats.

7. Implementation and support

  • What you should ask: What nonprofit-specific expertise can we expect from your implementation and support teams?
  • Why you should ask: Experience in your sector shortens the learning curve.

 

  • What you should ask: What tools or resources do you provide for data migration from legacy systems?
  • Why you should ask: Data migration is one of the biggest risks—this shows how they’ll handle it.

 

  • What you should ask: How much support will we receive in the early days of adoption?
  • Why you should ask: Ensures your team isn’t left struggling after go-live.

Section two: Building your vendor assessment framework

Once you’ve asked your questions, you need a way to compare answers objectively. An assessment framework lets you score each vendor against the same set of criteria, balancing functionality, cost, and long-term fit.

1. Define your criteria

Common nonprofit-specific criteria include:

  • Solution fit – How well the system meets your functional and technical requirements.
  • Vendor experience – Their track record with nonprofits of similar size and complexity.
  • Implementation approach – How realistic and well-supported their rollout plan is for your capacity.
  • Total cost of ownership – Both upfront and ongoing costs, including training and support.
  • User experience – How intuitive the system is for HR, finance, and program staff.
  • Support model – Whether support is responsive, knowledgeable, and available in your time zone.

2. Weight the criteria

Not all factors are equal. Assign percentages based on what matters most to your organization (e.g., 30% solution fit, 20% cost, 20% vendor experience, 15% implementation, 15% support). Have all stakeholders agree on these weights before demos begin.

3. Create a scoring scale

A simple 1–5 scale works well:

(1) Does not meet requirement
(2) Partially meets requirement, but may require add-ons or workarounds
(3) Meets requirement adequately
(4) Meets requirement completely
(5) Exceeds requirement or offers unique value

4. Capture notes during the demo

Assign one person to lead the questions, while others take detailed notes. This ensures scores are based on what was actually demonstrated—not what people remember days later.

5. Review and compare as a team

Hold a debrief immediately after each demo while details are fresh. Discuss any large scoring gaps between team members and agree on final scores before moving to the next vendor.

Practical tips for a stronger assessment process

  • Test the edges, not just the core: Ask vendors to demonstrate less common but important workflows (e.g., multi-year grant closeouts, cross-program cost allocations).
  • Involve all stakeholders: Include end users as well as managers in demos, as they’ll spot usability issues early.
  • Ask “how,” not just “if”: Force specificity. “Show me how your budget check works” is better than “Do you have budget controls?”
  • Be consistent: Use the same questions and scoring framework for every vendor.

Bringing it all together

Strong demo questions focus each presentation on your nonprofit’s most pressing needs. A clear assessment framework ensures you measure each vendor against the same priorities.

This combined approach:

  • Avoids decisions based on gut feeling alone
  • Builds internal consensus by involving all stakeholders
  • Creates a documented, defensible decision process for your board

Selecting an ERP is a long-term commitment. By asking targeted, plain-language questions and evaluating vendors through a structured, weighted framework, you increase the likelihood of choosing a solution that truly supports your mission, fits your workflows, and helps your team do its best work for the community.

We partnered with Sparkrock to host a free product demo – access the slide deck and resources here!

About Sparkrock

Sparkrock provides purpose-built enterprise software for nonprofits, school boards, and public sector organizations across North America. Founded in 2003 with a simple goal—to help mission-driven teams do more good, with less stress—our roots are in nonprofit finance, and our passion is community impact.

Our ERP solution is built on the Microsoft platform and designed to reduce manual work, improve oversight, and support smarter decision-making. From fund tracking to payroll to procurement, we help organizations gain the clarity and control they need to serve their communities with confidence.

Today, more than 120 Sparkrockers support hundreds of thousands of users, all working toward one thing: stronger communities through stronger operations. We continue to grow with the same heart and focus that started it all.

Meg Wilson, LinkedIn

Meg’s considerable experience in nonprofit organizations—including a Director of Finance role that she held for more than 12 years—is deeply rooted in the community development and K-12 sectors. Meg has over twenty years of hands-on experience with ERP software, positioning her as a trusted advisor in ERP system implementations. Throughout her journey, Meg has been instrumental in aiding many purpose-driven organizations to strengthen their operations and confidently achieve their goals.

The views expressed in this article are the author’s alone and do not necessarily represent those of CharityVillage.com or any other individual or entity with whom the authors or website may be affiliated. CharityVillage.com is not liable for any content that may be considered offensive, inappropriate, defamatory, or inaccurate or in breach of third-party rights of privacy, copyright, or trademark.