Bonterra Penelope

Bonterra Penelope is case management software for nonprofit and public-sector organizations coordinating essential services. It suits teams that need structured intake, client communication, medication workflows, and outcome measurement in one environment. The strongest case for it is its specialized service and measurement modules; the biggest caution is that buyers must obtain a quote and verify the product’s current availability.

Overview

Penelope is designed for leaders who need to coordinate services while following client progress and organizational impact. Custom intake forms help standardize how programs collect information, and outcome tracking supports follow-up beyond a basic case record. That combination is more relevant to agencies with formal service processes and reporting obligations than to small teams seeking a simple contact database.

Bonterra positions its case-management software for nonprofits and public-sector agencies. Penelope’s relationship to Bonterra’s current portfolio deserves attention: current case-management navigation emphasizes Apricot products, while legacy product terms continue to reference Penelope modules. A prospective customer should therefore confirm that the required Penelope edition and modules are still being offered.

Key features

Client communication

ClientConnect provides a mobile portal for secure communication between clients and staff. It can give service organizations a dedicated client-facing channel instead of relying solely on staff-entered records. The facts do not establish particular device support or workflow coverage, so organizations should validate those requirements during procurement.

Medication management

The medication module connects Penelope to DrFirst Rcopia with a two-way interface. Patient demographics, allergies, and diagnoses can pass between systems, and single sign-on starts Rcopia access from Penelope. Rcopia supports creating and managing prescriptions, checking drug and allergy interactions, viewing eligibility and formulary information, reviewing medication history, and electronically prescribing controlled substances through EPCS Gold. This is a meaningful advantage for health and human-service providers with medication responsibilities; it is unnecessary complexity for agencies that only need nonclinical case tracking.

Reporting and outcomes

Penelope Online Dashboard reporting services provide Tableau access and a package of standard reports for one Penelope database. That gives organizations an established reporting route, while the one-database scope matters to groups consolidating or comparing multiple databases. The ORS Measures module includes ORS, SRS, CORS, CSRS, YCORS, and GSRS content, plus OpenFit, an API for statistical information used to monitor and measure outcomes. These measures make Penelope a stronger fit for programs accountable for demonstrable results than for teams with no outcome framework.

Security and support

Athena Software Corporation’s information-security management system is certified to ISO/IEC 27001:2013; the certificate records a June 20, 2023 date and annual audits. A legacy support agreement describes basic system support, 24/7 client-portal access, and chat and email support Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Central time. Phone consultations are offered through fee-based support packages, so organizations that require telephone assistance should budget for that separately.

Pricing

The Penelope plan uses custom pricing, with no published amount. Bonterra’s case-management pricing page presents Apricot plans and a request-pricing option rather than a Penelope price. Ask for a quote that identifies the core system, ClientConnect, Rcopia integration, reporting services, ORS Measures, implementation, and support terms; those components materially affect the buying decision. There is no stated free plan, trial period, seat allowance, usage quota, renewal term, or discount structure to compare.

Platforms

Penelope supports Android, iOS, web, and API access. That mix covers mobile use, browser-based administration, and integrations, although the platform list alone does not define which modules run on each surface.

Who it's for

Penelope is aimed at nonprofit and public-sector agencies coordinating essential services. It is particularly suitable for organizations that need consistent intake, client-facing communication, medication management, and formal outcome measures. Agencies seeking only lightweight case notes, or buyers unwilling to manage a custom quote and confirm current availability, should consider a simpler or more clearly packaged alternative.

Pros and cons

Pros

Clinical workflow depth: Rcopia integration covers prescriptions, interaction checks, medication history, formularies, and controlled-substance e-prescribing.

Outcome measurement: ORS-family measures and the OpenFit API support structured monitoring rather than anecdotal follow-up.

Client channel: ClientConnect adds secure mobile communication between clients and staff.

Reporting foundation: Tableau access and standard reports provide a defined route to dashboard reporting for one database.

Cons

Budget uncertainty: Pricing is custom, with no public plan comparison or published trial.

Portfolio ambiguity: Current navigation emphasizes Apricot, so buyers must verify Penelope’s present availability and module scope.

Support cost: Phone consultations require fee-based support packages.

Potential overreach: Specialized medication and measurement tools may add unnecessary complexity for basic case-management needs.

Alternatives

For a wider scan of grant-focused products, see Grant Management Software. For comparable nonprofit case-management systems, see Nonprofit Case Management Software.

SmartyGrants is a paid, web-based option with a free trial; choose it when grant workflows and trial access matter more than Penelope’s service and clinical modules.

AIMS Grant Management Software offers Android, iOS, web, API, and self-hosted deployment; its Foundation plan costs £43,000 annually for single or low-complexity schemes with limited configuration, making it a grant-management choice rather than a direct case-management substitute.

Blackbaud Financial Edge NXT is a paid API and web product with custom quotes; pick it when financial-management needs lead the project.

Euna Budget provides paid web plans, including enterprise support for large, complex jurisdictions and professional packaging for smaller organizations; choose it for budgeting rather than service-case coordination.

NonProfit+ is a paid Android, iOS, web, and self-hosted product with unlimited users on quote-based pricing; consider it when broad user access is the priority.

OpenWater Grant Management uses custom, usage-based subscriptions on Android and web; select it for grant administration priced around usage.

CommunityForce is a paid web awards-management platform with demo-based pricing; it fits organizations focused on awards processes.

Good Grants is a paid API and web product with a free trial; its Intro plan is $3,950 a year for up to 10,000 applications, unlimited users and managers, unlimited fund allocations, one application form, and a 10MB file limit, making it a clearer grant-specific comparison.

Verdict

Choose Bonterra Penelope if your nonprofit or public agency needs case coordination plus client communication, medication workflows, and structured outcome measurement. Its integrated Rcopia and outcomes capabilities are the main reasons to select it. Look elsewhere if transparent pricing, a clearly current product package, or straightforward grant and budgeting workflows matter more than those specialized services.