Overview

Provided by Suran Systems, CDM+ combines a fund-accounting ledger with operational tools for payroll, invoices, and expenses. The ledger tracks designated and undesignated balances, supports transfers, and keeps an unchangeable audit trail. Unlimited accounts, bank reconciliation, customizable reports, and budget comparisons make it a fit for organizations that need more than a general-purpose bookkeeping tool.

The wider suite can pay clergy and employees across roles and payers with unique Federal EINs, file 1099s electronically, and keep tax tables current automatically. Customers can pay invoices by card or ACH, with payments recorded in CDM+ Accounting; staff can send receipt photos to Accounts Payable through the mobile app. Data Hosting comes with every plan, including continuous database access, off-site daily backups, and automatic server upgrades. CDM+ says most hosting facilities are SOC-2 certified and remote access is restricted to Suran staff using best-practice security controls.

Key features

Fund accounting: Restricted-fund tracking, transfers, and designated versus undesignated balances help organizations keep financial activity aligned with fund purposes.
Audit and budgeting: The unchangeable ledger trail and audit reports support review, while annual and monthly budgets allow actual-versus-budget comparisons.
Payroll: Clergy payroll, distinct employee roles and payers, electronic 1099 filing, and automatically updated tax tables make the suite relevant to organizations with varied payroll needs.
Payments and expenses: Online card or ACH invoice payments flow into accounting, and receipt photos can be submitted directly to Accounts Payable.
Hosting and integrations: Included hosting provides 24/7 database access, daily off-site backups, and automatic upgrades. An API supports integrations; Essentials can export data but does not provide a specific QuickBooks integration.
Training and migration: Plans include introductory training, with phone, online, and in-person training also offered alongside documentation and videos. Data conversion is free for new subscriptions that stay active for at least 12 months.

Pricing

All SaaS plans are billed monthly through automatic ACH withdrawal; annual payment is not available. The entry price is $25.00 USD per month for one program and one user. Most plans include one concurrent user; extra users generally cost $5 monthly, with exceptions. Additional organizations generally cost $15 monthly, subject to a $30 monthly cap.

Essentials — $25.00 USD per month: One program and one user. A basic entry point for organizations that need the Essentials program, but it does not offer the broader program scope of Complete.
Starter — $25.00 USD per month: One program, one concurrent user, 50 individual records, and 25 giving unit records. The caps make it a narrow fit for a small organization that can stay within those limits.
Grow 1 — $50.00 USD per month: One program, one concurrent user, 75 individual records, and 50 giving unit records.
Grow 2 — $75.00 USD per month: One program, one concurrent user, 100 individual records, and 75 giving unit records. The higher allowance suits a larger record base, but the plan remains capped.
Choice — $50.00 USD per month: One program, one concurrent user, and unlimited individual and giving unit records. It makes sense when record growth matters more than access to multiple programs or concurrent seats.
Core — $100.00 USD per month: One program and one concurrent user. It costs more than Choice while the stated plan details do not expand its program or user allowance, so compare the programs included before choosing it.
Complete — $175.00 USD per month: Unlimited programs, concurrent users, and individual and giving unit records. This is the clearest fit for organizations that would otherwise run into program, record, or seat limits.

Online payment processing adds fees: $0.30 plus 2.9% for Visa, MasterCard, and Discover; $0.30 plus 3.5% for American Express; and $0.30 plus 0.8% for ACH. Payroll direct deposit costs $0.50. New subscribers can receive their first three months free, with data transfer at no extra cost. No trial or refund policy is stated.

Platforms

CDM+ offers desktop software and mobile apps for Apple, Google, and Amazon devices, alongside web access and an API. Desktop software can be installed on any number of computers, but concurrent licensing limits simultaneous use except on Complete. Mobile Receipts can be installed on unlimited personal devices. This suits distributed staff who need to submit expenses from their own phones, while organizations needing many simultaneous desktop users should weigh Complete's higher price.

Who it's for

CDM+ is best suited to nonprofit and faith-based organizations that need fund accounting, budgeting, and reconciliation alongside payroll or expense workflows. It is less compelling for teams that need only simple invoicing or bookkeeping, or for organizations whose membership and giving records exceed the Starter and Grow caps but whose needs do not justify a higher tier.

Pros and cons

Pro: Fund balances, transfers, budgeting, bank reconciliation, and an unchangeable audit trail are integrated in the accounting product, which suits organizations with fund-level reporting obligations.
Pro: Hosting, backups, and server upgrades are included across plans, reducing the need to arrange separate database hosting.
Pro: Unlimited devices for Mobile Receipts and an API give staff practical ways to submit expenses and connect other systems.
Con: Starter and Grow cap individual and giving unit records, so growing organizations may need to upgrade even if they need only one program.
Con: Monthly ACH is the only SaaS billing term, and payment processing carries per-transaction fees.
Con: Essentials exports data but lacks a specific QuickBooks integration, which may frustrate organizations whose workflow depends on that connection.

Alternatives

For payroll-led buying, OnPay is a paid alternative at $49.00 USD per month plus $6 per worker per month, with unlimited pay runs and schedules and year-end W-2 and 1099 filings included. Patriot Payroll starts at $8.50 USD per month for unlimited payrolls, employee and contractor pay, and direct deposit; choose it when a lower-cost payroll product matters more than CDM+'s fund-accounting suite. Payroll4Free offers free basic services for nine or fewer employees paid monthly, with advertising support, making it an option for very small payrolls.

Wave has a free Starter plan with unlimited estimates, invoices, bills, and bookkeeping records, so it is worth considering for basic bookkeeping and invoicing without CDM+'s nonprofit-specific focus. For the church-specific categories, compare Church Accounting Software, Fund Accounting Software, Nonprofit Payroll Software, and Church Payroll Software. Organizations choosing church check-in software can also review Church Check-In Software. Other alternatives include Homebase, ADP Workforce Now, Employment Hero, and Realm.

Verdict

Choose CDM+ if your nonprofit or faith-based organization needs fund accounting with payroll, payment, and expense tools in one hosted suite. Its audit trail, included hosting, and broad operational scope are the main reasons to choose it; look elsewhere if you need a specific QuickBooks connection, more flexible billing, or a lower-cost option without record caps.

	CDM+	ShelbyHQ
Free plan	No
Free trial	Yes
Paid from	$25/mo
Platforms	Android, api, iOS, macOS, Web, Windows	Web
Free plan	No
Paid from	25 /mo
Fund accounting	Yes
Budget tracking	Yes
Expense management	Yes
Bank reconciliation	Yes
Financial reporting	Yes
Multi-entity support	Yes	Yes
Restricted fund tracking	Yes
Budget vs. actuals	Yes
Audit trail	Yes

CDM+ vs ShelbyHQ

CDM+

ShelbyHQ