Complete NGO Management Manual: A to Z for All System Tabs
The authoritative user manual covering every single navigation tab, security control, and operational workflow in the NGO Management System. Illustrated with verified high-resolution platform screenshots, step-by-step procedures for Dorcas and the finance team, maker-checker authorization protocols, and direct live sign-in access.
Home / Executive Dashboard Tab (/dashboard)
The central operational command center for executive leadership, program managers, and finance officers. Provides real-time visibility into organization metrics, fund balances, active beneficiaries, and pending approvals.
Figure 1: Executive Dashboard showing real-time KPI metrics, recent financial transactions table, and urgent pending approval notices.
📊 Live KPI Metric Cards
Displays total active enrolled beneficiaries, aggregate available grant funds, pending maker-checker authorization counts, and month-to-date program expenditures.
🔔 Action Required & Alerts Panel
Highlights transactions awaiting independent review, beneficiaries due for annual eligibility reassessment, and upcoming donor grant reporting deadlines.
⚡ Quick Action Shortcuts
Instant access buttons to Record Money, Search Beneficiaries, view the Approvals Queue, and open the Staff Guide & Tutorial.
Beneficiaries Tab: The 4-Step Activation Lifecycle (/beneficiaries)
To protect donor funding against ghost beneficiaries and maintain non-repudiation, every child or family must complete a strict 4-step state progression: Candidate → Assessment → Approval → Active Enrolment.
Critical Governance Rule for Accounting & Dorcas
Financial disbursements (school fees, stipends, medical aid) can never be issued to anyone in "Candidate" or "Pending" status. Only beneficiaries displaying the green ACTIVE badge appear in financial disbursement dropdowns.
Candidate Registration & Intake Validation
Field officers navigate to Beneficiaries > Candidates > + New Candidate. The intake form captures full legal name, date of birth, national ID / birth certificate number, guardian contact details, geographic location (Ward/Sub-County), and primary vulnerability category.
Figure 2: Candidate registration interface capturing demographic biodata, guardian contacts, and vulnerability classification.
Multi-Criterion Eligibility Assessment & Scoring
From the candidate's profile, click Assess Eligibility. The system presents an objective weighted questionnaire: household income bracket, orphan status (single/double), medical and disability conditions, chronic illness, and school attendance. Mandatory evidence documents (local chief's recommendation letter, death certificates, hospital records) must be attached.
Figure 3: Multi-criterion assessment dialogue calculating vulnerability scores with required evidence attachments.
Four-Eyes Enrolment Authorization
An independent authorizing manager (System Director or Project Lead) opens the candidate profile. Under the Maker-Checker Anti-Fraud Rule, the user who created the candidate record is programmatically locked out from self-approving. The authorizer inspects attached evidence documents, checks the vulnerability score, records formal review remarks, and clicks Approve Enrolment.
Figure 4: Enrolment approval dialogue showing authorizer verification and confirmation prompt.
Active Enrolment & Financial Disbursement Unlocking
Click Start Enrolment and assign the official program admission date. The beneficiary's badge immediately transitions to ACTIVE. This status transition generates an immutable entry in the Master Beneficiary Register and unlocks the individual across all finance modules, school fee vouchers, and donor sponsorship allocations.
Figure 5: Fully activated beneficiary profile with academic records, disbursement history, and enabled financial transactions.
Donors & Sponsorship Tab (/donors)
Comprehensive tracking of individual benefactors, institutional foundations, bilateral funding agencies, grant agreements, and 1-to-1 child sponsorships.
Figure 6: Donor portfolio dashboard displaying active grants, restricted fund commitments, and 1-to-1 beneficiary sponsorship links.
1. Donor Profiles & Grant Agreements
Record legal donor identity, tax exemption PINs, multi-currency pledges (USD, EUR, KES), agreement durations, reporting milestones, and scheduled disbursement tranches.
2. 1-to-1 Child Sponsorship Linking
Connect individual benefactors directly to verified active students. The platform generates automated quarterly progress reports and academic report cards without exposing sensitive bank data.
3. Real-Time Grant Balance Monitoring
Every disbursement voucher tagged to a grant automatically reduces the donor's committed balance. Automated alerts trigger when grant utilization reaches 85%.
Schools & Partner Educational Institutions Tab (/schools)
Master registry of accredited secondary schools, tertiary colleges, and vocational institutions with strict dual-control payment security.
Dual-Control Banking & Paybill Security Protocol
To eliminate diversion of tuition payments, entering or modifying a school's bank account or M-Pesa Paybill number requires two distinct authorizations: Initial Entry by Finance Staff, Review by Director, and Final Approval by Independent Treasurer. Outbound vouchers can only disburse to verified accounts.
Figure 7: Schools registry showing institution accreditation, enrolled students count, dual-control bank verification badges, and authorization history.
| Institution Classification | Required Verification Records | Permitted Payment Channels | Mandatory Voucher Attachments |
|---|---|---|---|
| Secondary / High Schools | Ministry of Education Registration & Stamped Bank Confirmation | Bank EFT / RTGS / Official School Paybill | Official Stamped Fee Structure + Admission Slip |
| Colleges & Universities | CUE / TVETA Accreditation Certificate | Corporate Bank Transfer / Direct Wire | Semester Fee Invoice with Student Registration ID |
| Vocational & Technical Institutes | National Training Authority License | Verified Bank Account / Paybill | Itemized Course Breakdown & Equipment Requirements |
Suppliers & Vendor Due Diligence Tab (/suppliers)
Registry of approved suppliers providing uniforms, books, medical supplies, and food relief, with comprehensive tax and legal due diligence.
🏢 Vendor Accreditation
Upload Certificate of Incorporation, KRA PIN, valid Tax Compliance Certificate (TCC), and director national identity cards before any purchase order is issued.
📑 Electronic Tax Receipt (ETR) Matching
Every disbursement voucher to a supplier must be cross-matched against an authentic ETR tax receipt and a delivery note signed by the field coordinator.
🔒 Dual-Control Vendor Banking
Supplier banking details and M-Pesa Buy Goods tills require dual sign-off. The system freezes vendor disbursements if banking details are modified until re-approved.
Money & Transaction Recording Tab (/finance/transactions)
Dorcas's core daily accounting interface: recording incoming grants and donations, generating disbursement vouchers, and attaching digital evidence.
The 5 Mandatory Transaction Recording Steps (Dorcas / Accounting)
Navigate to Accountability > Money > Record Money. Follow these 5 steps to ensure seamless compliance and approval.
Figure 8: Financial transaction entry interface showing category tagging, beneficiary association, and document evidence attachment.
Standard Recording Protocol
- Step A — Direction of Flow: Select Money In (Grant Tranche, Donation, Bank Interest) or Money Out (School Fees, Stipend, Program Supplies, Admin Cost).
- Step B — Payee & Beneficiary Association: Select the accredited institution or vendor. For student disbursements, select the Active Beneficiary (inactive candidates will not appear).
- Step C — Chart of Accounts & Fund Tag: Select the expense account (e.g., 5100 - Secondary School Fees) and tag the funding source (e.g., Restricted Grant: Education 2026).
- Step D — Document Evidence Upload: Upload scanned PDF or JPG proof (stamped bank slip, fee invoice, or M-Pesa confirmation). The system blocks saving without proof.
- Step E — Submit to Approvals Queue: Clicking Submit for Review places the voucher into the Maker-Checker queue with status
Pending Approval.
Funds & Grants Tab (/funds)
Restricted and unrestricted fund management ensuring donor-imposed conditions are strictly honored across all accounting cycles.
🎯 Restricted Funds (Earmarked)
Funds legally bound to specific beneficiaries, programs, or geographic wards. The General Ledger blocks charging non-qualifying expenses to these fund envelopes.
🌐 Unrestricted Funds (General)
Discretionary organization revenue used for administrative overhead, office rent, staff salaries, and emergency unbudgeted relief interventions.
📉 Budget vs. Actual Variance
Real-time visual tracking comparing pledged grant amounts against actual expenditures, commitments, and remaining balances.
Approvals Queue Tab (/finance/transactions/queue)
The independent authorization portal where the System Director and Independent Treasurer inspect and sign off on transactions before ledger posting.
Figure 9: Executive Approvals Queue showing pending disbursement vouchers, attached invoice previews, and authorization controls.
Authorizer Review Checklist (Director & Treasurer)
- Beneficiary Verification: Confirm student is currently enrolled and attending the institution.
- Evidence Inspection: Click on the attached document to verify that the official school stamp, invoice number, and fee structure match the voucher amount.
- Grant Liquidity: Confirm the linked donor fund has sufficient unallocated balance.
- Maker-Checker Independence: System automatically verifies that the approver is not the person who drafted the voucher.
- Execution: Click Approve & Post to Ledger to finalize the transaction, or Reject with Reason to return it with explanatory notes.
Accounting Periods Tab (/finance/periods)
Strict fiscal calendar enforcement. Transactions can only be recorded and posted into active, open periods.
📅 Calendar Control
Defines monthly and annual accounting boundaries. All journal entries and vouchers must fall within the date limits of an authorized open period.
🔒 Period Locking & Month-End Close
At month-end, following bank reconciliation, the Treasurer locks the period. Once locked, the database strictly prohibits creating, editing, or backdating transactions.
🔑 Strict Reopening Governance
Reopening a locked period requires formal board-level authorization, mandatory audit remarks, and creates an alert visible to external auditors.
General Ledger & Double-Entry Accounting Tab
Automated double-entry posting, mathematical debit/credit balance enforcement, and real-time trial balance generation.
Figure 10: Balanced double-entry journal ledger displaying reference codes, debit/credit parity, and real-time trial balance.
The Immutable Double-Entry Balance Equation
Every single transaction posts balanced journal lines satisfying: Σ Total Debits = Σ Total Credits. Outbound school fee disbursements debit Program Expenses (5100) and credit Cash at Bank (1010), maintaining balance across the Chart of Accounts.
Reports & Report Builder Tab (/reports)
Statutory NGO Board compliance reports, financial statements, donor utilization statements, and exportable analytics.
📑 Financial Statements
Automated generation of Statement of Financial Position (Balance Sheet), Statement of Financial Activities (Income vs. Expenses), and Cash Flow Statements.
🎓 Program Impact Metrics
Beneficiary demographics, academic retention rates, pass marks, gender balance, and total disbursements per school district.
📤 Multi-Format Exports
Export any ledger report, donor statement, or beneficiary list to Microsoft Excel (XLSX), CSV, or audit-ready vector PDF.
Audit Log & Forensics Tab (/audit)
Immutable, append-only digital chain of custody ensuring non-repudiation for external donors, KRA, and the NGO Coordination Board.
Figure 11: Immutable compliance audit trail showing user attribution, precise timestamps, IP addresses, and before/after delta values.
Forensic Audit Parameters
- Who: Authenticated staff username, email, and assigned security role.
- When: Microsecond UTC timestamp synchronized with Network Time Protocol (NTP).
- Where: Client IP address, browser user-agent string, and network host.
- What Changed: Complete cryptographic delta recording exact original values versus modified values.
- Zero Deletion Guarantee: Database rows cannot be purged; errors require compensating reversal vouchers with explanatory notes.
Organization Profile & Governance Registers (/organization)
Official institutional profile, NGO Board registration, Board of Directors register, staff registry, and fixed asset inventory.
🏛️ Legal Registration & PIN
NGO Coordination Board registration number, KRA PIN, registered physical office address, and primary contact records.
👥 Board of Directors & Trustees
Register of board members, trustees, appointment dates, terms of office, and governance roles required for statutory annual returns.
🏢 Fixed Asset Register
Catalog of organization vehicles, computers, office equipment, depreciation schedules, and designated staff custodians.
Users & Roles Administration Tab (/admin/users)
Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), user account provisioning, permission matrices, and security lifecycle management.
| System Role | Designated Staff | Core Capabilities | Strict Workflow Boundaries |
|---|---|---|---|
| System Director | Executive Leadership | Full administrative control, strategic policy approvals, enrolment authorization | Cannot bypass independent financial review |
| Finance Preparer | Dorcas / Accounting Staff | Records transactions, uploads receipts, enters supplier invoices, drafts vouchers | Blocked from approving own entries |
| Independent Treasurer | Board Treasurer / Approver | Approves disbursement vouchers, verifies bank details, locks fiscal periods | Does not create day-to-day vouchers |
| Field Project Officer | Field Coordinators | Registers candidates, uploads chief letters, conducts eligibility scoring | No access to financial ledger or banking |
| External Auditor | Independent Audit Firms | Read-only inspection of all ledgers, receipts, audit logs, and donor statements | Zero modification capabilities |
Settings Tab (/organization/settings)
System parameters, base accounting currency, operating timezone, and fiscal calendar configurations.
💱 Base Currency & Exchange
Operating currency (USD / KES) applied across general ledger entries, multi-currency conversions, and statutory reporting.
⏰ Timezone Alignment
Configured to Africa/Nairobi (EAT, UTC+3) to ensure audit log timestamps align with local financial banking hours.
🗓️ Fiscal Year Boundary
Defines the beginning and ending month of the fiscal year for annual closing entries and comparative reporting.
Authorized Staff Login Credentials (Live Production)
Verified test and staff accounts configured on https://ngo.pinchafrica.com. Click any button below to instantly copy credentials to your clipboard:
Password: ChangeMe-2026!
Password: ChangeMe-2026!
Password: ChangeMe-2026!