A LOOK INSIDE GMS: Q&A WITH LINDA BERSETH, PRESIDENT/CEO

Q. How long have you been with GMS, what is your background and how did GMS come about?

A. I have been with GMS since June 1, 1984. Prior to working for GMS, I was the Financial and Administrative Manager at the Headwaters Regional Development Commission in Bemidji, MN for 11 years.
GMS was incorporated in 1980 by founders Ralph Webster and Don Berkheimer, who started GMS as a service bureau while finishing developing the Accounting and Financial Management System. From 1980-1984, they finished programming the software while operating the service bureau and starting to make a few sales.

Q. What has been the driving force behind the company’s growth over the past 30-years?

A. To begin with, it was the founders and the employees combined with the demand of computerized nonprofit
accounting software over the first 15 years of the company’s existence. Since then, I think it is due to the dedication from the employees and the satisfaction of seeing the results in so many of the nonprofit agencies.

Q. Where do you see nonprofit accounting and financial management going in the next several years?

A. Agencies are going to have to be more accountable for the federal and state dollars that they spend and will
be looking for more efficient ways how to handle day to day functions.

Q. In these hard hit economic times, what are some of the trends you are noticing in nonprofit accounting and finance and what is GMS doing to stay a major player?

A. The last few years we’ve seen a cutback on agencies changing software and more cautious on spending. We’ve offered some discount prices to help accommodate them.

Q. What feature in the GMS system do you believe sets you apart from other nonprofit accounting software providers?

A. Our internal cost allocation by far stands out from any other system. Also a few things like document
attachment and auto PDF reports also stand out which other software providers will soon catch up on.