Streamlining Invoice Processing for Nonprofits with Power Automate

Nonprofits often operate with limited resources and tight budgets, making efficiency crucial. One area where automation can significantly help is invoice processing. By leveraging Microsoft Power Automate, nonprofits can streamline their invoice workflows, reduce manual errors, and save valuable time. In this blog, we'll explore how to set up an automated invoice processing system using Power Automate, tailored specifically for nonprofit organizations.

Why Automate Invoice Processing?

Manual invoice processing can be time-consuming and prone to errors. Automating this process offers several benefits:

• Efficiency: Automate repetitive tasks, freeing up staff to focus on more impactful work.
• Accuracy: Reduce human errors and ensure data consistency.
• Cost Savings: Minimize administrative costs associated with manual processing.
• Transparency: Improve tracking and reporting of financial transactions.

Setting Up Invoice Processing with Power Automate

1. Sign In and Create a New Flow
   • Sign in to Power Automate.
   • Select create in the left pane, then choose Instant cloud flow.

      

     

      

   • Name your flow and select Manually trigger a flow as the trigger.

      

     

      

2. Add Invoice Input
   • Click on Manually trigger a flow to Expand it.
   • Select +Add an input > File and name it "Invoice File".

      

     

      

      

3. Extract Invoice Data Using AI Builder
   • Add a new step by selecting the + sign below manually trigger a flow and select AI Builder.
     
     

      

   • Choose Extract information from invoices.
     
     

      

   • On the far right of the input, Click on Fx to open the dynamic content and select "Invoice File contentBytes" from the trigger as the input (you may have to click on see more).
     
     

      

4. Process Extracted Data
   • Begin by adding the "Get My Profile" action in Power Automate to retrieve your profile information. To do this, click on the plus to add an action. Search for Get my profile(V2).
     

      

   • Utilize the extracted data to populate the necessary fields for your records. This can be done in various platforms such as SharePoint, Excel, or a database. 
     
     
5. Create an excel file 
   • For this example, we will select an excel file. As a prerequisite, create an Excel file with a table to store the data and store it in OneDrive.
   • Once the Excel file is ready, add an action in Power Automate to "Add a row into a table".
     
     

      

   • Use dynamic content to insert the profile information and the output from the AI model into the Excel table. To add a dynamic content, click on fx, then select dynamic content.
     
     

      

6. Send for Approval
   • Add a step to send the extracted data for approval.
   • You can add an action to create an approval. Use dynamic content to fill the required fields.
     
     

      

7. Save and test your flow
   • Press Save to save your flow. Then press test to run the flow.
     
     

Best Practices

• Data Security: Ensure that sensitive financial data is handled securely.
• Regular Audits: Periodically review the automated process to ensure it is functioning correctly.
• Training: Provide training for staff to understand and effectively use the automated system.

Conclusion

Automating invoice processing with Power Automate can transform the way nonprofits handle their finances. By reducing manual work and increasing accuracy, nonprofits can focus more on their mission and less on administrative tasks. Start exploring Power Automate today and see how it can benefit your organization!

Additional Resources

1. Dynamic content picker missing dynamic content from previous steps - Power Automate | Microsoft Learn
2. Approvals - Connectors | Microsoft Learn
3. Create and format tables - Microsoft Support