RE to FE Integration - Fund and Project Linking

Rebecca Lewis

Our finance team has been using Financial Edge for about 6 months now and we are beginning to look into integrating it with Raiser's Edge.  I am a little hesitant because it seems like we will need to create duplicate funds to link to the different projects in FE.  


Example:

We have an Operating fund.  All of our major events benefit the operating fund.  In RE currently, we use the appeal to differentiate between the events.  When recording donations or ticket sales from each event, the fund is Operating and the Appeal is the event. In FE, they use projects to differentiate the different events within operating fund.  Based on my research, it seems like in order to link these gifts to FE, I would have to create an operating fund for each event: Operating:Event1, Operating:Event2, etc.  In addition, we receive operating donations from different departments and it seems like i would need to create a fund for each of those departments:  Operating:Adoptions, Operating:Clinic, etc.


Does anyone else have enough experience with this to be able to tell me if this is the correct way to do this?  From a data integrity standpoint, it bothers me because I would have 10 different operating funds when I am running my internal development reports.  Is this where Fund Categories come in to play?  


I appreciate any help that can be provided.

JoAnn Strommen

Rebecca,

As I understand your scenario the options I see are (based on my RE experience and our org structure only):

• If all the appeals go to the same operating fund, does accounting need them as separate projects? If they don't that makes it a lot easier for RE side.  
• Create Campaign of "Operations" and create a fund to equal each FE project.  (That's basic structure of linked FE & RE: FE Project = RE Fund)
• Keep fund as "Operating".  Make a gift sub-type to equal each event.  Within your fund record set up you can define each gift sub-type to go to a different GL account to match the existing FE projects.  It's a bit messy but might work.  You can keep events as appeals and default them to operations fund.  You can run reports by appeals - you can run some reports by sub-type (not sure about all reports.)

You could use fund categories.  We use campaign as umbrella for all the funds that go to our annual campaign from each branch Y.  I think it provides more reporting options than using a fund category.  Someone who uses them could help answer that question.


I really think you should talk to support or your account rep who can look at your database and is more familiar with your structure for their recommendations. I might even talk to more than one person at BB for input.  They should have been working with you all along with the goal of the two programs being integrated.  We started with RE and then added FE but all along were structuring for the intergration. 


My 2 cents.  As I said it's based on our structure. I know there are some orgs that have their campaign/fund/appeal structure almost the opposite but often they are not integrated with accounting.  This is what was recommended to us and has worked well for us.

Rebecca Lewis

Thanks!  You brought up some options I was not aware of previously.  I will also be sure to consult our representative with suggestions. When we are ready to fully link the two systems, we will be using one of their project consultants but we are trying to take babysteps right now.

Rebecca Lewis

To add as well: We have been on Raiser's Edge for about 8 years so I would prefer not to change our entire structure.

Gracie Schild

One more thing to look into - we use "transaction codes" in FE to separate out which expenses apply to which event.  We have an RE fund number for events that aren't specific to other projects (our annual Gala has its own number, a scholarship event would go toward the scholarship fund), but rather than create a new fund number for every event, we create a new appeal and direct the revenue to Events fund.  That is linked to a specific Events project number in FE, and to identify WHICH event, we use a transaction code that matches the RE appeal.  That is only important for expenses - not really for revenue.  Normally, we don't use that RE fund - it's all about where the money is designated and not where it came from.  The appeal should help you track the source (and in RE it has an expense table to save you digging in FE), and the fund should only be where the money is going.


Well, that sounded horribly murky!  I hope it made a little sense!


I'm posting a new thread about recording scholarship awards in FE.  Anyone reading this who has input to offer, please check it out!

Rebecca Lewis

I thought about transaction codes but our finance team is using those for grants and did not seem open to using them for events appeals.  For right now, the subtype seems like the best way with how our systems are set up.  We are going to just set up a couple and see how it goes. 

JoAnn Strommen

Not working the FE side, not sure where/what transaction codes are equivalent to in RE.  I use gift code for several of our funds and I don't believe it even goes over to FE when posting.  If it does, they just ignore it. 


Try gift sub-type, still think that's probably best option.

Elaine Tucker

Rebecca Lewis:

I thought about transaction codes but our finance team is using those for grants and did not seem open to using them for events appeals.  For right now, the subtype seems like the best way with how our systems are set up.  We are going to just set up a couple and see how it goes. 

We integtrate with RE-FE; you can have up to 5 transaction code tables to use; We currently use one for Grants, the 2nd for events/appeals and the 3rd for Employees.


So If I am reading your post correclty you have ONE fund in RE but MULTIPLE projects in FE.  If you set up the one of the TCode tables to allow for your appeals -  the FE side of the house could run reports to see what revenue has come in based on the TCodes and then do a Journal entry to move totals from the REFUND_FEProject to the different FE Projects.


The way integration is set up is RE FUND = FE Project; and Appeals are set to link to the Transaction Code Tables.  If you have any additional questions, let me know. We have over 100 events per year so I can talk TCodes FEProjects and RE Funds until the events have all been had, the lights turned out and we all go home.


 

Christine Cooke 2

Sounds like you are very dependent on your Appeal field to tell you what bucket the $$ fall into.  I have worked in orgs that have linked RE and FE, and ones that have not, but insist on reconciling to the literal nickel.


You really do, in my opinion need to rethink your Funds.  And yes, they will tie directly into the FE Account numbers.  But in the end it will be good for your reporting and for everything.


Orgs I have been at have wanted to be able to dial down in RE reporting on each specific element of an event.  And coding the Funds has been the cleanest, most direct way to do this.  If the Finance Department does not require such specificity, then you can utilized the same Account Number on their side for multliple funds.  Example:

Gala:-Sponsor, Gala-Underwriting, Gala-Advertfisement, Gala-Donation -- all feed into the same account number on the FE side

Gala-Live Auction, Gala-Silent Auction  -- feed into the same account

Gala-PatronTable, Gala-Tickets  -- feed into another account.


Finance wants to see what came in that was straight $$ vs. what has benefits like food and drink and seating/admission.

On the Development side, the events peeps and Director want to see specifically what came in in every category mentioned. 


Yes, your Fund list will get longer, but it's a good thing.  Then, your Funds will fall into three or four categories or campaigns.  For example: Operating/Annual Giving,  Endowment, Events, Capital Improvement.