You seem to be describing your Purchase, not a Sale, here: "We occasionally buy books or order tshirts to sell but usually pay when purchased"
That is your Write Check or Enter Credit Card Charge/
"so since that wouldn't be an "unpaid sale" I assume I could still enter these as a Sales Receipt item (rather than Donation item that I've created)."
No, that is confusing two different things:
I am buying tickets to an event + giving you a donation. I am standing right there, offering Money. That means you list the Ticket Fee item and the Donation Income item on a Sales Receipt for me.
Or,
I am on The Phone. I will pay at the Will Call Windows for the event. That means you Enter the same two charge items on an invoice and email it to me. I bring it to the Will Call Window at the event and I pay then.
"But if I order something that will be paid later, I will enter as an invoice, if I'm understanding you correctly."
No, that's Bill = I pick up shirts from the Printer and they allow me to Pay in 30 days. That is vendors = suppliers of goods and services. We pay them for goods and services.
Donors/Customers give us money.
"Page 128 in Ivens book, she says to use Customer > Enter Sales Receipt (Donation) which I think is what you're describing. So I'm not sure what you meant by "Don't listen to whoever told you Never to use Receive Payment; they are Wrong." because I understand Receive Payment is not for use for Donations but it is used for items that we invoice for future payment and then we are paid."
Look up the meaning of the word Pledge. I Pledge to pay you $12,000 this year, as $1,000 a Month = Put the donation item on an Invoice. Do that every Month.
"So we would use Receive Payment for that purpose, I assume? Just wanting to clarify..."
You seem to be confusing what you List on the sale, with How to use the Sales Transactions. But the relationship is: I list what applies to this Sale. I put on a sale receipt or an invoice based on if I am being Paid for that same date or paid later.
Not what you are Listing, but when the payment needs to be dated. Sales Receipt = One Step. Invoice and Receive Payment = Two Steps, to allow for Different Dates.
"3) Re Customers menu, if i choose Customer Center, I can then see all the Donors list and clicking on each will show each donation they've made."
Shows their Transaction Listing.
"(Is this the best way to view all their donations?)"
You also run reports. That Sales receipt for me, in my example, included Event Tickets purchased and donation. Sales reporting, such as Sales by Customer or Sales by Item, is how you see Donation vs Tshirt vs Event Tickets vs Grant Income.
"I now see that i just didn't go to next screen so i could apply donation to PP account and I understand that now for future. I wanted to start completely over and do it right by first unchecking UF in preferences before doing a PP donation so i could put it directly in PP and not UF."
Yes, exactly; see it to take manual and specific control, each time you process the sales receipt or the received payment.
"I was able to delete the 3 donations in PP account"
I think you mean Sales Receipts?
"but how do I delete them from showing under the donor's name in Customer Center"
Okay, you Removed the DEP entry, which put the Funds from the Sales Receipt back into UF. You need to open the Sales Receipt from customer center (double-click it) and Delete it (Edit menu > Delete or Ctl + D). Now make it Fresh. Now you see your new option.
Notice those are Transaction Types: DEP, Invoice, Sales Receipt, PMT.
