Entering customers

Hello, SusCSRA.

Recording and tracking the donations you receive depends on what kind of donation it is. I'll show a detailed guide on how to do this in QuickBooks Mac. 

First, we would need to create an account to track your donation. Though, we may need to create multiple accounts to properly categorize and track different kinds of donations. I would recommend consulting an account regarding this.

With that said, here's how to create the account: 

1. Go to Lists, then select Chart of Accounts. 
2. Click the + button at the bottom of the window. 
3. Set the Type to Income. 
4. Enter a name like "Donation" or similar.
5. Hit OK. 

Next, we'll want to map the account to a product or a service item so we can attach it to the transaction forms. Here's how to create it: 

1. Go to Lists again, then select Items. 
2. Click the + button.
3. Select Service as the type. 
4. For the account , use the donations account you created.
5. Hit OK.

Now, this is where we'll decide what to do to record the donations. 

If you've received a pledge, we can use an invoice form to record it. Simply go to the Customers menu, then select Create Invoice. If the donations are received on the spot, simply use the Enter Sales Receipt function instead. 

Make sure to use the service item where you mapped the account to track the donations. 

I should also mention that in-kind donations have a different way of recording in QuickBooks. For the account, we may need to seek an accountant's advice to help us determine what accounts to use and the item's market value. They can also help us with the proper procedures on recording this. 

If you need to see the donations or pledges from transactions, we can run reports to do this. I'll share a guide to help you with the process: Create reports in QuickBooks Desktop for Mac. 

Let me know if you have more questions about recording your donation entries in QuickBooks. If you do have concerns with other areas in the program, feel free to add the details to your reply. I'm here to help. 

Hi Jamespaul,

I'm just getting back to this and thanks for the reply.

What you say seems simple enough. When it comes to donation types, I would think this is simple enough, however, I could use this time as an opportunity to create where\how donations come in, so I can see what works and what doesn't. I figure most donations will come from online sources, though I may get some checks. At some point, I hope to write grants. 

Most of the money that's come into my bank accounts has come from myself, so I'll need to add myself as a customer or vendor, I assume. Or maybe as an employee? I've imported my bank accounts and need to start adding vendors next. I"m hoping to kick out my tax filings through QB this time around.

Thanks again for your response and look forward to hearing your thoughts on the above.

Best,

Chris

Thanks for following up with the Community, SusCSRA.

When entering donations, you'll want to enter the appropriate customer who made the particular donation.

In regard to making sure your books are set up properly for your type of business, I'd recommend working with an accounting professional.

If you're in need of one, there's an awesome tool on our website called Find a ProAdvisor. All ProAdvisors listed there are QuickBooks-certified and able to provide helpful insights for driving your business's success.

Here's how it works:

1. Go to our Find a ProAdvisor page.
2. Use the City or ZIP search field to specify a location.
3. Select Find a ProAdvisor.
4. Browse through your results and find one that works best for the business. You can click on each ProAdvisor's profile to learn more information about them.
   

Once you've found an accountant, they can be contacted through their Send a message form:

1. Use the available text box to introduce yourself. Be sure to include details about which services you're looking for.
   
2. Enter your appropriate info in the Your name, Your email, and Your phone number (optional) fields.
   
3. Hit Send message.
   

I've also included a detailed resource about working with donations which may come in handy moving forward: Enter donations

Please feel welcome to send a reply if there's any questions. Have a wonderful day!