Setting up / Keeping track of Donors (donation revenue, etc.)

clg3 · ‎March 11, 2019

I'm asking this for someone who is considering purchasing Quickbooks to keep track of donors, donations, expenses, etc. for a nonprofit.

To keep track of all (600+) donors, should each one be set up as a 'customer' in the customer center? Or, is there a better way to set up & track each donor? She plans to run reports showing donors, amount of donations, dates, etc.

Is there a large advantage in purchasing Quickbooks for Nonprofits - vs - traditional Quickbooks?

Thank you!

PreciousB · ‎March 11, 2019

Thanks for visiting the Community, clg3.

If you're referring to QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Desktop Premier- Non-profit edition, I'll share some insights about their differences.

Premier has tailor-made reports or forms for specific industries and allows up to 5 users while Pro allows 3. Also, Pro and Premier tracks up to 14,500 items. Check out our website for the features of Pro and Premier:

With that said, it would be better to use QuickBooks Premier if your business is for non-profit. You'll get tools more tailored to your industry.

As for your other question, you're right that you'll have to set up the donors as customers in the Customer Center. QuickBooks uses the customer list to hold information about the people and companies to whom you sell your products and services.

Here's how:

Choose Customers at the top, then select Customer Center.
At the top of the Customer Center, click the New Customer & Job drop-down arrow and select New Customer.
Enter the needed details and click OK to save.

You can also use the Add/Edit Multiple List Entries window. This is QuickBooks' way to add customer’s information in bulk. You can copy the details from Excel and paste them in QuickBooks.

Here's how:

Go to the Lists menu, then choose Add/Edit Multiple List Entries.
Select Customers under List.
Add the details and click Save Changes (check out the screenshot below).

That should work for you. Please reach out to me if you have any questions later on. I'm always happy to help. Have a good day.

View solution in original post

PreciousB · ‎March 11, 2019

Thanks for visiting the Community, clg3.

If you're referring to QuickBooks Desktop Pro and QuickBooks Desktop Premier- Non-profit edition, I'll share some insights about their differences.

Premier has tailor-made reports or forms for specific industries and allows up to 5 users while Pro allows 3. Also, Pro and Premier tracks up to 14,500 items. Check out our website for the features of Pro and Premier:

With that said, it would be better to use QuickBooks Premier if your business is for non-profit. You'll get tools more tailored to your industry.

As for your other question, you're right that you'll have to set up the donors as customers in the Customer Center. QuickBooks uses the customer list to hold information about the people and companies to whom you sell your products and services.

Here's how:

Choose Customers at the top, then select Customer Center.
At the top of the Customer Center, click the New Customer & Job drop-down arrow and select New Customer.
Enter the needed details and click OK to save.

You can also use the Add/Edit Multiple List Entries window. This is QuickBooks' way to add customer’s information in bulk. You can copy the details from Excel and paste them in QuickBooks.

Here's how:

Go to the Lists menu, then choose Add/Edit Multiple List Entries.
Select Customers under List.
Add the details and click Save Changes (check out the screenshot below).

That should work for you. Please reach out to me if you have any questions later on. I'm always happy to help. Have a good day.

View solution in original post

Joeytheconsultant · ‎December 28, 2019

I am still confused as to how to identify donors. My client is using QuickBooks Premier Nonprofit Edition 2018. All givers have been set up as customers but she wants to be able to run donor reports. It seems to me that they must first be identified as customers. I have been able to run the Donor/Grants Report, but no others. I followed your previous instructions but I still do not understand how to identify them as donors. Can you help me?

BigRedConsulting · ‎December 28, 2019

RE: I am still confused as to how to identify donors.

Donors are Customers in QuickBooks, entered on the customer list.

RE: All givers have been set up as customers but she wants to be able to run donor reports.

Then they are set up right. What "donor reports" do you mean?

If you mean donor statements to send to your donors, QB won't create them properly. Instead you can use our BRC Donor Statements - Desktop app, which will.

Catherine_B · ‎December 28, 2019

Yes, it's correct, Donors are set up as Customers, Joeytheconsultant.

Non-profit organizations often use slightly different terms when running a business, acquiring new money-in, paying vendors, and viewing reports. Thus, Donors and Grants appears as Customers or Jobs when you generate a report.

We have multiple reports that you can run depending on the data you need. Let me show you how:

Go to the Reports menu and select Report Center.
From the left menu, click Nonprofit.
A list of reports will be listed at the right side.

You can also categorize your donors by giving them a customer type. It helps your track your donor or your funding. Here's how:

Click Customers from the menu and click Customer Center.
If you already have an existing donor double-click it to view its profile.
Click the Additional Info tab.
Add new customer type and then click OK.
Follow the same steps for the rest of your donors.

I'll be here if you need anything else with setting up your Nonprofit company file.

C Varner · ‎January 07, 2021

I am setting up QB for a small church. Why do I not see 'Nonprofit' as an option under reports? I believe that I selected nonprofit/ church in the account setup process...

KlentB · ‎January 07, 2021

Hi there, C Varner.

I can share some tips on how you view that option.

Please take note that the Nonprofit option is only available in QuickBooks Desktop Premier, QuickBooks Accountant (QBA), Enterprise Solutions Accountant (QBESA), and Quickbooks Enterprise Solutions (QBES).

If you're using one of these products, you'll want to make sure that the Non-Profit Edition radio button has been selected. This way, you'll be able to view and use the Nonprofit features. Here's how:

Log into your company file.
Select File from the top menu bar.
Choose Toggle to Another Edition.
Select Non-Profit Edition.
Click Next, then hit Toggle.

Additionally, I've included an article that will guide you in managing your non-profit company: Nonprofit Accounting Basics: How to Customize QuickBooks for Your Needs.

If you have any other concerns or additional questions, don't hesitate to reach out to me and I'll be sure to get back to assist you.

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Setting up / Keeping track of Donors (donation revenue, etc.)