How should a finance associate track gifts associated with different funds in NPSP?

To effectively track gifts associated with different funds in NPSP, establishing General Accounting Unit (GAU) records related to Opportunities is a practical approach. GAUs allow organizations to designate specific funds for donations, ensuring that contributions are assigned to the appropriate accounts. This structure enables organizations to manage and report on funding sources accurately.

When a finance associate uses GAUs, they can easily allocate and track donations across different funds, which helps in financial reporting and maintaining compliance with donor requirements. The system can automatically manage these allocations within the Opportunity records, ensuring that gifts are correctly associated with the intended fund.

While creating Campaign records for each fund or using Campaigns with Payments can seem like viable options, these methods may not provide the level of detail and tracking capabilities needed specifically for financial reporting. Custom multi-select picklists might complicate reporting and data analysis since they can create additional layers of manual work without the same built-in functionalities that GAUs provide.

In summary, using GAU records associated with Opportunities is the most effective way to track gifts against various funds, allowing for streamlined financial management and accurate reporting within the NPSP framework.