What should a consultant recommend for tracking donations to a designated fund?

Creating a GAU Allocation record is the recommended approach for tracking donations to a designated fund, as it aligns closely with the structure provided by the Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP). GAU stands for General Accounting Unit, which is a feature in NPSP that allows organizations to categorize and track their funds or donations according to specific designations.

When a donation is made, it can be allocated to different GAUs, enabling precise tracking and reporting based on how funds are designated by donors. This functionality empowers nonprofits to easily see how much has been raised for each fund and ensures that the funds are managed correctly.

Using a GAU Allocation record integrates seamlessly with existing Salesforce objects like Opportunities and Campaigns, making it easier to generate reports that reflect the financial status of specific funds. This aids in transparency and accountability, both of which are crucial in managing donor relationships and ensuring that designated funds are used as intended.

While the other options might seem viable, they do not provide the same level of integration and specificity in tracking donations for designated funds as GAU Allocations. For instance, creating a custom object for fund accounts could lead to unnecessary complexity in the system, and while creating an Opportunity record type for funds may provide some tracking, it won't offer the