Following the Process

The most commonly reported issue with Giving is finding that the General Ledger entries created in Financials by the ChMS do not match the deposits made into your bank account. This is a solvable issue by following the process described here.

Step 1: Integrate ChMS & Giving

If you've not already done so, please follow our steps to integrate your People and Giving software. 

Step 2: Setup Financials Sync Settings in ChMS

User Sync Settings

1. Click on the Gear Icon at the top right of ChMS, and select Settings from the options provided.
2. On the Settings Screen that appears, click on the Giving tab.
3. Select Financials User Sync Settings.

Note: If you do not see Financials User Sync Settings and Financials Account Sync Settings (below) please contact our Support Team to activate them for you.  

Users from Financials that have been assigned the API Applications task role will be displayed on the left side, under the Financials User column heading. Use the search box on the right to link the Financials user with the corresponding ChMS User (below).

Once selected, the search box will be replaced with the chosen username and a Reset link. Click Save to finish.

Note: It is not required that every Financials User be linked with a ChMS User to click the Save button.

Account Sync Settings

1. Return to Settings > Giving and select Financials Account Sync Settings.
2. Each giving category can be linked to a single bank account and income account within your Financials chart of accounts. These two accounts MUST be in the same company and financials fund.
3. Click on Choose Account to first select the bank account, then again to select the income account. 
4. Click Save to finish.

Note: It is NOT required that every ChMS Giving Category be linked to Financials accounts, but those that are included in batches to be synced to Financials MUST be linked. 

Step 3: Sync to Financials

Once the batch has been saved, you will need to send the batch from ChMS to Financials for posting to your General Ledger.

For this process, we will assume that the user and account sync settings in Settings/Giving have been completed. If not, stop now and complete that process.

Open the batch that was created in Step 2. Click the gray gear icon and select Sync to Financials.

Ensure that you select the correct journal posting date, company, & year and that the period matches the journal date. Then click Sync.

The selected batch is now in a newly created CN type journal entry in General Ledger > Manage > Unposted Journals and as a deposit to the bank account(s) in Bank Account Management > Manage > Bank Statements. Post to the General Ledger as normal.

Since the Funding Report from Giving is based on the date the gifts post to your bank account and the batch in which the same gifts post to your General Ledger, Bank Account Management, and your actual bank account, your bank account statement reconciliation activities should now all match up.

Step 4: Posting Monthly Fees

An easily overlooked step in the Giving process is posting monthly fees to General Ledger and Bank Account Management in Financials for proper accounting and reconciliation. The most effective method for completing this process is by setting up a Recurring Payment in Accounts Payable > Manage > Recurring Payments. This will allow you to begin to budget for the fees associated with digital giving going forward, keep track of actual expenses paid to Giving for processing, and post the charges consistently and accurately.

To begin, navigate to Financials > Accounts Payable > Manage > Recurring Payments. Clear the filters in the search box and click Search. Then, click on the Add New Recurring Payment link, as shown below.

If you have previously set up your giving provider as a vendor, you can search in the new pop-up screen. If not, click on Add New Vendor to create them as a vendor.

As your giving provider will directly debit your checking account for the monthly fees, it is important that you select the Electronic Funds Transfer? option on the recurring invoice. For the Invoice #, you can enter your Giving customer ID number. The Financials system will automatically append the current month and year onto the end of the characters put in this field to help you keep track of which invoices have been paid. Enter the appropriate expense account information into the Details area.

The Invoice Total can be edited each month once the invoice has been duplicated into your Unposted Invoices area of Accounts Payable. For now, enter $1.00 into the line item Amount box(es) and the sum of the number of line items into the Invoice Total box.

Each month, when you receive notification of your Giving fees, return to Financials > Accounts Payable > Manage > Recurring Payments and select the recurring payment to Shelby Systems, Inc. Click Transfer Recurring Payments. Use the date the fees were withdrawn from your account as the Invoice Date and the correct month and year as the Due Date.

When you click OK, the recurring payment will be duplicated and placed into Manage → Unposted Transactions. Click on the pencil icon next to the new payment and edit the Due Date and the amounts in the Invoice Total and line item boxes to match your report from Giving. Click Update to return to the Unposted Transactions screen, view the Edit Report by clicking the Transaction Edit Report, then click Post Transactions and follow your normal posting steps.

Updated December 07, 2023 22:11