[GNC] Using GnuCash for cash-basis charity/fund accounting?

Edward Bainton bainton.ete at gmail.com
Sat Mar 21 17:39:30 EDT 2020


Hi all

I'm de facto treasurer of a tiny UK charity (<GBP5000pa).

I'm brand new to GnuCash (it's fresh out of the box). I know the rudiments
of double entry bookkeeping from copious reading over the past few months.

UK charity reporting is quite onerous. What I need is:

* To use cash basis accounting (but possibly 'traditional accounting' would
be no more difficult, given we don't invoice/give credit?)
* To separately report donations made by named individuals
** one donor might at different times donate using cash, PayPal, or direct
bank transfer
* To report whether a given payment was in pursuit of charitable aim
"education", or charitable aim "relief of poverty", or general admin
* To report what category a payment falls into: eg, premises hire, teacher
fees, hardship grant to beneficiaries
* To report whether a receipt or a payment is applied to the unrestricted
fund or to the "hardship fund", the "free meals fund", etc
** (different funds are held on different trusts)
* For unrestricted funds, whether the R or P is applied to a designated
fund (eg, "provision for insurance") or is undesignated.

Can GnuCash do this? If so, any pointers on how to get started?

Massively broad question, I realise. My search of the archives suggest
"Yes", but give guidance that is too advanced (and too conflicting) for my
needs at this stage.

Many thanks indeed.

Edward


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