I will make this simple. If you know how you would do this the old
fashioned way, pen and ink on paper, then you can do it using gnucash.
Using cash basis is easy provided you aren't invoicing (the business
features assume accrual basis).
The only complication I can see is the "donor reporting" requirement and
I do not know UK regs (like when is RESTRICTED donation considered
"made" by a donor -- for reporting purposes -- when received or whenÂ
used). It is the interactions of donor reporting and accounting for
restricted funds that complications might arise BUT that is not strictly
speaking a gnucash matter as you would have the same issues pen and ink
on paper.
<< note: I am not experienced with donor accounting only because all the
organizations I have kept books for avoided having any reportable
donations. Here we DO have to report "fat cat" or large "insider"
donations BUT would arrange to have these funneled via the national
associated org for which these not "large enough to need reporting".
After five years a small 501(c)3 here doesn't have to keep proving 1/3
of its donations are from the broad public so it has been decades since
I would have done this and when I was could simply keep entering "none"
for "fat cat" and "insider" donations as we avoided them >>
Although it is extra work entering the donation transactions, you MIGHT
want to consider a separate "donations" book (especially if restricted
donations are credited to/reportable by donor when made). You would have
the additional work in any case. This depends on whether for your
organization restricted donations rare or the norm.
Separating "program expense" from "overhead expenses" is trivial (just
how you arrange the expense tree) with the only possible complication if
as here, SOME type of expense is reportable as a line item whether
"program" or "overhead" << here in the US, "printing and postage" would
be an example of that -- a nuisance >>. But again, this is not strictly
speaking a gnucash issue.
Again, gnucash is just like old fashioned bookkeeping EXCEPT
1) Autoposting in reverse -- you enter transactions directly into the
ledger, the journal is virtual. Resembles "cashbook" accounting except
for all accounts, not just a few.
2) It can generate all the usual report without closing books, etc. You
just need to set the report date(s) correctly.
3) No math errors, transcription errors, etc. Gnucash will tell you if
OOB. But it can't prevent you from specifying the wrong account(s),
can't read your mind.
Michael D Novack
PS -- I will help with non-profit/charitable accounting.
On 3/21/2020 5:39 PM, Edward Bainton wrote:
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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