Lesson 10.6: Using the Financial Reports Set Manager
Standard financial statements list every active account, fund, and cost center in your system. However, different audiences require different levels of detail. Your Program Directors might need to see every individual supply account, while the Board of Directors likely wants a summarized view that combines all “Cash” accounts into a single line item or groups multiple “Grant Funds” into a single column.
The Financial Reports Set Manager is FastFund’s tool for customizing the presentation of your financial data without changing your actual Chart of Accounts structure. This lesson covers how to create “Sets” to consolidate funds, group cost centers, summarize object codes, and exclude specific data for tailored reporting.
1. Understanding Sets and Accumulators
A “Set” is a saved template of instructions that tells the report writer how to organize your data. Within a Set, you use Accumulators. Think of an Accumulator as a folder: you create a folder with a custom name (e.g., “Total Personnel Costs”) and drag multiple accounts (Salaries, Payroll Taxes, Benefits) into that folder.
When you run a report using this Set, the system follows your instructions to group those accounts together.
Sets can be used to:
• Combine Funds: Group individual restricted funds (e.g., “Grant A,” “Grant B”) into a single column header (e.g., “Net Assets With Donor Restrictions”).
• Group Cost Centers: Combine non-linked cost centers (e.g., “Summer Camp” and “After School”) into a single program group (e.g., “Youth Services”).
• Summarize Object Codes: Roll up detailed accounts (e.g., Rent, Utilities, Repair) into a summary line (e.g., “Occupancy Costs”).
• Exclude Data: Uncheck specific funds or accounts to prevent them from appearing on a report (e.g., printing a report that shows only Salaries and excluding all other expenses).
2. Creating a New Set
1. Navigate: Go to Reports > Reporting Tools > Set Manager.
2. Create: Click New +.
3. Setup:
◦ Name: Give the Set a descriptive name (e.g., “Board Summary” or “Grant Report Layout”).
◦ User Assignment: You can restrict who can use this Set. Move specific users from the “Available” column to the “Selected” column.
4. Save: Click Save.
5. Define Criteria: Click the Set Criteria button to begin customizing the layout.
[INSERT SCREENSHOT: The Set Manager window showing the “Set Criteria” button and the User Assignment columns]
3. Grouping and Arranging Data
Once inside the Set Criteria screen, you select the specific segment you want to customize from the dropdown menu (e.g., Funds, Cost Center Groups, Current Assets, Expenses).
Creating an Accumulator (Grouping):
1. Select the segment (e.g., Expenses).
2. Click New Accumulator +.
3. Name: Enter the name for the group (e.g., “Personnel Costs”).
4. Type (Object Codes Only): Select how the data should display:
◦ Group: Collapses all accounts into a single line total. The individual accounts are hidden.
◦ Subtotal: Lists all the individual accounts followed by a subtotal line.
5. Drag and Drop: A “Navigator Box” (six dots) appears to the left of every account and accumulator. Click and drag individual accounts (like Salaries and Taxes) under the new Accumulator folder. They will indent to show they are now inside the group.
Reordering: You are not stuck with numerical order. You can drag and drop accounts or accumulators to change the order in which they print on the report.
Excluding Items: To hide an account or fund from the report entirely, simply uncheck the box next to its name.
• Note: If you exclude data, the resulting financial statement will display a warning: “Modified Financials – Does not include all account segments.”
4. Syncing Sets
This is a critical maintenance step. If you add a new General Ledger account or Fund to your Chart of Accounts after you have created a Set, that new account does not automatically appear in your custom Sets.
The Sync Process:
1. Navigate to the Set Manager.
2. Look for the Unsynced column. If a checkmark appears, the Set is outdated.
3. Click the SYNC ALL button at the top of the list.
4. The system scans your Chart of Accounts and adds any missing items to the bottom of your Sets (usually as excluded/unchecked items that you must manually enable and place).
5. Running Reports with Sets
You do not run a report from the Set Manager. Instead, you go to the standard Financial Statements and apply the Set there.
1. Navigate to Reports > Financial Statements > Statement of Activities (or Financial Position).
2. Set Selection: In the report parameters window, locate the Set Selection dropdown menu.
3. Choose your custom Set (e.g., “Board Summary”).
4. Generate: Click Generate Report. The resulting PDF or Excel file will reflect the groupings, reordering, and exclusions defined in your Set.
