Lesson 3.11: Entities

All of the companies and individual names entered into the FastFund system are stored in a single, common table called the Entities table. This unified Entities table is seamlessly shared across all FastFund applications, including FastFund Accounting, Payroll, and Fund Raising. Utilizing a common name table saves you time during data entry, significantly reduces duplicate records, and allows you to comprehensively analyze all financial activity associated with the people and organizations you interact with.

The Five Entity Types There are five distinct Entity types within the FastFund database:

1. Employees: All individual staff members your organization employs and pays through the Payroll module.
2. Other Names: Individuals and companies you do business with who are not classified in the other four categories. This is used for basic cash receipts and disbursements in FastFund Accounting.
3. Vendors: Individuals and companies you purchase goods or services from, managed within the Accounts Payable module.
4. Clients: Individuals and companies you provide services to, managed within the Accounts Receivable module.
5. Constituents: Donors, volunteers, alumni, members, or prospects managed within the Fund Raising module.

Shared Entity Data and Sub Classes A major advantage of this structure is that a single company or individual can be classified as more than one entity type while sharing the same core data, such as addresses, phone numbers, and email addresses. For example, a staff member could be set up as an Employee in FastFund Payroll, but also as a Constituent if they make a charitable donation to your nonprofit.

Every entity is assigned a unique Entity ID number, which is essential for searching for duplicates, merging records, and exporting or importing data. If a name is set up in multiple entity tables, you can easily navigate between their different profiles. In the top right corner of the Header Information on their Details window, you will see a Sub Classes listing. Clicking on the linked Entity Type name (such as clicking “Constituent” while viewing an Employee record) will instantly open their profile in the other FastFund module.

Entity Name Formatting Each entity is classified strictly as either an Organization or an Individual. The system provides multiple name fields to handle different types of correspondence:

• Entity/Display Name: For organizations, this is simply the company name. For individuals, this is an automatic concatenation of their First Name and Last Name, and it is the exact name that will print on their paychecks.
• Contact Names 1, 2, and 3: These fields provide flexible salutations for correspondence. You might use Contact Name 1 for formal letters (e.g., Mr. George Costello), Contact Name 2 for informal emails (e.g., George), and Contact Name 3 to address an entire family.