Lesson 7.6 – Point-Of-Entry Allocations

Welcome to Lesson 7.6! When processing complex donations—such as a single check that needs to be divided evenly among four different scholarship funds—manually calculating and entering each split line can be tedious and prone to data entry errors.

FastFund Raising solves this with Point of Entry (POE) Allocations. This feature allows you to set up predefined distribution templates that automatically allocate transactions directly within the entry screens for Cash Receipts, Pledges, and In-Kind Donations.

In this lesson, we will explore the different types of POE allocations, how to build them, and how to manage them over time. (Note: Setting up POE Allocations requires specific user permissions in your system settings).

1. Types of Allocations

FastFund allows you to create two distinct types of POE Allocation sets, depending on whether your donation splits are fixed or variable:

• Percentage Based: This method automatically calculates and distributes the dollar amount of the transaction. You define the specific gifts and assign a percentage to each (e.g., 25% to four different funds). Percentages can be carried out to two decimal places (like 25.55%). When you apply this allocation during transaction entry, FastFund does the math for you and completely fills out the distribution grid.
• Gifts Only: This method is useful when a transaction is always split among the same specific gifts, but the dollar amounts vary each time. When applied, the system auto-fills the gift names, project codes, and memos into the distribution grid, but leaves the dollar amounts at 0.00 so you can type them in manually.

2. Creating a POE Allocation Set

You can create an unlimited number of allocation sets, and each set can have an unlimited number of distribution lines.

Steps to Create an Allocation:

1. Navigate to Cost Allocations on the Main Menu and select POINT OF ENTRY ALLOCATIONS.
2. Click the New + icon.
3. Enter a Name for the allocation set and select the Type (Percentage Based or Gifts Only) from the drop-down menu.
4. Select the Appeal. Crucial Rule: When building your allocation, FastFund only allows you to select Gifts that are actively linked to the specific Appeal you choose here.
5. In the distribution grid area, click New + to add your first gift line.
6. Select the Gift, enter the Percentage (if applicable), and optionally add a Project code or a default Memo.
7. Press the Tab key to generate the next line. FastFund will automatically calculate the remaining percentage balance to help you reach 100%.
8. Click the blue SAVE button when finished.

3. Managing and Cloning Allocations

Once your allocations are built, they become available in a drop-down menu on your main transaction entry screens. Over time, you may need to update these templates or create similar ones for new campaigns.

• Cloning: Instead of building a complex allocation from scratch, you can copy an existing one. Open the allocation and click the CLONE button. FastFund will create a duplicate named “(Clone ID#) Name” which you can then rename and edit.
• Modifying: You can open any existing allocation set to change the percentages, swap out gifts, or add new lines. Important: Modifying a point of entry allocation set will NOT retroactively change historical transactions that already used the previous version of the allocation.
• Deleting: If an allocation is no longer needed, click the name to open it and click the red DELETE button.