Module 5: Campaigns, Appeals & Gift Structure teaches users how to organize donation transactions using FastFund’s structured “Gift Pyramid” hierarchy. By properly configuring the four tiers of this pyramid—Funds, Campaigns, Appeals, and Gifts—users ensure that every dollar raised automatically rolls up into accurate, high-level financial reports. Because of how the database links information, users learn that this structure must always be built in a strict, top-down order.
The top two tiers provide aggregate data for high-level reporting. Funds represent the highest accounting level and should reflect the organization’s overall accounting structure. Campaigns act as broad fundraising umbrellas designed to accumulate different fundraising activities into a single parent Fund. In this module, users learn how to create these campaigns and assign them overall financial goals to track their team’s long-term success.
The bottom two tiers represent the granular, actionable details of your fundraising efforts. Appeals are the actual events, mailings, and drives. FastFund allows users to track the exact number of constituents contacted to measure response rates, and log specific event expenses to generate a true profit and loss statement. Gifts define the specific types of contributions received—such as sponsorships, raffle proceeds, or ticket sales. Crucially, users learn that every Gift must be linked directly to a general ledger revenue account to ensure seamless integration with the accounting department.
Finally, the module covers how to explicitly link these tiers together, ensuring that when staff enters a donation, they only see the gift designations appropriate for that specific event. The ultimate payoff of this structured setup is the ability to generate powerful Campaign Performance Reports—like Fund Summaries and Appeal Details—that allow your development team and board of directors to instantly measure actual revenue against their established targets.