One of the projects being planned for GiftWorks is an improved integration with the accounting software, QuickBooks.   We have developed a list of functional improvements to consider based on conversations with accounting and QuickBooks advisors and some feedback from customers.  This is your chance for your voice to be heard.  The following is a bulleted list of possible functional improvements that is in no particular order.  We welcome you to provide feedback on the relative priority of the items on this list or add suggestions of your own by responding to this blog entry.

• Improved ability to configure Accounting Settings.  This configuration process will be independent of the post process.  It will allow the user to specify the accounting functions that will be used (e.g. Basic: No Posting, Advanced Accounting: Posting to Accounting software other than QuickBooks, QuickBooks Accounting) and the necessary setup.  For example, for QuickBooks, the company file path will be specified and the accounts and classes synchronized with GiftWorks.  This is based on the recognition that the accounting setup could be performed by someone different that the person doing the regular posting and therefore simplifying the regular posting process.
  
• Synchronization of QuickBooks accounts with GiftWorks.  The idea is to use QuickBooks as the source for the accounts, providing a process to import QuickBooks accounts and map unassigned GiftWorks accounts to QuickBooks accounts.   Only certain QuickBooks account types (e.g. Asset, Income and Accounts Receivable) would be considered.  The post process would not be able to be executed if the QuickBooks accounts are not synchronized with GiftWorks.   This should eliminate the tedious manual work that is currently required.
  
• Implement QuickBooks classes.  Synchronization of QuickBooks classes with GiftWorks, providing a process to import QuickBooks classes and map funds to classes.   Class would be posted to the QuickBooks journal entries for each fund.   This will allow the full functionality of QuickBooks class reporting to be utilized.
  
• Detailed Posting - minimize the number of journal entries.   Some improvements were made to the Detailed Posting format as part of the latest GiftWorks release (2.0.112.00).  For donations and pledge payments, the GiftWorks transactions are posted as one journal entry per donation/payment.  Each journal entry consolidates the transactions, posting one line per asset account and one line per fund for each income account.    The detailed GiftWorks transactions continue to be posted for pledge transactions.  Multiple changes to a pledge can still result in multiple journal entries that could be summarized.  The idea is to summarize the GiftWorks transactions in a way that reflects the activity in GiftWorks, but minimizes the number of journal entries.   It may not be necessary to create a reversal for QuickBooks if the original transaction for the pledge or gift has not been posted.
  
• Detailed Posting - include payment method information.  Some improvements were made to include payment method information as part of the latest GiftWorks release (2.0.112.00).   The Entry No. field is posted with the Check Number for check payments and 'Cash' for cash payments.   Consider using the memo field of the Asset account to post additional payment method information.
  
• Summary Posting - choose summary Level.   Currently, with the summary post, the entire date range is posted to QuickBooks in one journal entry.  This will allow the summary level to be chosen (e.g. by date, month, year, etc.).
  
• Allow post by donation date rather than transaction date.   Currently, the journal entry in QuickBooks is posted with the date of the transaction.  Except for imports, a transaction is stamped with the current date when the activity occurs.  Note:  Imports set the transaction date equal to the donation date since these are used to add historical information to GiftWorks.  If a donation is entered into GiftWorks today for a gift made last week, the gift will post to QuickBooks with today's date.   Some customers have requested that the gift be posted with the donation date.   One downside of this is that the transaction is more likely to post to a closed period in QuickBooks since the transaction will often be backdated.  Another downside is that it may be harder to determine the date range to use when posting transactions to QuickBooks.  Pledges and reversals would still need to use the current date.
  
• Integrate with QuickBooks without QuickBooks running.   The company file configured in the Accounting Settings will be accessed even if QuickBooks is not running.   Currently, QuickBooks must be running with the company file opened.   Not only will QuickBooks not need to be running, but this will reduce the risk of posting to an incorrect company file since it is determined by the Accounting Settings (not the company file that is opened).
  
• Integrate with QuickBooks Simple Start Edition.  Currently, GiftWorks is Integrated with the Premier, Pro and Enterprise editions of QuickBooks.
  
• Implement a GiftWorks digital certificate.  This certificate will be recognized by QuickBooks when GiftWorks attempts to access a QuickBooks company file and will eliminate unnecessary confirmation prompting the first time an integration process with QuickBooks is executed.
  
• Update QuickBooks with all gift and pledge modifications.   Currently, certain types of deletes in GiftWorks, such as a donor deletion and SmartList deletion, or certain types of pledge changes do not create transactions to be reflect the deleted or modified pledges or gifts in QuickBooks.   Any relevant activity (change or delete) to a pledge or gift that has already been posted to QuickBooks will be updated to QuickBooks.
  
• Update QuickBooks when donations transferred from one donor to another.  Currently, if a donation is transferred from one donor to another, this activity is not updated in QuickBooks.  The previous donor is still credited with the pledge or gift.
  
• Eliminate posting errors with leading/trailing spaces in the donor name.   Leading or trailing spaces in the donor name may cause the donor or transaction post to report an error or "freeze", since QuickBooks trims the spaces from the name when the donor (customer) is posted.
  
• Eliminate posting errors with GiftWorks donors setup as Vendors or Other Names in QuickBooks.   QuickBooks requires the names to be unique across all types (customers, vendors, etc.).  When GiftWorks posts the customers to QuickBooks, it only checks if the donor exists as a customer in QuickBooks, which can cause errors with the post if the donor name already exists as a vendor or other name.
  
• Improved posting interface.   Will provide more feedback and allow portions of the post to be tested prior to the actual post to QuickBooks (similar to the GiftWorks Import process).   Additional transaction selection (in addition to date), such as fund or campaign, although payments cannot be divided (in the case where a gift is split between funds).   Persist posting choices - Transaction Options (Accrual vs. Cash) and Summary Options (Individual vs. Summary) - for future posts since, generally speaking, these post options should be consistent.  Otherwise, it could lead to interesting results (e.g. changing to detailed post after summary post could result in reversal journal entries for a customer with the original entries posted to a summary entry).
  
• Improved progress bar.   For large posts, the progress bar does not adequately display the progress for each donor or journal entry posted.  For a longer running post, the progress does not help the user determine if the process is "frozen" or still in process.
  
• Improved error handling.  Manage errors that may occur during the post process, preventing any updates to QuickBooks where possible and making it clear what updates have occurred.  Eliminate problems with the post process "freezing" during the post process.

Posting Format - What do you think?
Should GiftWorks continue to post to QuickBooks as journal entries?  This method is fairly simple and keeps your account balances updated.  QuickBooks also supports Pledge Forms (Invoices) and Payments and Donation Forms (Sales Receipts).  This would allow increased benefits of QuickBooks deposit features and reporting.  However, this would require item lists to be setup in QuickBooks and synchronized with GiftWorks since accounts cannot be added directly in these forms.  And pledges and gifts that are deleted in GiftWorks would need the corresponding forms "adjusted" in QuickBooks rather than simply creating reversal journal entries. 

If you are currently using the GiftWorks interface to QuickBooks, how are journal entries working for you?   Would you benefit from the use of Pledge Forms or Sale Receipts?

Let us know what you think...
Please comment on the relative importance or non-importance of any of these items.  And provide any other comments or suggestions you may have.  We look forward to hearing from you.

There is an issue from Microsoft that could affect GiftWorks users by causing the GiftWorks Charts and Graphs to no longer appear.   A simple example of this is on the main Donors page.    Notice the New Donors graph in the lower right corner.

With this issue, the main Donors page will look like this.

For certain graphs and charts within GiftWorks, we use a technology called Vector Markup Language to produce the images on the screen.  There was a security vulnerability discovered in the Vector Markup technology and Microsoft had to put out a fix to prevent this vulnerability from adversely affecting customers.  Essentially, this fix inactivates the Vector Markup technology by unregistering the vgx.dll component.
Here is a link to more information: http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/Bulletin/MS06-055.mspx

As shown above, the security update could cause graphs and charts within GiftWorks to be blank. 

At this time, the only known solution, is to re-regsiter the vgx.dll component.  This can be accomplished with the following Run… command:
regsvr32 “%ProgramFiles%\Common Files\Microsoft Shared\VGX\vgx.dll”

Unfortunately, this will expose the security vulnerability again until Microsoft comes out with another fix.   If you have any futher questions, please contact support at Mission Research.