For a nonprofit supporting one person, a donation becomes easier to report when you can trace its purpose. In TidyOne, create a project for a specific need, optionally a fund for money with a more specific purpose, record the donation in Finance and link it to the appropriate project or fund. As expenses arise, assign them correctly and use Reports to review how much was recorded as raised, spent and remaining within TidyOne.
Why use this workflow?
A nonprofit organized around a single child or adult may receive donations for surgery, therapy, travel and other needs during the same month. When income, payments and invoices live in different places, answering “How much do we still have for surgery?” takes a manual reconstruction of bank statements, messages, documents and spreadsheets. This workflow connects each financial movement to its purpose.
It is an operational routine, not a substitute for statutory accounting. Where a donor or funder specifies how money may be used, keep that purpose visible rather than reassigning the money for convenience. For EU-funded grants, the European Commission stresses records and supporting evidence; the specific conditions remain those of the applicable grant agreement.
What you should have when finished
Before you start: project, fund or both?
A project answers what the nonprofit is working towards: “Surgery 2027”, “Monthly therapy” or “Travel and accommodation”. A fund can separate a portion of money within that project, for example “Pre-operative tests” or “Travel to the clinic”. TidyOne also supports general funds that are not linked to a project.
Start small: one project is enough for one need. Create separate funds only when there is a genuine reason to track different purposes. A “restricted” label in the app organizes your records; it does not, by itself, determine the legal restrictions on money.
Donation → Project → Fund → Report: step by step
Step 1 — Check the primary beneficiary
Open the Nonprofit workspace. If your organization supports one person, choose single-beneficiary mode during setup or in Settings and complete the primary beneficiary profile. TidyOne uses that person as the default context for documents and transactions to avoid repeated selections.
Step 2 — Create the fundraising project
Go to Projects & Funds → New project. Use a name that immediately explains what you are raising money for. Choose the currency, add a financial target if you have one and optionally set the start date, deadline, description and internal notes. Save the project.
For example, Surgery 2027, with a target of 50,000 EUR. If recurring therapies are another distinct purpose, create Therapy 2027 as a separate project so your reports do not mix the two.
Step 3 — Add a fund for a more specific purpose, if needed
Still in Projects & Funds, choose New fund. Enter the fund name, choose the parent project and set the type to Restricted or General / unrestricted. Select the currency and, if relevant, a target. Describe what the fund is intended to pay for.
For example, add a Pre-operative tests fund under Surgery 2027. If a sponsorship agreement specifies that funds can only pay for tests, keep this restriction in your records and follow the signed agreement. Do not automatically treat general donations as restricted.
Step 4 — Record the donation in Finance
Open Finance → + Income / donation. Enter the actual amount, currency and date. Add the transaction description and select the donor or sponsor if they are in Contacts. Choose the relevant Project and Fund when applicable. Add a concise note and attach supporting evidence when you have it.
If the donor is not in Contacts, Finance also offers a quick contact creation option. Record only information permitted by your organization's policies; do not expose donors' personal information in public reports without an appropriate basis.
Step 5 — Record expenses as they happen
When you pay for a test, transport or equipment, record the expense in Finance in the actual payment currency. Choose the appropriate project and fund. You can attach the supporting document to the transaction or upload it in Documents; if AI analyzes the file, review the supplier, date, amount, category and suggested project/fund before confirmation.
A document and a transaction are different things: an uploaded invoice does not by itself prove that payment has been made. Check the expense entry, supporting evidence and whether the expense was recorded twice.
Step 6 — Open the project report
Go to Reports. Under Report type, choose Project / funder report. Set the reporting period and project, and use the Fund filter if you need to focus on one fund. Select Update report. Review income, expenses, funds, project target and any data-quality warnings.
For an explanatory draft, you may use Generate AI draft after reviewing the figures. Treat AI text as a draft: edit, complete and check it; do not automatically submit it as an official report.
Step 7 — Prepare a summary for the right audience
Your internal team needs to know what remains to be paid. Donors should receive only information you are permitted and have reason to disclose. For your accountant, use the Transactions CSV, Accounting ZIP package and supporting documents as requested. For a funder, follow the reporting format and evidence requirements in the signed agreement.
Worked example: a surgery campaign
The nonprofit creates a Surgery 2027 project and a Pre-operative tests fund, both in EUR. It records three income transactions and two expenses, all assigned to the project and, for this simplified example, to the fund:
| Entry | Type | Amount | Check |
|---|---|---|---|
| Donation 1 | Income | 500 EUR | Contact and purpose |
| Donation 2 | Income | 700 EUR | Date, project and fund |
| Sponsorship | Income | 1,300 EUR | Agreement, if any |
| Tests | Expense | 450 EUR | Invoice and payment |
| Transport | Expense | 350 EUR | Evidence and fund eligibility |
Respect the purpose: if the “Pre-operative tests” fund does not permit transport, do not assign that expense to the fund merely to show a single remaining figure. Assign it to the correct project or fund under the applicable terms. The arithmetic example assumes all illustrated entries are permitted under the selected fund.
Pre-report checklist
How AI Coach helps with this workflow
Once your records are in TidyOne, you can ask questions such as “What income and expenses have we recorded for Surgery 2027?”, “Which documents still need AI review?” and “Find the invoice from supplier X and tell me the total”. For a question about PDF text, AI Coach can consult selected relevant files within supported limits. Do not assume it has read the entire document archive; check which files it reports consulting.
Four mistakes that can change the result
Recording the same donation twice
You add it manually and then add it again when checking a bank statement. Check the date, amount, payment reference and contact before saving.
Using the wrong fund
A restricted fund is not a decorative tag. Check donor or funder conditions and which expenses are permitted before making an assignment.
Treating an invoice as proof of payment
An invoice records a request or document issued, not necessarily that money has left the bank. Verify the transaction and payment evidence where required.
Treating “remaining” as the bank balance
A report may omit operations not yet entered in TidyOne. Reconcile figures with statements and fund restrictions before announcing an available amount.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a separate fund for every donation?
No. A project is often enough for a single purpose. Create funds when you need to distinguish different purposes, restrictions or targets.
Can one project receive both EUR and RON donations?
Yes, record each transaction in its real currency. Do not combine them into one amount without a separately documented conversion. A project's target is tracked in the project's currency.
Should general donations be assigned to Surgery?
Not automatically. General donations can remain in general records if that reflects their actual purpose. Allocate money only as permitted by your organization's rules and donor conditions.
Can I use a TidyOne report for a sponsor?
It can be a starting point once the data is checked and the content meets the sponsorship agreement. Some sponsorships and grants require additional formats, periods or evidence.
Does TidyOne replace statutory financial statements?
No. It supports organization and preparation. Official accounts and filing obligations depend on the country, legal form and applicable agreements.
Read next
Start with one real project. Add donations and expenses that you have verified, and open the project report once your supporting documents are in order.
Reporting note: the example is illustrative. For EU grant-funded projects, consult the European Commission guidance on records and reporting and your own funding agreement.
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