Overview

A General Accounting Unit (GAU) defines the following accounting dimensions on a Journal Entry:

• Debit GL Account
• Credit GL Account
• GL Variable 1-4
• Project
• Project Task

After the GAUs are created, they can be selected for allocation on a Donation Opportunity. 

Important: Any existing GAU records that were created prior to installing the Accounting Seed NPSP connection will need to be updated to include the dimensions mentioned above in the Accounting Seed Information section. 

Set up a General Accounting Unit (GAU)

1. Click the Apps icon and then, start entering the word “General” in the Lookup search textbox.
   
   
   
   
2. Click General Accounting Units.
3. To create a GAU, click New. The New General Accounting Unit dialog box displays. 
4. Complete the fields, as necessary.
   1. General Accounting Unit Name - the name that you want to assign to this new GAU. This is a required field.
   2. Description - the written representation for this GAU.
   3. Debit GL Account - the GL Account that will record the debit transaction(s) for the GAU.
   4. Credit GL Account - the GL Account that will record the credit transaction(s) for the GAU.
      Important: In order for Journal Entries to be created on a GAU that is allocated on a Donation Opportunity, the Debit GL Account and the Credit GL Account fields must be populated. 
   5. GL Variable 1-4 - the Sub-General Ledger account segment(s) used to report on divisions, departments, geographies, cost centers, profit centers or business units.
   6. Project - a project encompasses everything that needs to be completed in order to reach a specific outcome on an engagement or event.
   7. Project Task - a project task is a single element or component of work that needs to be accomplished within a project.
      
      
      
      Important: The default setting on a new GAU is Active (checkbox defaults as checked). Once a GAU has been allocated to a Donation Opportunity and it has associated Journal Entries, the Accounting Seed Information is locked down and cannot be changed on the GAU.
      
      Best Practice: If you are no longer using a GAU, the recommendation is to edit the GAU and unchecked the Active checkbox to make the GAU inactive.
      
      
5. Click Save. The new General Accounting Unit (GAU) record displays.
   
   
   
   Active GAUs can be allocated on Donation Opportunities.