Terminology

Review some fundraising terminology and concepts used in GEM.

GEM introduces a lot of new concepts to the Salesforce world. While they’re long-established in the fundraising world, a terminology review might be helpful to folks in the Salesforce ecosystem who aren’t as well-versed in this area. We also define a handful of GEM concepts that might be helpful to advancement personnel.

Allocation (or designation or fund)

A specific destination for received revenue, such as a particular building fund or academic department. Often chosen by the donor, but anything not defined is automatically allocated by GEM to a default fund (General Accounting Unit).

General Accounting Unit (GAU)

A Salesforce object used to indicate individual allocations (designations or funds).

Payment

A Salesforce object used to record a pledged or received payment from a donor. GEM doesn't recognize Payment records as paid until the Paid field is selected.

Revenue

Any kind of gift. Can be a monetary value, gift in-kind, stock, or any other gift your institution accepts.

Soft Credit

An individual who is given credit for making or influencing a donation, even if they're not the actual donor. Examples include members of the household, the owner of a donating organization, or the original donor on a matched gift.

State

A value that is applied to Opportunity Stages. Allows Stages to retain their original names and still be designated as Committed or Finalized.