Balancivo · Churches and nonprofits

Move money between funds

Release restricted money when it's spent for its purpose, or set money aside, by moving an amount from one fund to another.

Who can do this: Owners.

Move money between funds · 48 sec · shown with a sample organization.

Read the transcript

Restricted gifts stay in their own fund, like this Building fund, until the money is spent for its purpose. When some of it gets spent, scroll down to Move money between funds. Pick the fund the money comes from and where it goes. Here, the church paid the roofer from checking, so it's from the Building fund to General. Enter the amount you spent and the date. Add a short memo, like what the money paid for. Click Move money. No money leaves the bank; only the labels change. The transfer shows up under Past transfers. And on the fund statement, the Transfers column shows the money leaving the Building fund and coming into General. The total doesn't change. Made a mistake? Record another transfer the other way for the same amount.

Use a transfer when restricted money is spent for its purpose from the General account, or when the board sets money aside. For example, when the church pays the roofer from the checking account, move that amount from the Building fund to General so the Building fund shows it was used. No money leaves the bank; only the labels change.

Before you start

Add at least one fund. See Set up funds for restricted gifts.

Steps

Go to Funds and scroll to Move money between funds.
Choose From and To. Pick the fund the money comes out of and the fund it goes to. General (unrestricted) is in both lists.
Enter the Amount and Date.
Add a Memo (optional), like "Roof repair paid from checking."
Click Move money. The message "Transfer recorded." confirms it.
Check it. The transfer appears under Past transfers, and the Transfers column in the fund statement shows the change.

Good to know

Transfers add up to zero across all funds, so your total doesn't change.
Pick two different funds, and an amount above zero.
Each transfer is also posted as a journal entry with the source Fund transfer on the Ledger page. It can't be reversed there; fund transfers are managed on the Funds page.
To correct a transfer, record another transfer the other way for the same amount.
Inactive funds can't be picked for new transfers.
Only an owner can move money between funds.

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