Disbursements vs Reversals

There are two options, within eTapestry, that can be used to track negative amounts: Disbursements and Reversals.  Both options are very different in functionality and one is strongly suggested to be used for donor refunds over the other.

Disbursements are an actual entry type within the Journal. These entry types are generally used to show funds going out from your Organization. In other words, it is a negative amount you can enter within your database. These outgoing funds, could be for any number of reasons…printer fees, rental for a venue, etc. A Disbursement is not linked with any specific transaction; instead you would link them to a specific fund, campaign, or approach.

Since Disbursements are not linked to any specific transaction, you would not want to use this entry type for donor refunds. Instead, we’ll want to reverse the original transaction in eTapestry. Reversing a transaction in eTapestry will not refund your donor; it just creates an entry of a negative amount to balance out your data. To refund your donor, you would want to refund them through your transaction processor. By reversing the original transaction, the negative entry will be linked to your original transaction. Linking those two entries will make reporting and receipting your donor’s much cleaner and allows you to display accurate data.