What is the difference between a Fund and a Campaign?

Funds and Campaigns both organize your fundraising, but they answer different questions. A fund is about accounting; a campaign is about a fundraising effort. A single gift can belong to both.

A Fund is an accounting designation

A fund classifies where money goes and how it can be used. Funds are long-term, they tie to your chart of accounts, and they drive your financial reporting and compliance. In Argenta, you set a gift's fund when you post it to the general journal on the donation record. Common examples: General Operating, Building, Scholarship, Endowment, or a program-specific fund.

The Fund sits beside the chart of accounts, which is the accounting side of a gift.

A Campaign is a fundraising initiative

A campaign is a specific effort with a goal and a timeframe. It tracks progress toward a target and supports donor communication and recognition. In Argenta, you tie a gift to a campaign on the donation's Connections tab. Common examples: an annual fund, a capital campaign, a year-end appeal, or an event-specific drive.

A campaign carries a status, a timeframe and a title. It can name a fund too.

The campaign is set on the donation's Connections tab.

How they work together

A donation can carry both at once, for example the fund General Operating (the accounting purpose) and the campaign Year-End Appeal (the fundraising effort). That lets you see the same gift from both the financial and the development side.

One gift can carry a related campaign, an event and a pledge at the same time.

When to use each

• Use a fund when a donor restricts a gift to a purpose, or when your accounting requires it.
• Use a campaign to track fundraising progress against a goal.
• Use both together for complete reporting.