Quickbooks Integration Guide

The BetterUnite–QuickBooks Online integration allows you to transfer contact and transactional data from BetterUnite into QuickBooks Online. Once configured, donations can be synced on a per-fundraiser basis and created in QuickBooks as Sales Receipts or Payment transactions, along with associated contacts.

This integration is designed to give you full control over how fundraising data appears in QuickBooks while minimizing manual accounting work.

Overview

With the QuickBooks Online integration, you can:

Sync donations from BetterUnite into QuickBooks
Automatically create or match customer (contact) records
Create Sales Receipts or Payments per fundraiser
Control how fees, tips, and donation amounts are recorded
Sync transactions individually or in bulk

All syncing is manual and on-demand, so you decide when transactions are sent to QuickBooks.

Initial Setup

Step 1: Connect BetterUnite to QuickBooks Online

Log in to BetterUnite
Navigate to Settings → Integrations → QuickBooks Online
Click Log In to open the QuickBooks authorization window
Enter your QuickBooks credentials
Click Allow to grant BetterUnite permission to access your QuickBooks data

Once authorized:

The setup page will refresh after a few seconds
The connection is validated automatically
No additional connection setup is required

Managing the Connection

You can remove the QuickBooks connection at any time
Removing the connection:
- Does not delete any transactions
- Does not modify records in either system
- Simply revokes the trust token between BetterUnite and QuickBooks
You can reconnect at any time by repeating the steps above

Configuration & Mapping Setup

After connecting, click Setup → Review Mappings to configure how transactions are created in QuickBooks. This is the most important step of the integration.

Mappings define the default values BetterUnite uses when creating transactions in QuickBooks.

1. Payment Type Mapping

BetterUnite donations can use multiple payment methods (credit card, ACH, check, etc.). QuickBooks also has its own payment methods.

In this section:

QuickBooks payment methods are pulled directly from your QuickBooks account
Each BetterUnite payment type can be mapped to a corresponding QuickBooks payment method
A default mapping can be set, with overrides as needed

This ensures transactions in QuickBooks reflect accurate payment methods.

2. Fundraiser Donation Settings

For each fundraiser, you choose how donations are created in QuickBooks:

Sales Receipt (default and most common)
Payment (used in rare cases where donations are applied to invoices)

Most organizations use Sales Receipts to represent completed donations. Payment transactions are only recommended if your accounting workflow requires invoices.

You can:

Set global defaults for all fundraisers
Override settings for individual fundraisers if needed

Available fields (based on your QuickBooks configuration) may include:

Service Item (required)
Deposit / Income Account
Class (optional, depending on your QuickBooks setup)

Tip: Consult your accountant to ensure these mappings align with your accounting practices.

3. Fee Sync Options

You have full control over how fees and tips appear in QuickBooks.

Fees as Line Items (Default)

Donor-paid processing fees can appear as separate line items on the Sales Receipt
You can specify service item, account, and class for fee line items
Optional inclusion of:
- Donor-paid fees
- Organization-paid fees
- BetterUnite platform fees (not typical)

Most organizations do not include platform fees, since they are deducted before funds reach the organization.

Fees as Journal Entries

Instead of line items, fees can be transferred as Journal Entries:

You define debit and credit accounts
BetterUnite creates journal entries to represent fees separately

Donation Amount Options

Choose which amount is sent to QuickBooks:

Intended Amount (most common)
Donation amount plus donor-covered processing fees
Net Amount
Amount your organization actually received
Gross Amount
Full amount paid, including platform fees

This choice depends on how you want revenue reflected in QuickBooks.

Running the Integration

Once mappings are saved, you typically won’t need to revisit them unless you add fundraisers that require different settings.

Viewing Fundraisers

On the QuickBooks integration page, you’ll see:

All active fundraisers
Total transaction counts
Number of transactions already synced

Since syncing is manual, new transactions may accumulate over time.

Viewing & Syncing Transactions

Click View Transactions for a fundraiser
Review synced and unsynced transactions
Choose to:
- Sync individual transactions
- Use Sync All
- Mark transactions as Do Not Sync

Available controls:

Date filters
Status filters
Bulk exclusion of $0 transactions (e.g., free registrations)

Contact Matching Logic

When syncing a transaction, BetterUnite attempts to match the donor in QuickBooks using the following order:

Email address
Company name
Exact full-name match

If no match is found:

A new contact is created in QuickBooks

If multiple matches are found:

You’ll be prompted to select the correct contact
Or choose to create a new one

You can preview this behavior using the contact search option before syncing.

Sync Results & Error Handling

After syncing:

Successfully synced transactions display their QuickBooks Sales Receipt or Payment number
Errors are displayed inline using QuickBooks’ response messages

Common error causes include:

Invalid account mappings
Account restrictions in QuickBooks

You may need to adjust mappings and retry.

Preventing Duplicate Transactions

Each transaction includes a Do Not Sync option. This is useful if:

A transaction already exists in QuickBooks
You want to prevent duplicates when using Sync All

Best Practices

Review mappings with your accountant before syncing
Use Sales Receipts unless invoices are required
Exclude $0 transactions to keep QuickBooks clean
Avoid re-syncing the same transaction unless necessary

Support & Help

If you have questions or need assistance:

Contact your BetterUnite training specialist
Email support@betterunite.com