Understanding Gift Connections

Overview

A gift in Slate is more than a single transaction. It is a central record that can connect to funds, campaigns, appeals, opportunities, pledges, planned gifts, tributes, soft credit recipients, and staff users.

These connections help advancement teams understand not only how much was given, but also:

• who should receive credit;
• what the gift supports;
• what solicitation or campaign generated it;
• whether it fulfills an existing commitment;
• who should be acknowledged;
• which staff member is associated with the gift;
• and how the gift should appear in queries, dashboards, reports, receipts, and stewardship workflows.

Understanding these relationships is essential for accurate gift entry, imports, reporting, donor recognition, and troubleshooting.

The Gift as a Connection Hub

Think of the gift as the hub of a wheel. The gift itself stores core information such as amount, date, type, status, and donor. Around that gift are connected records that provide meaning and context.

Each connection serves a different purpose. Some describe the gift, some connect it to a larger fundraising effort, some affect balances, and some determine who receives recognition.

Why Gift Connections Matter

Gift connections are what make a gift useful beyond the transaction amount.

For example, a $500 gift may be:

• made by Alexander Hamilton;
• designated to the Annual Fund;
• associated with the FY26 Annual Giving Campaign;
• prompted by the Fall Alumni Email Appeal;
• connected to an open annual fund opportunity;
• applied as a payment toward Alexander's pledge;
• soft credited to Elizabeth Hamilton;
• made in memory of a classmate;
• and assigned to a gift officer through the user field.

All of those pieces can be true at the same time. Together, they determine how the gift appears in donor history, pledge balances, campaign totals, acknowledgements, reports, dashboards, and stewardship workflows.

When a connection is missing or incorrect, the gift may still exist, but it may not behave as expected. A pledge balance may not decrease. A campaign total may be incomplete. A spouse may not receive recognition. A receipt may not show the right tribute language. A report may double-count soft credits.

What Lives on the Gift vs. What Lives on Connected Records

A common source of confusion is whether data is stored directly on the gift or comes from a connected record.

Data stored directly on the gift

The gift record stores the core details of the transaction or commitment, such as:

• amount
• date
• gift type
• gift status
• notes
• payment or batch reference
• custom field values
• ...and additional gift-specific information

Data stored on connected records

Other information belongs to the records connected to the gift. For example:

This distinction matters because a gift may display information from a connected record without copying all of that information onto the gift itself.

For example, if a fund name is changed later, gifts connected to that fund may display the updated fund name. The gift is still connected to the same fund, but the display value has changed because the connected fund record changed.

Types of Gift Connections

Donor and Hard Credit

Every gift has a primary donor record. This is the person, company, foundation, or organization that receives hard credit for the gift.

The donor connection determines where the gift appears in giving history and which record is treated as the primary source of the transaction.

Use the donor record when answering:

• Who made the gift?
• Whose giving history should include the hard credit?
• Who should receive the receipt, if applicable?
• Which pledges or planned gifts may be available for fulfillment?

The donor record is different from soft credit recipients. Soft credits recognize additional people or organizations, but the donor record remains the primary hard credit record.

Fund Connections

The fund connection answers: What is this gift supporting?

Each gift is connected to a fund. The fund is the designation or purpose of the gift, such as an annual fund, scholarship fund, athletics fund, department fund, or other institutional priority.

Fund connections support:

• fund-level reporting
• designation tracking
• dashboards;
• donor stewardship;
• and gift allocation.

Split gifts and multiple funds

A single gift record is connected to one fund. When a donor gives one payment that should support multiple funds, Slate represents that as a split gift.

In a split gift scenario:

• each individual gift is connected to its own fund
• each gift shares a Group ID that allows the gifts to be aggregated together

The article on Split Gifts describes this split behavior in more detail.

Opportunity or Proposal Connections

An opportunity, also referred to in some contexts as a proposal, represents a cultivation or solicitation effort. Connecting a gift to an opportunity helps advancement teams understand which ask, proposal, or fundraising effort resulted in the gift.

Opportunity connections support:

• proposal tracking;
• pipeline reporting;
• fundraiser activity;
• campaign or initiative analysis;
• and progress against asks.

A gift connected to an opportunity will update the opportunity’s received amount and may help move the opportunity through its lifecycle, depending on configuration and workflow.

Opportunity vs. fund

The opportunity and fund connections are related, but they are not the same thing.

The opportunity answers: Which ask or proposal did this gift support?

The fund answers: Where is the money designated?

A gift can be connected to an opportunity and still have its own fund designation. The opportunity may also have a fund, but administrators should not assume that connecting a gift to an opportunity automatically replaces or controls the fund on the gift.

Pledge Fulfillment Connections

A pledge is a commitment to give in the future. When a donor makes a payment toward that commitment, the received gift should be connected to the pledge as a fulfillment.

This connection is important because it allows Slate to track pledge progress, balances, and installments.

What pledge fulfillment does

When a received gift fulfills a pledge, Slate can use that relationship to:

• reduce the outstanding pledge balance
• update installment progress
• show payments made against the pledge
• support pledge status reporting
• distinguish the original commitment from received payments
• and report on pledged, received, written off, and remaining amounts.

A gift should be connected to a pledge when the payment is intended to reduce an existing pledge. Simply entering a new gift with the same donor, fund, or campaign does not create the same fulfillment relationship.

Whose pledge can a gift fulfill?

A gift may be able to fulfill more than one kind of pledge relationship.

Depending on relationships, soft credits, and available fulfillment options, a gift may fulfill:

This is especially important for households, spouses, family foundations, employers, and other relationship-based giving scenarios.

Example: A spouse pays a pledge

Alexander has a pledge on their record. Alex’s spouse, Elizabeth, makes a payment that should count toward Alexander's pledge.

The gift can be entered on Elizabeth's record and connected as a fulfillment of Alexander's pledge. Elizabeth is the donor of the received gift (and receives hard credit for the gift), but the gift fulfills the pledge connected to Alexander.

That fulfillment relationship is what allows pledge reporting to show that Alexander’s pledge has been paid down, even though the payment came from Elizabeth.

Partial fulfillment

A pledge can be fulfilled by multiple gifts over time. A $10,000 pledge might be fulfilled by:

• a $2,500 payment in July;
• a $2,500 payment in December;
• a $5,000 payment the following year.

Each received gift connects back to the pledge. Together, those fulfillments determine how much of the pledge has been received and how much remains outstanding.

Write-offs

If part of a pledge will not be collected, it may be written off rather than fulfilled by a payment.

Planned Gift Fulfillment Connections

A planned gift represents an expected future gift, such as a bequest, life insurance policy, or other future commitment. It is the expectancy. When the gift is eventually realized, the received gift can be connected to the planned gift as a fulfillment.

Planned gift fulfillment is similar to pledge fulfillment, but the context is different.

Use a planned gift fulfillment connection when the received gift should reduce, realize, or close out an existing planned gift record.

As with pledges, a planned gift may be fulfilled by a gift from the donor’s own record, a related record, or a soft credit-connected record, depending on the available relationships and configuration.

Campaign Connections

The campaign connection answers: Which larger fundraising initiative should receive attribution for this gift?

Campaigns are commonly used for broad efforts such as:

• annual giving campaigns;
• comprehensive campaigns;
• capital campaigns;
• reunion campaigns;
• giving days;
• or other strategic fundraising initiatives.

Campaign values help institutions report on progress toward goals and understand giving within the context of a broader initiative.

Campaigns may be selected during gift entry, populated through imports, inherited or applied through forms or portals.

Appeal Connections

The appeal connection answers: Which specific solicitation prompted this gift?

Appeals are usually more specific than campaigns. Examples include:

• Fall Alumni Email;
• December Direct Mail;
• Giving Day Text Message;
• Reunion Class Letter;
• Athletics Crowdfunding Email.

Appeals help teams understand response rates, return on investment, and solicitation effectiveness.

A campaign might represent the larger initiative, while the appeal identifies the specific message or outreach that generated the gift.

For example:

Together, these values show what the gift supports, which initiative it counts toward, and which communication prompted the donor to give.

Tribute and Occasion Connections

Tribute connections answer: Is this gift being made in honor or memory of someone or something?

Tribute gifts often involve:

• gifts recognizing a birthday, retirement, reunion, or other occasion;
• gifts tied to an honoree who may also have a Slate record.

Tribute information can be brought in to support efforts such as:

• acknowledgement letters;
• tribute notifications;
• honoree or family stewardship;

A gift may store general tribute text, such as “In memory of Dr. Jane Smith,” and it may also connect to one or more specific person records when the honoree exists in Slate. Additional tribute types can also be created to further segment the specific occasion.

This allows institutions to report not just on the phrase entered by the donor, but also on gifts connected to a specific honoree record.

Soft Credit Connections

Soft credits allow people or organizations other than the primary donor to receive recognition for a gift.

Soft credits are commonly used for:

• spouses and household giving
• employer or company recognition
• foundation-related giving
• matching gift recognition
• family members
• solicitors or influencers, depending on institutional practice
• and other relationship-based recognition scenarios

Hard credit vs. soft credit

Soft credits are powerful, but they require care in reporting. If a report includes both hard credit and soft credit gifts without distinguishing them, totals may be overstated.

For example, if Maria gives $1,000 and her spouse receives a $1,000 soft credit, a report that sums both records without filtering could show $2,000 in total giving even though only $1,000 was received.

Soft credits and fulfillment

Soft credits can also affect which pledges or planned gifts appear as fulfillment options. If a donor is already connected to another record’s pledge or planned gift through soft credit, Slate makes that commitment available as a fulfillment option.

This supports scenarios where one person makes the payment, another person holds the commitment, and both need to be recognized appropriately.

Staff User Connections

A gift can be associated with a Slate user or staff member.

This connection may be used to identify:

• who entered the gift
• who owns the gift
• who is responsible for follow-up
• which gift officer is associated with the gift
• or another staff-related role, depending on configuration.

There are two important ways to think about user connections.

Standard gift user

The standard user connection is the built-in staff user associated with the gift. Typically, the gift officer who should receive credit for the gift. This may be set during entry, import, batch processing, form processing, or other workflows.

This is useful for staff-level reporting, accountability, and gift management.

Custom user fields

Institutions may also create custom gift fields that point to users.

Use custom user fields when the institution needs to track a specific staff role that is different from the standard gift user.

Examples include:

• Acknowledgement Owner
• Stewardship Manager
• Portfolio Manager
• Processing Staff Member.

Custom user fields are especially helpful when multiple staff members need to be connected to the same gift for different reasons.

Related Dataset Connections

A related dataset row field is a custom field that allows a gift to connect to a dataset record. This is useful when the value should be selected from a controlled list that has its own structure, fields, or relationships.

For example, an institution might create a custom dataset for:

• stewardship groups
• naming opportunity levels
• campus departments
• or special reporting classifications.

A custom related dataset field lets the gift point to one of those dataset rows, allowing richer reporting than a simple text field or dropdown.

Avoid creating custom related dataset row fields that duplicate standard gift connections such as fund, campaign, and appeal.

Reporting on Gift Connections

Gift reporting depends on understanding which connection answers the question being asked.

Avoiding double-counting

The most common reporting issue is double-counting soft credits.

If your goal is to report dollars actually received, use hard credit gifts only. If your goal is recognition, household giving, or influenced giving, include soft credits intentionally and label the report clearly.

Common Troubleshooting Scenarios

The expected pledge or planned gift does not appear as a fulfillment option

Check whether:

• the commitment is still active or available for fulfillment
• the commitment has an amount greater than zero
• the donor is the same record as the commitment holder
• the donor is related to the commitment holder
• the donor has an existing soft credit relationship to the commitment
• and the user has the appropriate permission to view or update giving records.

If the pledge or planned gift belongs to another record, review relationships and soft credits first.

A pledge balance did not decrease after a payment

Confirm that the received gift was actually connected to the pledge as a fulfillment.

Totals look too high

Check whether the report includes both hard credits and soft credits.

Soft credits are useful for recognition, but including them in cash received totals can inflate giving totals.

The wrong fund, campaign, or appeal appears

Review how the value was set:

• manual entry;
• batch defaults;
• import mapping;
• form configuration;
• URL parameters;

If a fund or campaign name changed after the gift was entered, the gift may display the updated name because it is connected to the current fund or campaign record.

A custom field is not visible or reportable

Check whether:

• the field is active
• the field is assigned to the appropriate gift scope
• the user has permission to view or edit it
• the field appears on the relevant form or tab
• and the value was actually populated during entry or import.

For related dataset fields, also verify that the target dataset row exists and is active. If the field was recently created, you may need to clear the field cache to view it immediately.

Recommended Practices

Use standard connections first

Before creating custom fields, determine whether Slate already has a standard gift connection for the data you need.

Use:

• fund for designation;
• campaign for broad fundraising initiative;
• appeal for solicitation source;
• opportunity for proposal or ask tracking;
• pledge or planned gift fulfillment for commitments;
• tribute fields for honor/memorial gifts;
• soft credits for recognition;
• and user fields for staff associations.

Custom fields are best used when the data is truly institution-specific.

Be clear about what each connection means locally

Institutions may use campaign, appeal, fund, and opportunity differently. Document local definitions so gift processors, fundraisers, and report writers use the same logic.

For example, define:

• what qualifies as a campaign
• when an appeal should be populated
• whether opportunities are required for major gifts
• how household soft credit should be handled
• when a pledge should be fulfilled
• and which staff user field represents ownership.

Connect payments to pledges and planned gifts when appropriate

If a gift reduces an existing commitment, connect it as a fulfillment.

This is especially important for pledge balances, installment reporting, planned gift realization, and donor stewardship.

Use soft credits intentionally

Soft credits are recognition records, not additional cash received.

Use them when another person or organization should receive recognition, but make sure reports distinguish hard credit totals from soft credit totals.

Based on your relationship types, soft credits rules can be defined institutionally.

Use related dataset fields for controlled custom categories

If a custom value needs its own attributes, relationships, or governance, use a related dataset field rather than a simple text field.

This makes the data easier to manage, query, and report consistently.

Review connected records when troubleshooting

When something looks wrong on a gift, do not look only at the gift. Also review the connected fund, campaign, appeal, opportunity, pledge, planned gift, tribute, soft credit, user, and custom field configuration.

The answer often lives in the relationship between records.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a gift be connected to more than one fund?

A single gift record is connected to one fund. To support multiple funds, use the split gift functionality.

Does changing a fund name affect historical gifts?

A gift remains connected to the same fund record. If the fund name is changed, gifts connected to that fund may display the updated name. This is helpful for current reporting, but administrators should be mindful of historical naming needs.

What is the difference between campaign and appeal?

Campaign is the broader fundraising initiative. Appeal is the specific solicitation or outreach that prompted the gift.

For example, “FY26 Annual Giving” might be the campaign, while “December Alumni Email” is the appeal.

What is the difference between an opportunity and a pledge?

An opportunity represents an ask, proposal, or cultivation effort. A pledge represents a commitment to give.

A gift can be connected to an opportunity for proposal tracking and also fulfill a pledge if the payment reduces an existing commitment.

Can a gift from one person fulfill another person’s pledge?

Yes, when the relationship and fulfillment options support it. This is common in household, spouse, family foundation, employer, or other related-record giving scenarios.

Why does my report double-count giving?

The report may be including both hard credit and soft credit records. Review the report logic to make sure it matches the intended giving total, which often involves adding a filter to focus just on hard credit gifts.

When should I use a custom user field instead of the standard gift user?

Use the standard gift user for the primary built-in user association. Use custom user fields when you need to track additional staff roles.

Summary

Gift connections are what turn a gift from a single transaction into a complete advancement record.

A well-connected gift can show:

• who gave
• what the gift supports
• which campaign and appeal generated it
• whether it fulfills a pledge or planned gift
• which opportunity it supports
• who else receives recognition
• whether it is tied to a tribute
• which staff member is responsible
• and which institution-specific values apply.

When these connections are configured and used consistently, Slate can support accurate gift entry, reliable reporting, meaningful donor recognition, and stronger stewardship workflows.