Session 3: Donors/Customers, Vendors, Items and Forms

Financials Accelerated Session 3

In this session, you will learn how to and access screen and print forms, ensuring you are comfortable with entering data useful in reports and customizing your forms to your organization’s unique needs.

Information may be needed from your Executive Sponsor and Bookkeeper for the settings chosen in this session.

Table of Contents

NetSuite Record Types

Organizations

In NetSuite, any person or company you receive money (transactions or donations) from is a Customer Organization. An Organization can have Individuals attached to it, as either Sub-Organizations (where you might have transactions) or as Contacts (an individual that does not give/receive monetary transactions). For the purposes of this training, we will refer the NetSuite Customer record for Donors.

Customer records are required in order to create sales transactions such as Sales Orders, Cash Sales and Invoices. Other entity records used to store information about people or businesses you engage with include Contact and Partner records. Contacts can be associated with Customers but only a Customer (including sub-customer) type can be included on a sales transaction.

Any individual or company you give money (payments) to is an Vendor Organization. An organization can be designated as both a Customer and a Vendor where necessary. A person or company can also be a Partner Organization (we won't cover Partner records in this document, but you can learn more in SuiteAnswers on how to use Partner records).

Important: We recommend that you use Individual or Company Organizations rather than Contacts where possible. Contacts do not allow transactions against them, so by setting up people as Customers you allow them to be connected to the company and interact with you as an individual.

Organizations - an Example Hierarchy

Jennie and John Smith Foundation (Parent Customer Organization)

J&J Smith New Nonprofit Trust (Customer Organization - Child Customer record)

Michael Jones, Program Manager at J&J Smith New Nonprofit Trust (Child Customer record of type Individual)

Households- an Example Hierarchy

George Cullen Household (Parent Customer Record of type Organization)

George (Individual contributor (Child Customer record of type Individual)

Denise (Individual contributor (Child Customer record of type Individual)

Entering a Customer (or Donor) Record

Customers can be manually added to NetSuite or they can be imported. A previous section describes how to import Customer records. To manually add a Customer record, do the following:

List > Relationships > Customers > New

Creating a Sub-Customer

NetSuite allows you to create a parent/child structure for customer records. This offers the option to create a master “household” Customer record and individual sub-customer records for each member of a family, for example. A household record would be standard Customer record as described above. To associate an existing customer record to a parent, creating the parent/child hierarchy:

Go to the child record
Click Edit
Choose the parent company from the Parent Company dropdown

Click Save

The sub-customer record can now be found on the Relationships tab of the parent Customer record.

Householding

The customer and sub-customer records can be either Individual or Company types, however, NetSuite recommends saving the household as a Company type and the individuals as Individual types. If you group people in households, track any transactional relationships at the Individuals and Organizational level, not at the household level.

Vendors

Vendor records are required in order to create billing transactions such as Vendor Bills. Vendors can be added to NetSuite manually or via import.

Entering Vendors

To manually add a Vendor record, go to:

List > Relationships > Vendors > New

Select whether the Vendor is an Individual or a Company
- If Individual, additional fields will be provided for the First Name, Middle Initial and Last Name.
Complete the information on the remaining tabs as desired. We highly recommend including an address. To do so:
- Go to the Address tab
- Click the little pencil icon on the far right of the screen
- Complete the address details and Save
Other notable settings include:
- Financial > Terms
- Financial > Tax ID
- Financial > 1099 Eligible
- Preferences > Send Transactions Via

Importing Customers and Vendors

These are the steps to import your customers and vendors.

• Always manage Individuals and Organizations separately.
• When importing multiple individuals and Organizations, always separate into two CSV files.

To import Customer and Vendor files, go to:

Setup > Import/Export > Import CSV Records

From the Import Type dropdown, choose Relationships
From the Record Type dropdown, choose Customers Only or Vendors
Click the Select button
Choose the file from your computer and click Open
Click Next
Ensure the Import Options is set to Add
Click Next

On the field mapping screen, Your Fields and file are shown on the left, the NetSuite fields are shown on the right and the mapping is shown in the middle.

The right side will contain two important sections. The first is shown already expanded from the top and is labeled Customer. Scroll down the NetSuite fields and expand (click the + symbol) the section called Customer Address, then the Customer Address 1 section.

From the Customer Address 1 section, do the following:

Click the Address 1 box
Click OK to the prompt regarding the required fields.
The Country field will be added automatically

Important: When adding the NetSuite fields, the map in the middle does not automatically advance to the next empty section. You must choose the empty section before adding the fields. However, some of these fields may map automatically if the field names are the same.

Map the following fields:

External ID Individual Company Main Email Alt. Email Mr./Ms./… First Name Last Name Main Phone Ship to Street 1 Ship to Street 2 Ship to City Ship to State Ship to Zip Shipping Attention Shipping Addressee Ship To Country Terms	= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =	External ID Individual Company Email Alt. Email Mr./Ms./… First Name Last Name Phone Customer Address 1: Address 1 Customer Address 1: Address 2 Customer Address 1: City Customer Address 1: State Customer Address 1: Zip Customer Address 1: Attention Customer Address 1: Addressee Customer Address 1: Country (Req) Terms

External ID Individual Company Main Email Alt. Email Mr./Ms./… First Name Last Name Main Phone Ship to Street 1 Ship to Street 2 Ship to City Ship to State Ship to Zip Shipping Attention Shipping Addressee Ship To Country Terms	= = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = =	External ID Individual Company Email Alt. Email Mr./Ms./… First Name Last Name Phone Customer Address 1: Address 1 Customer Address 1: Address 2 Customer Address 1: City Customer Address 1: State Customer Address 1: Zip Customer Address 1: Attention Customer Address 1: Addressee Customer Address 1: Country (Req) Terms

Click Next

If an error occurs, make a note of the detail provided, which indicates the fields, field types and type of data causing the error. Save the import to access later.

Once you’ve updated file to remove or change the data causing the errors, return to the saved import by going to:

Setup > Import/Export > Saved CSV Imports

Follow the process and continue to troubleshoot data until you are able to click through to the screen with the Save and Run button.

Click Save and Run
Click OK to write over the existing Saved Import.

Items

Items are required to process sales transactions of any kind. Even if your organization doesn’t offer items for sale, you will still need to create Items in NetSuite to record income.

Items can be imported or added manually. There are several different types of items. The two common item types used by small organizations are “non-inventory” and “service.” Non-inventory refers to something you sell but do keep track of. Services are typically billable time or another service type.

Important: if your organization only has a few items such as Donation, Pledge and Service to include on sales transactions, we recommend that you add them manually, rather than using the import process, as the import process may take longer.

Items are required to process sales transactions of any kind. Even if your organization doesn’t offer items for sale, you will still need to create Items in NetSuite to record income. These are not “items” for inventory purposes. In NetSuite, line items on revenue transactions require items or services for sale (or resale) to provide financial information such as revenue account and tax information. Similarly, items or services for purchase (or resale) are used on purchase and expense transactions. The term item is also used to represent discounts, miscellaneous charges and other charges.

Define Revenue and Expense Item Strategy

The organization’s leadership team should define the item strategy. In NetSuite, items contain the default general ledger accounts and Department, Class and Location information for sales and purchase transactions.

Item Type	Sample Items
Non-inventory Item for Sale	Donation Items, Direct Contributions, Government and Non-Government Grants, Event Tickets
Non-inventory Item for Purchase	Non-Saleable Products for use in office (ex. Supplies, Postage, Materials etc.)
Services for Sale	Government Services, Membership Dues, In kind Contributions, Program Services
Inventory Items	Ball Caps, T-Shirts, Jackets, Backpacks
Other Charge	Miscellaneous Charges that do not fall into other categories

NetSuite recommends the following structure for items (but modify to match your needs and structure):

Manual Entry

To add an item manually, go to:

Lists > Accounting > Item > New

Note: In most cases, you will use either a non-inventory item or a service. To learn about the differences, please search the NetSuite Help for “Creating Item Records.”

To create the Gifts category item:

Lists > Accounting > Items > New

Choose Non-Inventory Item for Sale
Enter Gifts Item name/number
Enter Gifts in the Display Name field
Save

To create the Donations sub-category item:

Lists > Accounting > Items > New

Choose Non-Inventory Item for Sale
Enter Donations Item name/number
Enter Donations in the Display Name field
Choose Gifts from the Subitem Of dropdown
Save

To create the Annual Campaign item, go to:

Lists > Accounting > Items > New

Choose Non-Inventory Item for Sale
Enter Annual Campaign Item name/number
Enter Annual Campaign in the Display Name field
Choose Gifts : Donations from the Subitem Of dropdown
If associated with an Department, Class or Location, choose the appropriate values
Note that these values can be changed on each transaction for each item
- Sales/Pricing Tab > Sales Price
  - Enter a Sales Price or leave blank to complete on each transaction
- Accounting Tab > Income Account
  - Enter the account to which the income will be recorded
    - NOTE: if the account is not available yet, you may return to this item and add it later.
- Preferences Tab
  - Uncheck the Can Be Fulfilled box. When this box is checked, an additional “fulfillment” step is required in the sales process. This box is checked by default on Inventory and Non-Inventory items.

Import

Items must be imported by type, and each type must be imported separately. The following example demonstrates how to import non-inventory items:

To import items, go to:

Setup > Import/Export > CSV Imports

From the Import Type dropdown, choose Items
From the Record Type dropdown, choose Non-Inventory Item for Sale
Click Select and choose the Import file
Click Next
On the Import Options screen, ensure Add is selected and click Next
Map the fields per the table below
- NOTE: the Price fields are located at Item Pricing > Item Pricing 1 from the NetSuite field section on the right (scroll down).

When you add the NetSuite Price field, an alert will indicate that additional fields are required, and they will be added to the field map. These fields are:
- Currency
- Price Level
- Quantity
On the Currency row, click the pencil icon to the left of the left column and select USA
On the Price Level row, click the pencil icon to the left of the left column and select Base Price
On the Quantity row, click the pencil icon to the left of the left column and enter “0”
Map the Price field from your import to the Price (Req) NetSuite field
Click Next
Enter a name for the import, then click Save and Run

On the following field, click the Import Status link to see the status and results.

Set Transaction Defaults

In Session 1, we had the opportunity to set the default accounts for transactions. Since the Chart of Accounts had not been imported, we were unable to define them. Now that it is configured, set your Transaction Defaults by going to:

Setup > Accounting > Accounting Preferences

Once you’re on the Accounting Preferences page, click the Items/Transactions tab on the Accounting Preferences menu. Choose your default Expense, Income and other accounts as needed.

Forms

This section describes the NetSuite screen and print forms, the relationship between them, and modifying, renaming and activating them.

Form Types

There are two primary form types in NetSuite; data entry or “screen” forms, and print forms. Each type of form is separate and customized separately.

NetSuite forms are further separated by the type of data that is entered. Forms used to enter customers, vendors, contacts and partners are called Entry forms. Forms used to enter bills, cash sales and sales orders are called Transaction forms. The following is a complete list of Entry and Transaction record types:

Entry Forms

Entity Customer/Donor Contact Partner Vendor Employee Project Item Description Payment Discount Group/Kit Non-Inventory	CRM Resource Allocation Phone Call Task Event Other Competitor Region Note Competitor Time

Entity Customer/Donor Contact Partner Vendor Employee Project Item Description Payment Discount Group/Kit Non-Inventory	CRM Resource Allocation Phone Call Task Event Other Competitor Region Note Competitor Time

Transaction Forms

Bill Bill Credit Bill Payment Cash Refund Cash Sale Check Credit Card Credit Memo Customer Deposit Customer Refund Deposit Estimate Expense Report Invoice Item Fulfillment Item Receipt	Journal Opportunity Packing Slip Payment Picking Ticket Price List Purchase Order Purchase Order Remittance Slip Return Authorization Return Form Sales Order Shipping Label Statement Vendor Return Authorization

Bill Bill Credit Bill Payment Cash Refund Cash Sale Check Credit Card Credit Memo Customer Deposit Customer Refund Deposit Estimate Expense Report Invoice Item Fulfillment Item Receipt	Journal Opportunity Packing Slip Payment Picking Ticket Price List Purchase Order Purchase Order Remittance Slip Return Authorization Return Form Sales Order Shipping Label Statement Vendor Return Authorization

NetSuite Standard Forms

When first provisioned, NetSuite provides a set of default or Standard forms for all basic Entity and Transaction types. These default forms cannot be changed, however, copies can be made and customized to suit individual needs.

Customer and Vendor Forms

Customer and Vendor form are referred to as Entry Forms in NetSuite. In most instances, you will create a customized Vendor or Customer form to add details that are specific to your organization and the types of data you collect.

The standard NetSuite Customer form is used when creating a new Customer record in a new NetSuite account. To see the form, go to:

Lists > Relationships > Customers > New

Important: You may notice an additional form called “Standard Lead Form” available in the CUSTOM FORM dropdown. When the Lead form is used, the new Customer is store as a “Lead” or “Prospect,” which is part of the Sales Force Automation (SFA) feature in NetSuite. The SFA feature and Lead record type are not used in this guide.

Customizing Transaction Forms

In order to track and report income by Grant, Fund and Activity, you must customize the Bill and Sale forms. The following describes the specific steps required for each.

Bill Form

To customize the Bill Form, go to:

Customization > Forms > Transaction Forms

Click Customize next to the Standard Vendor Bill
In the Name field replace “Custom” with an abbreviation of your organization’s name
Ensure the “Form Is Preferred” checkbox is checked
Click the Screen Fields tab
Click the Items tab
Click Save
On the Custom Transaction Forms screen, check the Inactive checkbox next to the Standard Vendor Bill form and then click Submit
If the Inactive box is not available, check the Show Inactives box above the Edit column

Standard Sales Order, Standard Cash Order, Standard Invoice

To customize the Standard Sales Order, Standard Sales Order - Cash Sale and Standard Professional Invoice forms, go to:

Customization > Forms > Transaction Forms

Click Customize next to the Standard Sales Order (and repeat for the other forms)
In the Name field replace “Custom” with an abbreviation of your organization’s name
Ensure the Form Is Preferred checkbox is checked
Click the Screen Fields tab
Click the Columns subtab
Unless your organization sells and fulfills inventory, uncheck the following, if shown:
- Committed
- Back Ordered
- Units
- Serial Numbers
- Revenue Recognition Schedule
- Revenue Recognition Start Date
- Revenue Recognition End Date
- Tax Code
- Commit
- Order Priority