Funds and accounts sound similar but answer two different questions. Accounts tell you where the money is. Funds tell you what it's for.
Accounts: where the money is
An account is a real place money sits. Your checking account, savings account, or the cash box in the office. If your church has two bank accounts, you create two accounts in Gracely.
Funds: what the money is for
A fund is a purpose. General Fund for everyday ministry. Building Fund for the new roof. Missions for the team you support. Funds don't live in one specific bank account. One bank account can hold money from several funds.
How they work together
Every transaction in Gracely records both. When you record an expense, you pick the account it came out of and the fund it belongs to. That way Gracely can answer both questions at any time:
How much is in our checking account? (account balance)
How much does the Building Fund have left? (fund balance)
An example
Your church has one checking account with $10,000. Inside that, $7,000 belongs to the General Fund and $3,000 to the Building Fund. The bank sees one number. Gracely sees both, so you never accidentally spend the roof money on the electric bill.
Moving money between funds
Need to set aside $500 from General for a new project? Record a Transfer inside the account. The account balance stays the same. The fund balances update. Everything stays balanced.
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