Branches

Branches allow organisations with multiple offices, locations, divisions, or child organisations to manage contacts, payments, users, and documents more effectively.

By assigning records to a branch, you can keep data organised while sharing a single Vega database.

Branches can be used with:

• Contacts
• Payments
• Users
• Documents (via merge fields)
• Online widgets, such as donation forms

Why use Branches?

Branches help organisations manage branch-specific information without maintaining separate databases.

Common uses include:

• Managing multiple offices or locations within one organisation.
• Recording branch-specific addresses, phone numbers, GST numbers, and authorised signatories.
• Automatically assigning new contacts to the branch of the user creating them.
• Automatically assigning a contact's branch to any payments recorded against that contact.
• Allowing contacts and payments to belong to different branches when required (for example, when a donor supports another branch).
• Creating a single document template that automatically inserts the correct branch information using merge fields.
• Connecting donation widgets to specific branches so supporters can donate directly to their preferred location.
• Improving reporting, payment allocation, campaign targeting, and document generation through consistent branch assignment.

How Branches work

Contacts

Each contact can be assigned to a branch.

If a user has a default branch assigned, any new contacts they create will automatically inherit that branch. The branch can be changed at any time if required.

Payments

Payments automatically inherit the branch assigned to the contact.

However, the payment branch can be changed independently if a payment needs to be allocated to a different branch.

Users

Users can be assigned a default branch.

This reduces manual data entry and helps ensure new records are assigned consistently.

Documents

Branch merge fields allow a single document template to display branch-specific information automatically.

For example, merge tag fields can populate the correct:

• Branch name
• Address
• Phone number
• GST number
• Signature

This removes the need to maintain separate document templates for each branch.

Online Widgets

Branches can also be linked to online widgets, such as donation forms, allowing supporters to direct their donation to a specific branch.

Related Articles

• Adding Branches

“Some content in this article may have been developed with the assistance of AI tools and reviewed by staff.”