So what defines a designated fund/contribution? Shouldn't accounting be simple? Isn't it basic math (one plus one equals two)?

The difficulty lies in the terminology or meaning of words. The manner in which the word designated is used can cause significant differences in how churches account for a transaction.

Not all designated funds are accounted for as restricted funds. Accounting standards state only third party designated funds are to be accounted for as restricted funds. Internally designated funds, such as board-designated funds, are accounted for as unrestricted funds.

Many of us understand that once a month/quarter/year a business, ministry or church will need to do an assessment of its activity and the stewardship of that activity. This is considered a monthly/quarterly/yearly closing of the financial records, which is a review or overview of the books, to ensure that they are complete and all information is recorded correctly. In addition, it gives an analysis on how well an organization has done during the month/quarter/year. A similar assessment was performed in the Bible regarding the story of the talents as follows:

Small non-public entities prepare financial statements for a variety of reasons. Usually, it is done at the request of third parties (banks, potential investors or other interested parties) or simply for internal monitoring purposes. The basis of accounting that an entity uses to prepare its financial statements generally is determined by the needs of the users.

Straight from the IRS hotline:

The IRS has seen several variations of a refund-related bogus e-mail which falsely claims to come from the IRS, tells the recipient that he or she is eligible for a tax refund for a specific amount, and instructs the recipient to click on a link in the e-mail to access a refund claim form. The form asks the recipient to enter personal information that the scamsters can then use to access the e-mail recipient’s bank or credit card account.