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Revised 06/26/2026

This article explains what an Interest is in akoyaGO, how to create/update it, and how it works with other tables/records in akoyaGO.

  Interests Overview

Interests in akoyaGO are a shared list of categories that can be applied to Requests, Constituent Funds, and/or Donors. Interests can be used to connect organizations (Constituents) and causes (Requests) in need of funding, with funding sources (Donors or Funds). Interests can be used for targeted communications, donor cultivation, program matching, and reporting. When using Interests to categorize Funds, they can work with GOdonate, allowing online Donors to search for a Fund with specific Interest(s) to give to. 

The Interests table can be accessed from the Tools area of akoyaGO: 

 

To view existing Interests and related records, click on the Interest Code (such as Animals or Disaster Relief above)

From an Interest record, you will see tabs for Requests, Constituents, Donors, and Funds that have been categorized with this Interest:

Interests are related to Requests, Constituents, Donors, and/or Funds in a many-to-many relationship. For example, a single Request can be related to many different Interests, and a single Interest can be related to many different Requests. A single Fund may have many Interests, and an Interest may be related to many Funds - and so on. 

For this reason, Interests cannot be analyzed using Views. A View shows data that has been joined in rows; when many-to-many data is joined in a View, duplicate information is repeated. The easiest way to analyze and use Interests is from the records themselves (i.e., from the Interest, Constituent, Request, Donor, or Fund)

  Interests vs Programs

Interests and Programs are both ways to categorize Requests, but the two tables have different functionality. akoyaGO is most effective when Programs and Interests are used together.
 
Interests primarily support fundraising efforts - making them especially valuable for organizations using akoyaGO with accounting. They offer broader functionality by connecting Requests, Funds, and Donors. Clients who utilize GOdonate will see significant value from implementing Interests.

Programs categorize requests based on how the foundation organizes its grantmaking. Programs can also be used with budgeting for different programmatic areas. For more information on Programs, please see Creating Fiscal Years and Program Budgets.
 
As you will see below, a Program can be associated with an Interest record, establishing a connection between them.

Create or Update an Interest 

A new Interest can be set up directly in the Interests table or from a related record (Constituent, Request, Fund, or Donor). 

To set up an Interest from the Interests table directly, navigate to the Tools area and choose the Interests table. Choose +New from the top navigation bar: 

Assign the new Interests a Code (aka name), such as Health or Education. This is the only required field for an Interest. 
 

You can also set a Description for the Interest, giving you an opportunity to elaborate a little more on this Interest. 
If this Interest is related to a Program, make that connection as well. Click Save to create the record. Below is an example. 

If your organization utilizes GOdonate, next consider the GOdonate section for the Interest. 

GOdonate Enabled will default to YES. If you do not want this Interest available via GOdonate, select NO. 

GOdonate Icon Class Name allows you to choose an image associated with this Interest to appear on GOdonate. For more information, see the Interests section of the GOdonate Administrative Guide.

To enter a new Interest from a related record, see the following sections. 

  Interests and Constituents

Constituents can be categorized using Interests to track the specific focus areas of an Organization. For example, if Perfect Tenn Academy frequently uses funding for Education and Youth, I may categorize the Constituent accordingly.

From a Constituent record, you can see all Interests related to that Constituent on the Interests tab.

To add an existing Interest to a Constituent, click Add Existing Interest and select the Interest(s) you would like to set for the Constituent:

Select the Interest(s). By default, you will see Recent Interests, but you can click the magnifying glass icon to reveal them all, or utilize the Search function.

Select the Interest(s) and click "Add." You can select multiple Interests from this screen.

 

Alternatively, a new Interest can be added on this screen if it does not yet exist. Before doing this, make sure the Interest you want to use does not yet exist by clicking the magnifying glass to reveal all active Interests.

You do not need to set up a new Interest for each Constituent. For example, if I want to categorize both Perfect Tenn Academy and Tenn University as having an Interest of Education, I should use the same Interest record. Creating separate Interests for each record defeats the purpose of grouping funding sources and organizations/purposes in need of funding together. 

To create a new Interest, click +New. This will bring you to the Interest form: 

 

  Interests and Requests

 

Requests can also be categorized using Interests to track the specific Interests for a Request (aka Grant or Scholarship). For example, if Perfect Tenn Academy has applied for a grant to integrate the performing arts into classroom instruction, I may categorize the specific Request under Arts and Culture.

From a Request record, you can see all Interests related to that Request on the Interests tab.

To add an existing Interest to a Request, click Add Existing Interest and select the Interest(s) you would like to set for the Request:

 

Alternatively, a new Interest can be added from this screen if the Interest does not yet exist. Before doing this, make sure the Interest you want to use does not yet exist by clicking the magnifying glass to reveal all active Interests. You do not need to set up a new Interest for each Request.

To create a new Interest, click +New. This will bring you to the Interest form. 

      Interests and Donors

    Donors can also be categorized by Interests to track a Donor's specific Interests. For example, if Mr. and Mrs. Tenn frequently list their Gift Purpose as "Supporting education," I may choose to categorize the Donor record with an Interest of Education.

    From a Donor record, you can see all Interests related to that Donor from Related > Interests.

    To add existing Interest(s) to a Donor, click Add Existing Interest and select the Interest(s) you would like to set for the Donor. Click Add:

    Alternatively, a new Interest can be added from this screen if the Interest does not yet exist. Before doing this, make sure the Interest you want to use does not yet exist by clicking the magnifying glass to reveal all active Interests.

    You do not need to set up a new Interest for each Donor. To create a new Interest, click +New. This will bring you to the Interest form. 

      Interests and Funds

    Lastly, Funds can be categorized using Interests. For example, if the Tennder Hearts Fund is interested in funding causes or organizations benefitting the environment, I may choose to categorize the Fund that way.

    The Setting Interests of a Fund functionality works with GOdonate, allowing donors who give via GOdonate to browse Fund(s) by Interest. For more information, see the GOdonate Administrative Guide - Interests Section

    From a Fund record, you can see all Interests related to that Fund on the Interests tab. To add existing Interest(s) to a Fund, click Add Existing Interest and select the Interest(s) you would like set for the Fund. Click Add.

    Alternatively, a new Interest can be added from this screen if the Interest does not yet exist. Before doing this, make sure the Interest you want to use does not yet exist by clicking the magnifying glass to reveal all active Interests.

    You do not need to set up a new Interest for each Fund. To create a new Interest, click +New. This will bring you to the Interest form.

    Keywords: Interests