CiviCRM Community Forums (archive)

I just had to set up a new membership form for a client. In the process I was asked which Financial Type would take effect in three locations -

 1. civicrm/admin/member/membershipType/add?action=add&reset=1 - "Select the financial type assigned to fees for this membership type (for example 'Membership Fees'). This is required for all membership types - including free or complimentary memberships."
 2. civicrm/admin/price?reset=1&action=add - no help provided
 3. civicrm/admin/contribute?reset=1&action=add - "Select the corresponding financial type for contributions made using this page."

Since the price set (1) contains the memberships (2) and appears on the contribution page (3), it seemed odd to be prompted three times in quick succession. This made the setup feel a bit confused from an end-user perspective.

(3) also says if you click the "more help" button (which sort of explains one duplication anyway),

Select the corresponding financial type for contributions made using this page (e.g. donation, capital campaign, etc.). Financial types (and associated accounting codes) are included when contributions are exported, so it can helpful to set up specific types for accounting purposes. You can add or modify contribution available types from Administer > CiviContribute > Financial Types.
NOTE: If you are using this contribution page for membership signup and renewals, the financial type configured in the membership type settings will be used when recording the membership payment. The financial type selected here will only be used if you are also collecting additional contributions (as configured on the Membership Settings page).