Reports and exports

Reports turn the data across Forge into something you can read, share, and act on, from giving summaries to attendance trends to request volume. This article covers the reports available, how to run and filter them, and how to export the results.

What you can report on

Forge includes a set of standard reports that span the whole platform, so you don't have to stitch spreadsheets together.

Because these draw from finance, people, attendance, ministry, and operations, you can answer most leadership questions from one place.

Running a standard report

1. Open Reports.
2. Select a report from the list.
3. Set the parameters, such as date range and any filters like fund or group.
4. Click Run Report.
5. Review the results.
6. Export to CSV or PDF if you need to.

The same report can be run with different filters for different audiences, so you might run an attendance report one way for a board meeting and another for a staff huddle.

Filtering

Most reports accept parameters that narrow the results. Depending on the report, you can filter by:

• Date range
• Fund
• Group or ministry
• Status

Setting these before you run the report keeps the output focused on what you actually need.

Building a custom report

When a standard report doesn't fit, the custom report builder lets you assemble your own.

1. Open Reports > Custom Reports.
2. Click New Report.
3. Choose a data source, such as People, Contributions, or Attendance.
4. Add the fields you want and set their order.
5. Add filters using field, operator, and value.
6. Set grouping and sorting if needed.
7. Preview the report.
8. Save it with a name so you can reuse it.

Saved custom reports can be run again whenever you need them, and you can set some to deliver automatically on a schedule.

Exporting and sharing

Every report can leave Forge in the format that suits the audience:

• CSV for further analysis in a spreadsheet.
• PDF for board-ready packages.
• Print to send straight to a printer.

You can also schedule reports to run on their own, for example a weekly giving summary or a monthly attendance report, and have them emailed to the right people on a regular cadence.

A note on access

Reports respect each person's role. Staff see only the data they have permission to access, so financial and pastoral care reports stay restricted to authorized roles. This means you can share reporting access broadly without exposing sensitive information.

Tips

• Save a custom report once and reuse it rather than rebuilding the same view each month.
• Use scheduled delivery for recurring reports so they arrive without anyone remembering to run them.
• Export to PDF for anything headed to a board, and CSV for anything you'll keep working with.

Common questions

Can I report across more than one module at once? The standard reports already span finance, people, attendance, ministry, and operations, and the custom builder lets you pick the data source you need.

Can reports be sent automatically? Yes. Standard and custom reports can be scheduled and emailed on a regular cadence.

Will everyone see the same data? No. Reports honor role-based access, so people see only what their permissions allow.

Was this helpful, or missing something? Let us know.