Well, I've been away for awhile, but I'm back. Not sure if anyone reads this blog, but I hope in the long run it will help someone.
I attended the Blackbaud conference this year and was privileged to give a client presentation in the RE/FE Integration session and the F9 session. I have to say, I really enjoyed sharing my experiences with a group of people who use the products or want to use them. It was fun. Thanks to my Phillies front row in the first session for making me not feel nervous.
The conference was interesting this year - some good, some not so good. I thought the session offerings were fantastic. I do wish they were spread over three days instead of two. You had to miss a good one to go to a good one. The hotel was nice - but big. Everything is too expensive at National Harbor, but the Atrium was lovely and the water fountain show was beautiful.
The biggest no-no for me was the networking events. They were pretty bad: dark, loud music, strange entertainment - odd. I want to see the people at the conference, make new friends - really network. Also, I think having a VIP event is a contradictory idea for not for profits. We shouldn't be elitist. An event for a group that has something in common set up to share info is one thing - a private party is quite another.
So nice seeing my Blackbaud friends - hugs to you all. OK - enough of my opinions.
This blog is about sharing. We are thinking strongly about implementing Papersave next year. In preparation for this, I want to flowchart our gift entry proceedures. We have them written in text; however, we've noted that there are a lot of little sidebars that happen throughout the process. I'll include some general procedures for in some posts and then update as I move the process. I think documenting your workflow is really important when it comes to integrating FE and RE. Lots of good reasons: begins the process of communicating among departments; formalizes who is responsible for which task; helps plan for balancing; helps assure that best practices are followed.
Here is our basic mail process - this outlines how we handle the mail when it is received at our front desk.
Basic Mail Process
The Receptionist will sort through the tags and separated them by credit cards and by cash and checks. The sorted piles will then be sub totaled for balancing the data entry later on.
One of the A/R Gifts Processors will begin data entry into Raiser’s Edge at this point. After the gifts are all entered, the running total of the tape is matched to the Daily Gifts (in house) Pivot Table. If the two figures do not match, the Accounts Receivable Clerk who entered the gifts will research the reason. If both figures do match, the day is fully entered. At this time any sale items that are waiting credit card approval will be mailed by the Receptionist.
Online credit cards are downloaded from the our websites. The Accounts Receivable Gift Processor downloads them daily. They are downloaded into a grid where the donors can be matched up to a record in the database. If not in the database the donor is added at this point. When transactions are linked to a record they are brought into a batch by a click of the process transaction button. In the batch is where all the information for the donation is verified. To make sure it is going to the correct fund, receiving the correct thank you letter and if it is an honor/memorial donation all the necessary information is linked. After everything is verified the batch is committed like all other batches. For detailed instructions please see the Net Community and the Sphere Download Procedures (coming in a later post).
Following the entry of gifts the Accounts Receivable Gift Processors will print out the Tribute acknowledgements to family and friends of honor/memorial contributions. They will be put in the mail that day. The tag copy will be noted with the date it went out.
Thank you letters will then be printed out and matched to the tag copy. $50 and over donations will receive a letter and under $50 donations will receive a postcard which is put in the mail the same day and the date will be noted on the tag copy. At this point the letters and tag copies will stay with the folders to be handed off for circulation to management. This is so management can review the donations and sign the letters.
When circulation of the tag copies is finished they are handed to the Accounts Payable Coordinator. The Accounts Payable Coordinator will hand any corrections to Accounts Receivable Gift Processors, thank you letters to be mailed will go to the Receptionist to fold, stuff, and put in the mail, and the remaining tags will be put into a bin to be filled away by the Receptionist. When thank you letters are mailed, the date is noted on the tag copy.
The Accounts Payable Coordinator makes a bank deposit every Wednesday & Friday and the last day of each month. The deposit slip is verified to match the appropriate day of donations in the mail (minus the credit cards) .
We have since introduced a scanning to pdf process in our mail process. I will talk more about that in my next post.
Good day to all!
Nora
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