What pay method do you use for pledges?

Nicole S

The default pay method for pledges is cash.  This has at times caused confusion for some users.  If this pledge is being charged to a credit card each month, I use credit card as the pay method.  Otherwise, I'm not really sure what seems most appropriate.

Any thoughts?  Or am I just over thinking this?

Joshua Bekerman bCLO bCRE

Nicole S.:

The default pay method for pledges is cash.  This has at times caused confusion for some users.  If this pledge is being charged to a credit card each month, I use credit card as the pay method.  Otherwise, I'm not really sure what seems most appropriate.

Any thoughts?  Or am I just over thinking this?

This will depend on your reporting needs, but we use "other" and leave everything else blank.  There is no payment, and therefore no payment method, so this field is not important to us.  Then again, I don't think I have ever used the Pay Method field in a query or report.

And yes, you are over thinking this.  [8-|]

JoAnn Strommen

Nicole S.:

The default pay method for pledges is cash.  This has at times caused confusion for some users.  If this pledge is being charged to a credit card each month, I use credit card as the pay method.  Otherwise, I'm not really sure what seems most appropriate.

Any thoughts?  Or am I just over thinking this?

Possibly overthinking [;)]

I just let it default to cash unless I know when pledge is made, as you said, that they'll be paying by credit card or direct debit. Then that is entered.

If it's causing confusion for users, I'd just tell them it defaults to cash and that is fine as we don't know what kind of 'cash' until we get payment.  Then your entering the payments via batch  you can have that default to personal check or anything else but if 'cash' is causing  confusion for your users I'm guessing 'personal check' would cause confusion if payment happens to be by 'business check'. 

Christine Cooke 2

Nicole S.:

The default pay method for pledges is cash.  This has at times caused confusion for some users.  If this pledge is being charged to a credit card each month, I use credit card as the pay method.  Otherwise, I'm not really sure what seems most appropriate.

Any thoughts?  Or am I just over thinking this?

 If, at the time the pledge is being enter, you know how they intend to make payments then use that pay method. The places I have worked, that has been a question that we ask on the pledge form, "Do you prefer your pledge payments be made by check, credit card, stock, direct debit.... "  That way we can put that into the pledge.

 If they are using a credit card, it is important to record that so that you can track who you have to charge and when.

 I have also gone back into a pledge record after first payment and changed the pay method once we know method on those that were a mystery.

Otherwise let it default to cash.  It should not affect your pledge reporting.  Anyone on your team looking at pledge reports, cash flow reports should not care about that much detail that they are dialing down to payment method, unless they are in a conversation with the donor about their payment method and schedule of payments.

 

Nicole S

Christine Cooke:

 If, at the time the pledge is being enter, you know how they intend to make payments then use that pay method. The places I have worked, that has been a question that we ask on the pledge form, "Do you prefer your pledge payments be made by check, credit card, stock, direct debit.... "  That way we can put that into the pledge.

 If they are using a credit card, it is important to record that so that you can track who you have to charge and when.

 I have also gone back into a pledge record after first payment and changed the pay method once we know method on those that were a mystery.

Otherwise let it default to cash.  It should not affect your pledge reporting.  Anyone on your team looking at pledge reports, cash flow reports should not care about that much detail that they are dialing down to payment method, unless they are in a conversation with the donor about their payment method and schedule of payments.

 

 All kind of what I was thinking.  The users will just have to wrap their heads around it.