Implementing new system of codes and updating outstanding Pledges and Recurring gifts

Sara Kenney

Hi, We are in the process of revamping how we track our funds and appeals in Raiser's Edge to coincide with the new fiscal year. We have some active pledges and recurring gifts that we need to decide how to handle. Do we leave them as is and continue to use the old fund and appeal codes, which are no longer active (we'd have to activate them as gifts come in) or do we a) Split the gifts and move the balance over to the new codes b)write the gifts off and create new pledges and recurring gifts with the new codes. Any suggestions? Thanks!

JoAnn Strommen

Sara Kenney:
Hi, We are in the process of revamping how we track our funds and appeals in Raiser's Edge to coincide with the new fiscal year. We have some active pledges and recurring gifts that we need to decide how to handle. Do we leave them as is and continue to use the old fund and appeal codes, which are no longer active (we'd have to activate them as gifts come in) or do we a) Split the gifts and move the balance over to the new codes b)write the gifts off and create new pledges and recurring gifts with the new codes. Any suggestions? Thanks!

My first choice of the options you listed would be to leave them unless this will create reporting issues.  Most reports can reflect more than one fund.  Guess I'm wondering if you are talking about a handful of gifts vs. hundreds of gifts.  Re-activating/In-activating funds and appeals for a large # of gifts can be nuisance to me.  (Ideally, if your data entry people know they're not active for new gifts, I'd consider just leaving them active if you're dealing with lots of gifts/payments still to come.) 

Recurring gifts can be handled differently than  pledges.  We are integrated with FE and our recurring gifts do not post over to FE, just the payments.  So, I can change the fund on a recurring gift to desired one as needed.  Payments from that point go to newly designated fund.  Can be done through an amendment if you want record to track. I would probably change recurring gifts to new fund.  Don't know if I'd change appeal codes as appeal tells me something different.

Of the other options, I would adjust pledge balance to $0 with documentation of new fund/apeal (not write off - donor is not cancelling their pledge) and create new pledges before I would split gifts.  Not even sure what changing it part way though payments would do.  For a split gift, the payment defaults to pay both funds by percentages of the split.  You can't designate $X to Fund A and $Y to Fund B.  And don't know that you can 'move balance over to new codes'.  Also split gifts can make a mess when reporting on pledge reports.

Either way you will need to remember to make needed adjustments for queries/reports to include both funds etc when reporting on giving levels etc if that's an issue. 

My 2 cents...

Sara Kenney

JoAnn Strommen:

My first choice of the options you listed would be to leave them unless this will create reporting issues.  Most reports can reflect more than one fund.  Guess I'm wondering if you are talking about a handful of gifts vs. hundreds of gifts.  Re-activating/In-activating funds and appeals for a large # of gifts can be nuisance to me.  (Ideally, if your data entry people know they're not active for new gifts, I'd consider just leaving them active if you're dealing with lots of gifts/payments still to come.) 

Recurring gifts can be handled differently than  pledges.  We are integrated with FE and our recurring gifts do not post over to FE, just the payments.  So, I can change the fund on a recurring gift to desired one as needed.  Payments from that point go to newly designated fund.  Can be done through an amendment if you want record to track. I would probably change recurring gifts to new fund.  Don't know if I'd change appeal codes as appeal tells me something different.

Of the other options, I would adjust pledge balance to $0 with documentation of new fund/apeal (not write off - donor is not cancelling their pledge) and create new pledges before I would split gifts.  Not even sure what changing it part way though payments would do.  For a split gift, the payment defaults to pay both funds by percentages of the split.  You can't designate $X to Fund A and $Y to Fund B.  And don't know that you can 'move balance over to new codes'.  Also split gifts can make a mess when reporting on pledge reports.

Either way you will need to remember to make needed adjustments for queries/reports to include both funds etc when reporting on giving levels etc if that's an issue. 

My 2 cents...

Thank you JoAnn! Great insight. I too thought splitting the gift would not be favorable but that is what the knowledgebase solution said to do. I will let you know what we end up doing.

Melissa Graves 3

Sara Kenney:
Thank you JoAnn! Great insight. I too thought splitting the gift would not be favorable but that is what the knowledgebase solution said to do. I will let you know what we end up doing.

KB said to split them? UGH - that would be the worst solution. Splitting the pledge just means that each payment will be divided into two by percentage of the amount  going to each fund. It would be awful. 

I would amend the recurring gifts and "might" write off then re-write the pledges. However, if you have to report the whole pledge amount and current pledge balance to anyone (including the donor on reminders) this could prove difficult if you write off/rewrite. I may just leave them as they are and when you try to commit/add them and can't because the fund is inactive, just change the payment to the new fund. RE allows you to add a payment to a different fund than the original pledge which is not good in so many ways but in this situation could work in your favor.

Christine Adams

Melissa Graves:

KB said to split them? UGH - that would be the worst solution. Splitting the pledge just means that each payment will be divided into two by percentage of the amount  going to each fund. It would be awful. 

I would amend the recurring gifts and "might" write off then re-write the pledges. However, if you have to report the whole pledge amount and current pledge balance to anyone (including the donor on reminders) this could prove difficult if you write off/rewrite. I may just leave them as they are and when you try to commit/add them and can't because the fund is inactive, just change the payment to the new fund. RE allows you to add a payment to a different fund than the original pledge which is not good in so many ways but in this situation could work in your favor.

Agree completely with Melissa.  Do not split pledges - this is a reporting and reminding nightmare. Especially if donor does not do exactly what RE thinks they should do!!  We have completely stopped splitting pledges because our totals were always off. Very frustrating!!

 Chris Adams