RE Batch Validation Report Best Practices

Lisa Wheeler

When I inherited my database almost 4 years ago, the people before me were printing out each batch validation report and keeping them in a binder by fiscal year. After 3 years of doing this and realizing that a. no one (including auditors) ever looked at them and b. I can re-run that report any time I needed to, I stopped printing the report for the last fiscal year. We are now in the midst of a huge file cabinet clean up in order to make some space, and I'm wondering if I need to hang on to the old binders of validation reports. We already have print outs of each of the batch commit reports, so I'm kind of thinking that the validation reports are a little redundant. Anyone have any best practices to throw my way? Thanks!!

susan snyder

We don't print the validation reports, only the commit reports.  We do print out the gift detail and summary reports by batch # for every gift batch and keep everything together for the batch. They are filed by month and within the month by batch number.  The auditor seems to use these reports as part of the backup and it makes it really easy to call up when there is a question. 

Sunshine Reinken Watson

Lisa Wheeler:

When I inherited my database almost 4 years ago, the people before me were printing out each batch validation report and keeping them in a binder by fiscal year. After 3 years of doing this and realizing that a. no one (including auditors) ever looked at them and b. I can re-run that report any time I needed to, I stopped printing the report for the last fiscal year. We are now in the midst of a huge file cabinet clean up in order to make some space, and I'm wondering if I need to hang on to the old binders of validation reports. We already have print outs of each of the batch commit reports, so I'm kind of thinking that the validation reports are a little redundant. Anyone have any best practices to throw my way? Thanks!!

I found something similar here. The reports weren't attached to any backup, and all that information is in the database. I shreded them. I do keep batch commit reports and another custom batch report with the backup documentation for each batch because it makes it easier to reconcile and find things.

JoAnn Strommen

Don't know any reason why you or your auditors would need validation reports.  I don't even print them.  We do keep commit reports until audit of that year is completed or all payments to specific fund are made. 


I shredded about 10 bags of stuff a couple months ago.  Needed file space and realized I had several years worth.

Daniel Bayer

Lisa Wheeler:

When I inherited my database almost 4 years ago, the people before me were printing out each batch validation report and keeping them in a binder by fiscal year. After 3 years of doing this and realizing that a. no one (including auditors) ever looked at them and b. I can re-run that report any time I needed to, I stopped printing the report for the last fiscal year. We are now in the midst of a huge file cabinet clean up in order to make some space, and I'm wondering if I need to hang on to the old binders of validation reports. We already have print outs of each of the batch commit reports, so I'm kind of thinking that the validation reports are a little redundant. Anyone have any best practices to throw my way? Thanks!!

Having been at two orgs now that have gone paperless (to their improvement), I am VERY STRONGLY AGAINST keeping paper versions of things in general, but particularly something you never use or refer to. The fact that you can re-run the Validation report at any time is all you need to know that you shouldn't be automatically printing out one for every batch. Frankly, I'm even against printing the commit reports, which we do at my current org because the Business Office requests it.Having the commit reports along with the backup copies of gifts CAN be useful, but mostly they are just taking up space and wasting paper. Scan them and save them digitally! It's much easier and better for the environment! 

Joy park

Best Practice in this case would be to host a Shredding Party!  :D


As you figured out, you can re-run any Validation Report at any time as long as you didn't delete the batch file.  :)  


Don't fill your file cabinets with paper that you don't have to - save that space for all the erroneous bureaucratic paperwork that you actually need in hardcopy for seven years that the auditors actually look at!


This post gave me a smile as I recalled our org.'s last audit session - the accountant was insistent to see the back-up from a credit card processed through BBMS, as I usually just send the validation report off to Accounting.  I showed him the BBMS portal, obviously, and pointed out to him that if I printed out all the back-up documents from each and every single credit card gift (batch validation report, transaction report from BBMS, Direct Mail solicitation), there almost would be no room in our building for staff or even the clients we serve.  The auditors acquiesced on that point once they realized the magnitude of paper that COULD potentially create; digital back-up was good enough for them!  


I cleaned out our ENTIRE donor cabinet and scanned it all to our local shared network drive.  Now, instead of people looking for file cabinet keys, digging through files, having the right file laying on another desk when you need it, or not having any clue how to even find the file.....  they just hop into our network drive, open up the Donors folder and go find the file.  All incoming information, letters, cards, etc. gets scanned and saved in PDF to their file folder now.  :)

Gracie Schild

I'm with the scan and save group.  We still have two drawers of actual donor files (big donors, board members, oddities) but everything else went to a scan and shred company when we moved into our new offices and lost the cubicle that had 6 or 7 giant lateral file cabinets. The scans, especially of the gift documentation, are critical - just this afternoon I had to track down something from July to make an adjustment on a gift so that Finance could close out the last fiscal year.


As to the validation reports, we've never printed them.  We save the PDF to a folder on the shared drive and delete them when they're a couple years old and we have time to do so.  The Control Report is printed - and attached to the paper gift log we use to keep track of all the steps we have to do in acknowldgement, attaching the scanned gift documentation, doing special follow-up, etc. The log is referred to often in the first 2 or 3 weeks after the batch is committed, and then we file if for about a year - then into the shredder it goes.  The Control Report is also saved as a PDF with the validation report, and eventually deleted when we get around to it. I actually use quite a lot of paper, but since most of it is for internal purposes, I am using up the boxes upon boxes of letterhead that is two or three brandings old! Reduce, reuse, recycle!

Christine Cooke 2

Lisa Wheeler:

When I inherited my database almost 4 years ago, the people before me were printing out each batch validation report and keeping them in a binder by fiscal year. After 3 years of doing this and realizing that a. no one (including auditors) ever looked at them and b. I can re-run that report any time I needed to, I stopped printing the report for the last fiscal year. We are now in the midst of a huge file cabinet clean up in order to make some space, and I'm wondering if I need to hang on to the old binders of validation reports. We already have print outs of each of the batch commit reports, so I'm kind of thinking that the validation reports are a little redundant. Anyone have any best practices to throw my way? Thanks!!

keeping the batch commit reports with the batches is fine.  the validation gives more detail, but I personally have never found a reason to print or keep them, unless I was trying to reconcile a batch before comitting.  my two cents