Bills, Bills, Bills

Becca Rosin

When I was little, we avoided the kitchen on the fourth Sunday of every month.

There, my father would pay the bills and balance the checkbook. Crossing his path was like encountering a grizzly bear, roaring on its hind legs about the price of gasoline or the basement light left on overnight.

Today, most of my bills are subscriptions or are on autopay. It’s efficient, and I love knowing that I won’t miss a payment. But this method poses challenges for keeping a monthly budget. Accounts are linked to different payment methods, utilities vary based on usage, and some subscriptions auto-renew—often at a higher rate.

I must be proactive to keep tabs on my spending: I keep a list of subscription dates, account logins and passwords, and use an app that flags unusual charges. Once a month—just like Dad—I sit down and check in on my finances. I get why it made him grumpy.
Tracking fiscal data at your organization is just as vital. Numerous aspects of gifts require vigilance and updates. Knowing when and how to make updates is important.

Our new course Raiser’s Edge: Gift Updates covers how to manage your existing cash and stock/property gifts and how to determine when a gift needs to be updated or posted. You’ll become a whiz at analyzing gift reports to keep data accurate and up-to-date. Find this course in the Raiser’s Edge Fundraising Learning Path.

Raiser’s Edge makes running your organization possible. Knowing the ins and outs of updating gifts makes it smoother and keeps those darn grizzly bears out your office.

Jennifer Boettger

Gift Updates link went to a broken “forbidden” page and a search for “Gift Updates” in BBU yielded no results.