Last year but not this year - thoughts on how to add a zero pledge

Diana Turner · September 2016

Hi, we need a best practice on how to keep a reminder for a lost gift for the current year. With a call me next year. These are donors who typically give year after year, just are unable to for the current year. At this time the way we are doing it - is to add a pledge with a zero amount and then add a gift with a zero amount for that pledge.

Trying to relearn our process to how the database is programmed for reports, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated.

JoAnn Strommen · September 2016

Diana,

Do you use solicitor assignments? When we get a turndown we enter $0 pledge. I do not enter a gift as even though it's $0 it will count and skew reports (Total # of gifts to fund/appeal/for constituent/average gift amount.....). If you use solicitors, we give them the option each year to contact constituents they had previous year regardless of gift received. Hopefully you're not dropping someone from future asks just because they said no one time.

The other thing we have is an attribute related to the fund drive we are in that identifies if they are prospect for that fund drive. I pull lists each year based on this, not giving history.

Tom Klimchak · October 2016

We would probably do that with an action on the constituent rather than a $0 gift record. I really, really, really, really don't like adding in any sort of $0 or blank gift record. $0 pledges are counted as pledges (yes, you can filter them out in most cases) but we try to keep our gift records fairly clean.

You can run a query on everyone with an action during a certain date period (like last year) and then put them into a special reminder/contact segment.

Diana Turner:

Hi, we need a best practice on how to keep a reminder for a lost gift for the current year. With a call me next year. These are donors who typically give year after year, just are unable to for the current year. At this time the way we are doing it - is to add a pledge with a zero amount and then add a gift with a zero amount for that pledge.

Trying to relearn our process to how the database is programmed for reports, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated.

Christine Cooke 2 · October 2016

Diana Turner:

Hi, we need a best practice on how to keep a reminder for a lost gift for the current year. With a call me next year. These are donors who typically give year after year, just are unable to for the current year. At this time the way we are doing it - is to add a pledge with a zero amount and then add a gift with a zero amount for that pledge.

Trying to relearn our process to how the database is programmed for reports, etc.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I don't see the point of entering a zero pledge. If I was a new employee and came in and found a series of $0 pledges I would think someone entered info on the wrong record and attempted to correct the entry error.

$0 pledges do not show up in reports, or in all reporting, maybe one. So I don't see how that is helping.

I would suggest utilizing Actions. You can add an assigned solicitor and have the action to follow up ping on whatever future date you choose.

JoAnn Strommen · October 2016

Why we enter $0 pledges: If donor turned down on a face-to-face/phone call with volunteer, we enter it. Then when we do mailing a few months later to those who gave last year but not this year, they are not pulled into the mailing. Excluded by the fact that they have pledge/gift entered for that fund. When we do our end of year mailing we have the same option, include those who said no in March/April or exclude them. We don't enter as gifts for reason stated but entering as pledges really does not affect financial reports.

I know if maybe a bit unusual but it works for us and shows that the constituent was contacted for a gift.

Diana Turner · October 2016

Good Morning: Thank you all for your input. JoAnn Strommen, no we don't use solicitor assignments at this time. We are working on changing that for NXT.

Christine Cooke and Thomas Klimchak, I agree with you both about adding to the gift record a zero pledge and gift. Thomas are you using a specific report to know how many pledges are in? If so, which one?

Again, thank you all for your thoughts,

Diana

Last year but not this year - thoughts on how to add a zero pledge

Comments

Categories