how to handle divorces/separations for donor recognition and donor societies

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susan snyder
susan snyder ✭
Ninth Anniversary Facilitator 1 Photogenic
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
I am looking for best practice ideas for how best to handle when a couple gets divorced/separated using The Raiser's Edge.  In particular if they are on a donor wall or in a giving society.  Who stays on wall?  Do both stay on wall?  Do you create constituent record for spouse and soft credit all past giving so the spouse will continue to be recognized and remain in the giving society?  When we update the giving wall do we separate their names on the wall so they are not listed together?.  Your feedback and best practices on how you handle life changes at your organizations would be greatly appreciated! 
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  • JoAnn Strommen
    JoAnn Strommen ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 4 Name Dropper Photogenic
    Tracking divorces/separations can be a difficult task. 


    Our recognition name is entered when a gift is received so in most cases for that year/annual fund it will be listed with both names together.  The exception would be if we are informed by donor or ear to the ground of a nasty situation.  Then names may be listed separately.  Our dynamic donor wall has been eliminated.  (Yeah, no more little engraved plates!)  Plaques/static lists are name recognition when given.  Will say I did have one case where someone did cross wife's name off a joint listing - scratched out as best they could on the metal plate several years later. 


    When we have updated lists for funds (non-annual), we list names separately if we are informed of the split.  Yes, they have separate constituent record and are SC for past giving.
  • susan snyder
    susan snyder ✭
    Ninth Anniversary Facilitator 1 Photogenic
    Thanks so much for the information.  I will pass it on.
  • JoAnn Strommen
    JoAnn Strommen ✭✭✭✭✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 4 Name Dropper Photogenic

    susan snyder:

    Thanks so much for the information.  I will pass it on.

    Am LOL - what do I have from CDO this a.m.?  Email letting me know of a divorce for a couple listed as endowment donors and we are a day away from from sending endowment annual report to printers. :) 

  • Jessica Thrift 2
    Jessica Thrift 2 ✭
    Eighth Anniversary Facilitator 1 Photogenic

    susan snyder:

    I am looking for best practice ideas for how best to handle when a couple gets divorced/separated using The Raiser's Edge.  In particular if they are on a donor wall or in a giving society.  Who stays on wall?  Do both stay on wall?  Do you create constituent record for spouse and soft credit all past giving so the spouse will continue to be recognized and remain in the giving society?  When we update the giving wall do we separate their names on the wall so they are not listed together?.  Your feedback and best practices on how you handle life changes at your organizations would be greatly appreciated! 

    There is room for nuance in this, which is why it is so suishy and confusing. Often, a gift officer or staff person has a relationship with the donors, and will have a good sense on whether they will both continue their relationship with the organization after the split, how addresses will change (usually at least one constituent is getting a new address...), if someone's last name is changing, etc. Usually static donor listings don't change, but you would list them seperately in the future. If your giving society is an annual membership, one person keeps the paid membership, the other gets a prorated $0.00 membership, and we try to renew them both seperately. 

  • Christine Cooke 2
    Christine Cooke 2 ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 4 Name Dropper Photogenic

    susan snyder:

    I am looking for best practice ideas for how best to handle when a couple gets divorced/separated using The Raiser's Edge.  In particular if they are on a donor wall or in a giving society.  Who stays on wall?  Do both stay on wall?  Do you create constituent record for spouse and soft credit all past giving so the spouse will continue to be recognized and remain in the giving society?  When we update the giving wall do we separate their names on the wall so they are not listed together?.  Your feedback and best practices on how you handle life changes at your organizations would be greatly appreciated! 

    I would say both names stay on the wall.  Whenever the plaque or whatever is updated with new names, that is when you can separate their names.  I would not be redoing plaques or walls everytime someone gets divorced.  That is very costly.  They themselves know the history.


    As far as in RE.  Yes, if they do not have separate records I would make them separate records, change status to divorced, and soft credit each of them for all the gifts up until the date of split, and mark their relationship as ex-___.  If they already each have a constit record, you just have to unclick the spouse button and change their relationship, oh, and go in and unclick the Soft Credit each other button within the relationship.

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