Gift Processing

Erin Fleischmann · October 2016

I need to find out where gift processing lies within your shop. What department do the gift processors report to? Then what department does that department report to?

Do you know why it was set up as it was? If so, why?

This is an urgent request as I have been given a task that I have to complete by this Friday (Otober 21).

Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Erin

Joanne Felci 2 · October 2016

Where I work now gift processing is part of Development (Fundraising)

Previous job gift processing was done through Accounting

My guess would be that the former job was set up for greater control between finance and gifts/processing checks, plus the amount of checks versus online/credit card gifts was at least 200% more at my previous job then it is here so there isn't much chance of too much getting misplaced

Good luck!

JoAnn Strommen · October 2016

I process the gifts and am part of the developement department. CDO reports to CEO.

Set up that way? Gift processing part of donor relations hence development. Pledge cards, thank you letters, receipts, recogntion, etc. etc. Gift data posted over to accounting for their records.

Carley Haynes · October 2016

Hi Erin,

I am the Gift Processor and am part of Development. I process the gifts and then pass the associated paperwork and batch validation reports over to finance for entry into QuickBooks (not the most efficient way but it works for us!). The control report then goes to the head of Development.

The reason it was set up this way was, I believe, because Development usually has more information about the gift than finance (even though I still have to ask almost every day about gifts that come in!), and to keep a certain separation between who processes the gifts and then who has to account for them... neither of which is reallly a good reason as I receive the donations, count them, process them and bank them!!! Hmmmm......

Daniel Bayer · October 2016

Every org at which I've worked, large or small or somewhere in between, has had gift processing live in the Development/Fundraising office, usually by whoever was in charge of Database Management (unless there was a large enough team where there was a manager and an associate, or if the volume was so large that it necessitated its own person/team of people). There are many reasons why this is, and I think other responses have covered it pretty well. It was always my perspective that Raiser's Edge is primarily a fundraising database, and thus any data entry should be done by someone on that team, as there is quite often other info about a gift or how it was obtained that needs to be entered or communicated somehow. This person is also always the person who reconciled with the Business Office, which depending on the org was done weekly, monthly, quarterly, or simply as needed.

Tom Klimchak · October 2016

Our gift processing department also resides within the "Advancement Services" department which is part of our Development/External Affairs division.

Our gift processors work very closely with our Controller's Office, but they are completely seperate so that we can run our books the we need to (counting pledges, soft credit, etc) and they can run their books the way THEY need to. We submit and process gifts daily, but also reconcile on a quarterly basis.

It was set up this way approximately 30 years ago when our fundraising efforts began to grow. The amount of gifts and processing quickly became too much for the Controller's Office. Our gift processors have to be sure about maintaining biographical records and assigning the correct credit to the correct individual. Our finance office doesn't have the same emphasis on the things that we do when it comes to gift processing.

Good luck!

Erin Fleischmann:

I need to find out where gift processing lies within your shop. What department do the gift processors report to? Then what department does that department report to?

Do you know why it was set up as it was? If so, why?

This is an urgent request as I have been given a task that I have to complete by this Friday (Otober 21).

Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Erin

Debra Holcomb · October 2016

Gift processing reports to me. I have a split role where I manage the database 60% and a fundraising program 40%. I report to Development, yet my team and I work very closely with the Finance team.

Erin Fleischmann · October 2016

Erin Fleischmann:

I need to find out where gift processing lies within your shop. What department do the gift processors report to? Then what department does that department report to?

Do you know why it was set up as it was? If so, why?

This is an urgent request as I have been given a task that I have to complete by this Friday (Otober 21).

Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Erin

Thank you to all who have replied!!! You have helped me tremendously in my endeavor here. Hope to see you at BBCON!

Stephanie Crawley · October 2016

Erin Fleischmann:

I need to find out where gift processing lies within your shop. What department do the gift processors report to? Then what department does that department report to?

Do you know why it was set up as it was? If so, why?

This is an urgent request as I have been given a task that I have to complete by this Friday (Otober 21).

Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Erin

For our auditing purposes and dual controls, we have this split several ways. We have 2 administrative assistants (who report to the President and the VP of Advancement) who open the incoming mail together and log all checks received on a hand-written mail log sheet and pass them to the gift entry people and have the gift entry people sign that they received the mail/checks. We have 2 Gifts Managers who split the regular cash, online and pledge gift entry by Campaigns - Gifts Manager 1 only enters A, B, C and D campaign gifts, while Gifts Manager 2 only enters Q, R, S and T campaign gifts. They enter all gifts into batches. Then Gifts Manager 1 reviews and commits all of Gifts Manager 2's batches and then vice versa. Both Gifts Managers make their respective Campaign bank deposits and then the Controller reconciles all of the deposits. Planned Gifts are entered by the Planned Giving Admininstrative Assistant into batches and then the Gifts Managers review and commit all of the Planned Gift batches. The Controller enters all of the Stock and Matching gifts into batches, and then the Gifts Managers commit all of the Stock and Matching gifts batches. The Gifts Managers report to me, the Data Center Director, and I report to the VP of Finance. The Controller also reports to the VP of Finance. The Planned Giving Administrative Assistant reports to the Director of Planned Giving, who in turn reports to the VP of Advancement.

Christine Cooke 2 · October 2016

Erin Fleischmann:

I need to find out where gift processing lies within your shop. What department do the gift processors report to? Then what department does that department report to?

Do you know why it was set up as it was? If so, why?

This is an urgent request as I have been given a task that I have to complete by this Friday (Otober 21).

Any feedback you can provide would be greatly appreciated!!!

Erin

Falls into Development or Advancement or both. Answer to the Director of that Department and they answer to Head of School or President. Been like that everywhere I have worked. Gift processing is part of the fundraising process -- fundraising is a main responsibility of Development/Advancement.

Gift Processing

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