What Scanner Do You Use for Entering Gifts in Batch in RE7?

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Stephanie Redmond
Stephanie Redmond ✭
Eighth Anniversary First Reply
in Blackbaud Raiser's Edge NXT®: General Discussion
What scanner does your organization use for gift entry into Batch in Raiser's Edge 7? We've been trying to research it, but so far all we can find is that the scanner has to be able to read 3 of 9 Barcode font. Our IT guys thinks that this is actually supposed to be "Code 39 free Barcode." Has anyone else found that to be the case? 

Does anyone know a brand or model of scanner that works for scanning donation replies?
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  • Chris Geady
    Chris Geady ✭
    Tenth Anniversary Facilitator 2 Name Dropper Photogenic

    Stephanie Redmond:
    What scanner does your organization use for gift entry into Batch in Raiser's Edge 7? We've been trying to research it, but so far all we can find is that the scanner has to be able to read 3 of 9 Barcode font. Our IT guys thinks that this is actually supposed to be "Code 39 free Barcode." Has anyone else found that to be the case? 

    Does anyone know a brand or model of scanner that works for scanning donation replies?

    Hey Stephanie, I tripped over this and figured I could help you out a little here. While I don't have specific scanner models to recommend, here is some general guidance, plus a whole lot more.

    Gift Barcode Scanning in The Raiser’s Edge

     Gift barcodes are generated through the Appeal Cards mail function in The Raiser’s Edge.  The following information is coded into the barcode: Constituent ID, Appeal ID, Package ID (note Appeals can be linked to Funds and Campaigns so no need to explicitly code them in the barcode).
    • By default the gift type is set to a pledge in the barcode, but this can be changed to a cash gift by altering the first character of the barcode.
    • The gift barcode typically cannot be modified, but I do know Blackbaud has done some customizations (if you require additional information to be in the barcode).
    • Barcode scanning may be executed within any gift batch which will populate the fields mentioned above.
    • Barcode scanner requirements: A laser printer (pretty much any laser printer will do) and bar code reader (typically USB) capable of reading a 12-point 3 of 9 bar code font are required to support bar code printing and scanning in mailing and batch entry facilities.  Note: Serial bar code scanners are not supported.
    • Good brand names in scanners are Wasp, HP, Adesso and Symbol (the industry standard).  Many reliable scanners cost approx. $100-$200 by the time you add on the stand.  You can go cheaper if you’d like, but you usually get what you pay for.
     
    For further information, I’d recommend looking at some links in the Blackbaud Knowledgebase.  Unfortunately there is no User Guide for this, but the Knowledgebase and Support are both helpful.

     

  • Kristi Zimmerman
    Kristi Zimmerman ✭
    Tenth Anniversary First Reply

    Stephanie Redmond:
    What scanner does your organization use for gift entry into Batch in Raiser's Edge 7? We've been trying to research it, but so far all we can find is that the scanner has to be able to read 3 of 9 Barcode font. Our IT guys thinks that this is actually supposed to be "Code 39 free Barcode." Has anyone else found that to be the case? 

    Does anyone know a brand or model of scanner that works for scanning donation replies?

    ​Hi Stephanie!  Do you already have software that enables you to scan your remits?  Are you looking for a complete product or just a particular scanner that will work with a product you already have?

     

  • Melissa S Graves
    Melissa S Graves ✭
    Ninth Anniversary Facilitator 3 Photogenic
    Raiser's Edge is already equipped to be able to scan directly from remits into batch. No extra software needed.
  • John Heizer
    John Heizer ✭
    Ancient Membership Facilitator 3 Photogenic

    Stephanie Redmond:
    What scanner does your organization use for gift entry into Batch in Raiser's Edge 7? We've been trying to research it, but so far all we can find is that the scanner has to be able to read 3 of 9 Barcode font. Our IT guys thinks that this is actually supposed to be "Code 39 free Barcode." Has anyone else found that to be the case? 

    Does anyone know a brand or model of scanner that works for scanning donation replies?

    "Code 39" and "3 of 9" are used interchangeably.  They mean the same thing.  It just describes how the barcode is formatted.  3 of 9 is the most widely used format for small business and almost all scanners come ready to decode 3. of 9.  I'm not sure what your IT guys are looking at with the "free" part (maybe they're looking at barcode fonts instead of scanners).

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