First time post!!! - Request form to create appeals?

First question: do you have the Events Module in RE?  That may end up being a better option than Appeal.  We have it, and use much of it, but there are pieces we don't use.  You can link gifts to Participant Records as Registration Fees or Other Donations, and you can also enter the gift from the Participant Record.  On the actual Event Record, you can store Notes and Media (so we store a scan of the invitation, for example).  Much more versatile than Appeals.


Whichever you end up using, you can restrict which users can View, Add, Edit, or Delete data.  This is in Security, under Admin.


As far as a form, we don't have one, but then, I'm the only one with rights to Add either Appeals or Events.  When someone needs an Event Record created (so they can add notes and other data to it), they just send me an email with basic info, and I create the record and send back the Event ID.  Our Event IDs (and Appeal IDs) are numbered...so if I were to create a new Event Record right now, it would be 1603...the 3rd Event Record created in FY16.  (Same with Appeals, and if both are needed for the same purpose, which occurs 1-2 times a year for us, then I jump ahead in whichever list and use the same ID number.)  When I'm labeling say a printed RSVP list that someone hands me for data entry, I will write Ev1603 at the top...Event ID 1603.  Also, I always add a short text description, so our newsletter that will drop this month is Ap1601.  In RE, the Appeal ID is "1601 FallNwsltr" and the Appeal Description is "Fall 2015 Newsletter".


If you set up a system like this, you will be creating the records and IDs, but then they can edit the Description and add whatever other information they need to add (which would actually be editing).


As you are new to RE, I would set up some Dummy Records and play around with things before you do too much.  And take whatever Blackbaud classes  you can take (lots, if you have a Training Subscription!).  And post here whenever you're not sure, because many of us (users like me and also BB staff) watch posts in the Community and are usually pretty quick to answer.


Good luck!