How to Add a Gift

When you add a gift, the Add Gift window opens. The layout of this window and the fields included are determined by the administrator. Some fields may already have values filled in. These are defaults that can be set by the administrator or by you, by using My Preferences. You can change these values for this gift if you need to.

If you have several gifts that are similar, you may wish to use a custom template rather than the Add Gift window. Click on the Quick Gift Entry button to switch to that process.

To add a gift using the Add Gift window, do the following (note that the order of entry may be different, depending on how you have configured the layout for this window):

1. If the donor name is blank or the name displayed is not the correct name, type in the last name of the donor or the name of the organization making the gift.
   1. You can also type in an ID#, phone number or email address to find a donor.
2. Press Enter.
3. A list appears with names that match what you have typed. From this list, select the donor and click on the Select button. You can also double click on the name.
   1. Note that the same name may appear several times in the list, as a person, a couple or a household. Select the row that corresponds to how you wish to credit this gift: to an individual person or couple within a household or to the whole household or organization. The name you select will determine how the acknowledgment letter is sent and how the name appears in donor lists.
   2. In most cases a gift should be attached to the household or organization, not to an individual or couple. If you select an individual or couple name, rather than the corresponding household or organization, you are asked to verify the selection.
4. Select the type of gift from the Gift Type drop down, if it is available.
   1. There are five gift types: Gift, Dues, Sale, Pledge, and Pledge Payment. Each gift type has somewhat different fields associated, as explained here.
5. Fill in the additional fields in the window, as explained below, and click on Save to save the gift and close the window.
   1. The following list includes the additional fields that are available. As noted above, these may be in a different order, they may not all be present, and there may be additional user-defined fields that are unique to your organization.
      1. Method - Gift Methods describe the way you received the money, as cash, a check, a credit card transaction and so forth. Methods are defined in the Admin Tab, on the Codes sub tab. Different methods require different pieces of information, so after you select a Method, a set of additional fields may appear, as explained here.
      2. Gift Date - Today's date is automatically added to the gift as the "Entry Date." The gift date may be different from today's date. It is the date that will appear on reports and will be used in posting to accounting.
      3. Gift Amount - If this is a gift in kind, the amount should be zero. Enter the value of the in-kind gift in the Value field instead.
      4. Gift Value - This field is primarily used for in-kind gifts.
      5. Deductible Amount - The deductible amount may be different from the actual amount if the donor receives some value back from the gift, for example, a dinner. When you add a gift amount, the deductible amount is automatically filled in with the gift amount. If you want this field to be calculated using the gift value, there is a setting in Client Defaults for this purpose. If you check the box in Client Defaults/Gift that says "Use Gift Value to Calculate Deductible Amount," the deductible amount is calculated as the gift amount minus the gift value. Note that this is not applied for In-Kind gifts. For In-Kind Gifts, you need to enter the deductible amount.
      6. Reason - This is the appeal or motivation for this gift.
      7. Campaign - Campaigns can be defined in the Campaign Manager, if it is included in your version. Otherwise you can define campaign names in the Codes tab of the Admin Tab.
      8. If you are using the Campaign Manager, when you add a gift to a campaign, ExceedFurther checks to see if the donor is on the campaign prospect list. If the donor is not there, you are offered the option of adding their name as a prospect. You can add the household or organization as a prospect, or select a name from the household or organization to add.
      9. Even if the donor is on the prospect list, you may be asked this question, if the name within the household or organization does not match the donor name. Perhaps, for example, a couple is on the prospect list, but you have assigned the gift to the household. You are given the opportunity to credit the couple with this gift within the campaign.  
      10. Fund - Funds are used to specify a restricted designation for gifts. If the gift is designated for more than one use, you can split the gift among different funds.
      11. Event - This is the special event that this gift is associated with, if any. Events are created using the Event Manager. If you do not have access to the Event Manager, you can create Event codes in the Admin Tab.
      12. Tribute - If this gift is in honor or memory of someone, use the Tribute list to select one or more names. You can also use the + button to add a new Tribute name.
      13. Gift Credit - Gift Credits are primarily used in the interface with accounting.
      14. Solicitor - If this gift resulted from the efforts of your volunteer solicitors or teams, select the appropriate names from the list.
      15. Anonymous - If the donor wishes to remain anonymous, click on the Anonymous check box. "Anonymous" is inserted in reports where the donor name would otherwise appear.
      16. Acknowledgment Letter - To generate an acknowledgment letter or email immediately from this window, select the letter template to use. After you have finished entering all the gift information, click on Save and Send Letter. This will bring up the Mailing tab where you can run the letter or email.
      17. Letter templates are created in the Communications Navigator.
      18. If you wish to send the acknowledgment later, you can select the letter template and leave the Acknowledged check box blank. You can also leave the letter template blank if you are planning to group this gift with others and use the same template for the whole group.
      19. For more information, see the Acknowledgment Process topic.
      20. Batch - If this gift is part of an existing batch and there is an active batch code, the batch should appear in this field.To place the gift in a different batch, select the batch from the list.
      21. Receipt Status - Receipt status is used only for Canadian receipts.
      22. Receipt - If you are using Canadian receipts or you have set receipts for automatic numbering, a receipt number is automatically entered. Otherwise you can type in a receipt number.
      23. Notes - Enter any notes about this gift.
      24. Add a Matching Gift - If this gift is to be matched by someone else and you wish to track the match, click on the Add a matching gift button.
      25. Match a Gift - If this gift is a match to another gift that was entered in the past, click on the Match a Gift button.
      26. Recurring Gift - The gift you are entering can be used to create a recurring gift template if you are expecting that this gift will be repeated on a regular basis.
      27. Soft Credit - If this gift needs a soft credit, click on the Add a Soft Credit button.