How to track non-member, non-envelope, contributions?

[jmessick]

What is the best way to track gifts from non-members who drop in a check or cash in an envelope which they use to provide their contact info. These folks obviously don't have envelopes but we need to track their gifts and provide receipts for their tax records? We are evaluating the PC Demo and I've searched the forums but haven't found the answer to this. The forums ARE great, however! Thanks.
James

[NeilZ]

What is the best way to track gifts from non-members who drop in a check or cash in an envelope which they use to provide their contact info. These folks obviously don't have envelopes but we need to track their gifts and provide receipts for their tax records? We are evaluating the PC Demo and I've searched the forums but haven't found the answer to this. The forums ARE great, however! Thanks.
James

The best way to do this is to create different ranges of envelope numbers.

Range 1: Your normal range of envelopes. Many churches use 1 through 999 for church members. My last church used 101 thru 999, with numbers under 100 for church use. Such as tracking loose plate offerings with envelope 99.

Range 2: Visitors numbers 1001 thru 1099 (or more if necessary). This is a range that you can use to track visitor donations (when you have all the info) but do not have to issue an envelope. If they later join and become members, you can then reassign their contributions to their new member envelope number.

Range 3: Archives: 2000 & up. This is where you can reassign those envelopes for one-time visitors or transferred/inactive members who have not given in a year, but due to IRS regulations you must maintain the contribution information for three years after the year of contribution. (I'm quoting that time from memory, so please check IRS regs for the exact time).

Of course, you can modify these ranges to suit your particular situation.

Hope this helps.

[debbieg]

Hi Neil,
I know you have posted this similar numbering scheme before and i was just going back in to find it. Lo and behold, it was right there in front of me again and I didn't have to search.

I wanted to set up an envelope 99 like you suggested for loose cash offerings. It occurs to me that the envelope number has to be tied to a person, right? So did you just set up a "dummy" household and profile to attach this envelope number to?
thanks,
Debbie

[Eden Whitehead]

Hi Neil,
I know you have posted this similar numbering scheme before and i was just going back in to find it. Lo and behold, it was right there in front of me again and I didn't have to search.

I wanted to set up an envelope 99 like you suggested for loose cash offerings. It occurs to me that the envelope number has to be tied to a person, right? So did you just set up a "dummy" household and profile to attach this envelope number to?
thanks,
Debbie

Hi Debbie,

I don't mean to be answering *for* Neil, but I have learned much from him. In particular, I have put this little "trick" to work. Yes, I set up a dummy household and used the church's mailing address and email address. That way, if I need to test something like how the contribution statements appear/get sent, I have a "dummy" I can use to practice with.

Hope this helps.
Eden

[debbieg]

Thanks Eden. that is a great side benefit of that technique.
debbie

[NeilZ]

(blush) ... Thanks Eden.

Yep, that's the way to do it.

We used the suggestion that 'Tech 2" used in his 'tale', we called the person "Lucy Cash".