Pledge Statement - are there options?

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UUUSOffice
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:09 am

Pledge Statement - are there options?

Post by UUUSOffice »

Hello! I'm writing to ask about the Pledge Statement, which is confusing to some of our elderly members because it gives the same information twice.

Is it absolutely necessary to show both sets of data, the set in the second column and the set in the third column?

The second column (or rather, set of columns) is

_______________________________________________
Amounts for period
07/01/2016 - 06/30/2017
Pledged Paid
________________________________________________


The third column (or rather, set of columns) is:
__________________________________
Pledge Status as of
DATE
Pledged Paid Difference
_______________________________________
It seems to me that this is repetitive and visually confusing, and to just see the pledge and amount paid would be enough. Can this report be simplified or do I have to export and massage every quarter? I did that last time but would rather not if I don't have to!

Thank you so much for taking a look at this!

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Pledge Statement - are there options?

Post by NeilZ »

craburn86 wrote:Hello! I'm writing to ask about the Pledge Statement, which is confusing to some of our elderly members because it gives the same information twice.

Is it absolutely necessary to show both sets of data, the set in the second column and the set in the third column?

The second column (or rather, set of columns) is

_______________________________________________
Amounts for period
07/01/2016 - 06/30/2017
Pledged Paid
________________________________________________


The third column (or rather, set of columns) is:
__________________________________
Pledge Status as of
DATE
Pledged Paid Difference
_______________________________________
It seems to me that this is repetitive and visually confusing, and to just see the pledge and amount paid would be enough. Can this report be simplified or do I have to export and massage every quarter? I did that last time but would rather not if I don't have to!

Thank you so much for taking a look at this!

Well, normally this statement is used to show the amount for the current date period selected (second column), and the YEAR TO DATE (or the ending date of the period shown) status (third column).

The only time it can be confusing is the first quarter (or the first month) this is issued. That said, this information can also be included on the Contribution Statement, which many churches issue quarterly. This lists all contributions as well as the Pledge information if selected in the report options.

Could you explain how you are setting up the report?
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

UUUSOffice
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:09 am

Re: Pledge Statement - are there options?

Post by UUUSOffice »

Oh, Neil, what would we do without you?!

My rendering of what was on the form wasn't very accurate! Here's a link to the image:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-PUEw ... p=sharing
I'm setting it up with a custom date range of the fiscal year 07/01/2016 to end of this quarter, 3/31/2017.

Doesn't it seem like it gives the same information too many times?

NeilZ
Posts: 10209
Joined: Wed Oct 08, 2003 1:20 am
Location: Dexter NM
Contact:

Re: Pledge Statement - are there options?

Post by NeilZ »

craburn86 wrote:Oh, Neil, what would we do without you?!

My rendering of what was on the form wasn't very accurate! Here's a link to the image:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B-PUEw ... p=sharing
I'm setting it up with a custom date range of the fiscal year 07/01/2016 to end of this quarter, 3/31/2017.

Doesn't it seem like it gives the same information too many times?
See that's the point .. you're giving it the date range of the Fiscal Year, but the third column actually does that. How often do you issue this report?? If you issue it every quarter just use the built-in date range. For instance, since this is the 3rd quarter of your fiscal year and you're creating it after the last Sunday in this quarter, use the built-in "This Quarter" dates.

You'll get the report for what was given for the quarter in Column 2, and Fiscal YTD in Column 3.

As I said, most congregations issue the report per quarter, only reporting giving for the quarter in 2, and totals in 3.

Do you also issue a Contributions Statement too ??
Neil Zampella

Using PC+ since 1999.

UUUSOffice
Posts: 30
Joined: Tue Apr 14, 2015 11:09 am

Re: Pledge Statement - are there options?

Post by UUUSOffice »

Ohhhh...I see. Thank you.

This is a very non-intuitive form to read if you are just skimming it. Our treasurer has been using it wrong -- putting in the whole fiscal year for the date of the statement, instead of the quarter, so I've been carrying this assumption that it just gave the same info twice for no reason.

I would love to redesign this form to make it more user friendly for the reader! I wish it would say "Quarterly Pledge Report" at the top and label the columns "This Quarter" and "This Pledge Year" or something. Because I *know* that people find it confusing.

Oh, well. I'm going to use the Contributions Report for the statements I send out each quarter. I think people just want to know the "pledging period to date" figure, and that report is less confusing to look at.

Thank you, Neil, for getting me clear on this report!

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