User Support Forum

We have removed many numbers from our system and I plan on renumbering many envelopes. I plan on backing up before doing this. My problem is after the first of the year the data will not be available for the old numbers correct?. The only way around this as I see it is to keep a copy of PC on my own PC with the old BU or restore contribution files from a bu made Dec 30 when questions are asked... Any idea on an easier way to access old Contribution data

Jim SJA Church Financial Secretary

stjohnamelith wrote:We have removed many numbers from our system and I plan on renumbering many envelopes. I plan on backing up before doing this. My problem is after the first of the year the data will not be available for the old numbers correct?. The only way around this as I see it is to keep a copy of PC on my own PC with the old BU or restore contribution files from a bu made Dec 30 when questions are asked... Any idea on an easier way to access old Contribution data

Jim SJA Church Financial Secretary

When you renumber an envelope using the Contribution module's renumbering application, all previous data goes with the number.

The best way to do this is as follows:

If you have numbers that are currently in use, first move them to a range that is not going to be used. For example. You have numbers 101, 104, 105, 107, 108 in use, and you need to move these.

In this case, renumber them to a range like 5000, so 101 becomes 5101; 104 becomes 5104, and so on. This way those numbers (101, 104, 105, etc) are now available for assignment. You will do this each time you need to open up a number.

Eventually, all those you placed in the 5000 series area, will be moved into your 100 to 200 series areas in the correct order.

Best part about doing it this way is that ALL previous data goes with the contributor. So if they contributed under envelope number 101, that data will show up under their new number 110.

Of course, taking a backup first is definitely the way to go in case need to go back.

I am in the same position and like the idea of setting up a 5000 series that is kept specifically for the purpose of renumbering.
Just wondering if the answering example should say that the information from #101 will be seen after the move under the number 5101 and not "110"?
A reply on this would be great before I go ahead with the renumbering.
Thanks
Beth

bluebird wrote:I am in the same position and like the idea of setting up a 5000 series that is kept specifically for the purpose of renumbering.
Just wondering if the answering example should say that the information from #101 will be seen after the move under the number 5101 and not "110"?
A reply on this would be great before I go ahead with the renumbering.
Thanks
Beth

Beth,

No, the 5000 series area is just a holding area. Nothing under those numbers will remain as the data goes with the new number.

Let me give you a real world example. We did this a few years ago at the last church, the names have been changed to protect the guilty. We had some number gaps in the envelope list so we needed to fill these in, and we tried to alphabetize while we were doing it. If you don't need to do that, then just fill in the gaps by moving envelopes from the last envelope number forward until the gaps are filled.

In this example the envelope number is first, family name second.

101-Ambrose
102-Brown
103-DeKalb
104-Cameron
105-Jones
110-Eames
111-Fisher.

Ambrose is OK, as its in the correct position, but Brown has moved in the past year. You must keep Brown's data, but they won't be getting envelopes this year, and its foolish to have a box sit for the next two years. So, you have the following numbering scheme setup for your envelope numbers:

100 thru 999 - Active Envelopes
1000-1999 - Visitors (these could become members eventually, or deleted after 3 years)
2000-2999 - Archives - data that must be kept for at least 3 years for IRS purposes.

Any number over 3000 can be used as a temporary holding area. In the following example, its not needed as all the numbers are freed up during the moves. However, there are times you may need to use it, as I will show in the next example.

So, you want to free up 102, because you want to move 104 in that location. You renumber 102 to 2001 to move the data to the archives. 102 is now free for use. You can now renumber 104 to 102 and all the data is now listed under 102.

You can now move 110 to 104 to keep the alphabetized list in some order (if you want), but 105 is in the way. You know that you can move 105 to 106 to make room for the Fisher's to move from 11 to 105, so then it looks like this:

101-Ambrose
102-Cameron
103-DeKalb
104-Eames
105-Fisher
106-Jones

Then you have the Browns sitting in the archive at 2001. You can then delete the Browns from the entire system (again, if you wish) after three years.



In the following example, there are no 'free' numbers, and you have to use the temp holding area, also we want to alphabetize the entire system, and right now names are all over the map.

101-Ambrose
102-Brown
103-DeKalb
104-Cameron
105-Jones
106-Eames
107-Fisher
108-Alecto
109-Brunnhilde

If I wanted to alphabetize these, I would need the 3000 area, so I would do it this way:

1. Move all these up to the 3000 area: 101 to 3101, 102 to 3102, etc.
No reason to use 3101 you could put 101 in 3001 as the next step will help you get them lined up.

2. Make sure all the envelopes are moved clearing out the 101 to 299 area, this can take some time depending on the size of the congregation. Run an Envelope Numbers List report, with the selection option of envelope numbers from 100 to 299. No envelopes should appear, if some do, make sure they're moved to the 3000 area.

3. Run another Envelope Numbers List report, with the selection option of envelope numbers from 3000 to 3999, and the sort option of alphabetized. This report will give you the names in alphabetical order, along with the temporary envelope numbers that were assigned.

4. Now go down the list renumbering the number from the list to the new 100-299 series number. So in the example names I show above, Alecto at 3108 would be renumbered to 101, Ambrose at 3101 would renumber to 102, etc.

In all these cases, the data goes with the new number, and the old number is no longer in the system.

I hope I didn't confuse you.