Envelope Number Access

[Ben_B]

We have a financial secretary who enters all our contributions. She also is responsible for assigning envelopes. She has view only permission in the membership module, but has full read/write access to the contributions module.

Today she let me know that she can't modify envelope numbers. I checked it out and sure enough, it looks like those are in the profile, not in contributions. Is there no way to allow her to modify envelope numbers without giving her full access to edit the entire personal profile? She is very well-meaning but has changed people's addresses before based on what's on the check, resulting in bad information. That's why we turned off that permission and are reluctant to turn it on again - however, she must have access to change envelope numbers.

Any solution?

[NeilZ]

We have a financial secretary who enters all our contributions. She also is responsible for assigning envelopes. She has view only permission in the membership module, but has full read/write access to the contributions module.

Today she let me know that she can't modify envelope numbers. I checked it out and sure enough, it looks like those are in the profile, not in contributions. Is there no way to allow her to modify envelope numbers without giving her full access to edit the entire personal profile? She is very well-meaning but has changed people's addresses before based on what's on the check, resulting in bad information. That's why we turned off that permission and are reluctant to turn it on again - however, she must have access to change envelope numbers.

Any solution?

My suggestion, if she needs to change envelope numbers, she can do so in the Reassign Envelope Number function of contributions.

She should NOT be deleting envelope numbers from profiles for at least 4 years after their last contribution, as the IRS requires contributions data be maintained for at least 4 years. She should reassign those types of numbers to a range that is outside the normal range of envelopes.

This is a recommendation I made about 4 years ago:

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.

Using this type of system, at the end of four years, your membership secretary can then delete the Mailing List and Personal Profiles, and there's no need to remove the envelope number.

[Ben_B]

OK, thanks, that works for modifying them. It looks like it doesn't work for assigning numbers to people who don't have them, right? I would have to give people a fake number when they're entered for the first time, which she could then modify to the correct number when she assigns it.

[NeilZ]

OK, thanks, that works for modifying them. It looks like it doesn't work for assigning numbers to people who don't have them, right? I would have to give people a fake number when they're entered for the first time, which she could then modify to the correct number when she assigns it.

If you're adding someone who has given for the first time, you should always give them a number in the 'visitor' range as I list above, this is not a 'fake' number. You can use it to track if a visitor is starting to give regularly, along with keeping track of attendance. If they become members you can then assign an envelope number in the range normally used.

[Ben_B]

In most cases, the person is added to our database before they give for the first time. I add prospects, visitors, those receiving pastoral calls, and pretty much everyone else who has a relationship with our church, even if they haven't yet given. That's what happened today - it's a person who I've been visiting at home for 11 months now, and she just asked for offering envelopes. So they're in the system and have been for a long time, but they haven't needed a number before now.

But in order for the financial secretary to modify a number for them using your suggestion, I'll first have to give them a number. Problem is I don't usually know whether people are giving, so I'll have to do that for every person in advance. We're a tourist town - we get lots of visitors in summer, and many of them either don't give or give cash without identification. That would add up to a large number of unused "envelope numbers" from people who are in our files but who have never given.

Am I correct that there is no way to allow the secretary to enter envelope numbers short of granting permission for editing the entire personal profile?

[NeilZ]

In most cases, the person is added to our database before they give for the first time. I add prospects, visitors, those receiving pastoral calls, and pretty much everyone else who has a relationship with our church, even if they haven't yet given. That's what happened today - it's a person who I've been visiting at home for 11 months now, and she just asked for offering envelopes. So they're in the system and have been for a long time, but they haven't needed a number before now.

But in order for the financial secretary to modify a number for them using your suggestion, I'll first have to give them a number. Problem is I don't usually know whether people are giving, so I'll have to do that for every person in advance. We're a tourist town - we get lots of visitors in summer, and many of them either don't give or give cash without identification. That would add up to a large number of unused "envelope numbers" from people who are in our files but who have never given.

However, if you give them a number that is in a range (say 5000 and up) it won't matter. Especially if you do a regular clean up of these one-time attendees. If you clean out once a year, and do people who have not attended the past two years, then you'll clear out old profiles, and delete those unused envelopes.

Am I correct that there is no way to allow the secretary to enter envelope numbers short of granting permission for editing the entire personal profile?

That is correct, she would need change permissions.