How to Change Name That Appears When Entering Contributions

[Matt]

How do you change the default name that shows up in the "name" box on the "Enter Contributions" screen when you enter the envelope number for the contributor? We have a husband and wife who have the same envelope number assigned to them in Personal Profiles. Each has their own Personal Profile record. However, when their envelope number is input on the "Enter Contributions" screen the wife's name is the one that appears in the name and address box. This is true even if you click on the magnifying glass next to the envelope number on this screen and select the record that has the husband's name on it. We would like the husband's name to appear as the default when entering the contributions for this couple. I checked in the Family Mailing List, Personal Profiles, and Contributions modules and could not find any obvious code that PC+ was keying on to determine the default name to use.

[NeilZ]

How do you change the default name that shows up in the "name" box on the "Enter Contributions" screen when you enter the envelope number for the contributor? We have a husband and wife who have the same envelope number assigned to them in Personal Profiles. Each has their own Personal Profile record. However, when their envelope number is input on the "Enter Contributions" screen the wife's name is the one that appears in the name and address box. This is true even if you click on the magnifying glass next to the envelope number on this screen and select the record that has the husband's name on it. We would like the husband's name to appear as the default when entering the contributions for this couple. I checked in the Family Mailing List, Personal Profiles, and Contributions modules and could not find any obvious code that PC+ was keying on to determine the default name to use.

If they both have the same envelope number listed in personal profiles, I believe the first profile that was entered and assigned the number is the one that appears.

However, does it matter ?? The envelope is going to get the credit for the contribution anyway, no matter who's name appears. What I tell my counters is that the envelope number determines where the contribution goes, not the name. So if we get an envelope for number 1222, Joe & Sarah Smith, but the check lists Sarah's maiden name of Jones, it doesn't matter, the check came in offering envelope 1222.

However, we do have a problem when all they do is drop a check in the plate, in which case we have a short cross-reference sheet for the counters that gives the maiden name cross-referenced to the married name.

The last thing I also tell them, is to check the address. If Jenny Springs drops a check in the plate, but the only name that shows up is Nick Springs, check the address. If its the same, nine times out of ten, its the wife of the Head of Household.

Hope this helps.

[Matt]

Technically, as you state, it doesn't matter. It's a matter of preference. In this case the wife is the church bookkeeper who enters the contributions into PC+. However the husband writes the tithe checks. Because of this she feels that her husband's name should pop up when entering the contributions, not her's. I believe you are correct that the first profile entered into PC+ with the envelope number is the one the system sticks with. That was my observation when I did a few tests.

[Matt]

Actually, I just figured out a way to do this. If you delete the envelope number off the wife's record in Personal Profiles then there's only one record in Personal Profiles with that envelope number, not two. When I did a test and entered a contribution against that envelope number after making this change, the husband's name showed up on the input screen. So, if having the right name pop up when entering contributions is important, users will need to make sure that they have only one record--the one with the right name--with that envelope number assigned in Personal Profiles.

[NeilZ]

Actually, I just figured out a way to do this. If you delete the envelope number off the wife's record in Personal Profiles then there's only one record in Personal Profiles with that envelope number, not two. When I did a test and entered a contribution against that envelope number after making this change, the husband's name showed up on the input screen. So, if having the right name pop up when entering contributions is important, users will need to make sure that they have only one record--the one with the right name--with that envelope number assigned in Personal Profiles.

True .. but then only the husbands name shows up when you go and print the contributions statement. FWIW ... my wife joined the church first, so her names always pops up first ... doesn't matter to me, it all comes out of the same pot

[Jeff]

I just checked, Neil is right whoever was added to the Personal Profiles first and then assigned that envelope number will show in the name above. The lookup process really just hands the envelope number back to the form, which then updates what it needs to.

We don't go through the whole process of figuring out the envelope name beacuse of the additional processing it requires. I will write this up as a problem because it really should be the person with the lowest directory sequence with that envelope number. (ie whoever has directory sequence 1 should show)

This problem actually goes back to version 7. The confusion is there are 2 indexes for envelope numbers one in by STR(env_no) + STR(pers_no), this is the index that it should be using, and another that is just indexed on env_no. The second index is faster for some lookups because there is no conversion of type from numeric to character, but it should not have been used in the case.