Inputting Contribution Easier

[jeffkoke]

I do enter the check numbers, it comes in useful...even if I do only need to verify a few numbers during the year.

Kristi,

Just a suggestion: If you get a check reader, you will benefit in two areas:
1. The check number will automatically be entered into PC+ (when the check is read)

2. The check's account number will become associated with the giver.

Using the check reader will decrease your time in front of the computer and better automate your process. After the first time of associating a check with a giver's envelope number, all following entries using the same check's account will automatically fill in up the giver's information. In other words, you will not have to look them up every time.

Make sense?
Jeff

[NeilZ]

I second Jeff's remarks ... it has cut down our loose check entry time (usually about 50 or 60) from about 20 minutes to about half that.

When the check is entered, the account is pulled up directly, the system displays the name, address and envelope number so you can verify it with the envelope, and it pulls up the last contribution entry for that account. So if you have people give the same amount weekly, all you have to do is review the data, then hit the enter button 2 or 3 times (I forget), and the entry is made.

We here, don't use it with checks in envelopes, but that's our preference.

[SBCTrustee]

Hello Everyone,

I have really been helped with most everyones suggestions. I am still studying them. I have re-organized some of our input practices.

We now write the check # on the right hand corner of the envelopes to make input easier. I prefer to keep the inputters away from cash or checks, so I don't think that I want to use the check reader.
Our inputters are good with number entry so it is not missed.

We give the inputters envelopes to enter by source in groups. i.e. building fund, sr. choir, etc. I wrote a couple of custom reports. One of them is simular to the funds report & the other one is like the unposted contribution report. (The custom reports is filter by operator & fund). Each inputter signs on & off by the counter's name, so that we can id. whose money is balance with the reports witch custom report.

I am still studying those things that the forum has suggested & will get back to you as we progress.

Keep your comments coming!! Thanks.

Tom

[Dish-Man]

We have a counting committee entry sheet that we use for our financial secretary's info and we just starting using a check reader yesterday!! (I found one on Ebay for about $60.00 and after reprogramming the format that was loaded into the reader, it works great!). Everything went the way I planned except for one question. We put money in the safe with the contributions (in a separate envelope of course) for "reimbursement" of certain expense accounts. Such as when members pay for Wednesday night supper. How would you handle this with your COUNTERS who don't want to know anything about Accounts Receiveable, etc.? Some of the money is checks and some is cash. Of course, it's non-deductible, so I don't see a need in scanning the checks (unless someone wants to know how much they spent on suppers!) I know this is not a contribution, but again, the money has to be documented as a deposit to our bank and the financial secretary needs to know the amount and account number it is to "reimburse". Any suggestions? I did the first check scanning entries last night, so I haven't started training anybody yet. Our plan is to have volunteers to come in on Monday morning when the financial secretary is here and she can do the "contribution" part of the with PowerChurch and the volunteer can concentrate on making sure the check amount is correct and counting the cash.

[NeilZ]

We put money in the safe with the contributions (in a separate envelope of course) for "reimbursement" of certain expense accounts. Such as when members pay for Wednesday night supper. How would you handle this with your COUNTERS who don't want to know anything about Accounts Receiveable, etc.? Some of the money is checks and some is cash. Of course, it's non-deductible, so I don't see a need in scanning the checks (unless someone wants to know how much they spent on suppers!) I know this is not a contribution, but again, the money has to be documented as a deposit to our bank and the financial secretary needs to know the amount and account number it is to "reimburse". Any suggestions? I did the first check scanning entries last night, so I haven't started training anybody yet. Our plan is to have volunteers to come in on Monday morning when the financial secretary is here and she can do the "contribution" part of the with PowerChurch and the volunteer can concentrate on making sure the check amount is correct and counting the cash.

We've finally gotten a part-time bookeeper so this is the way we handle this now:

1. We have our counters do the data entry, cash counting, and deposts on Sunday. Our goal is to not keep any loose cash (even in our drop safe) overnight on the premises. Our counter teams enter new contributors into the database, and issue a 'non-member' envelope number. These are numbers are between 1001 and 1999. We select our team members from volunteers, but they must be a member of the church for at least a year, and show a record of regular financial giving. All teams are made up of two unrelated persons, and all cash is verified by a double count. Deposite are made via the bank's drop box, using security envelopes which show if tampering was done.

2. Our Financial Secretary handles all the pledge updates, issuing of envelope sets, printing and mailing of statements, and reporting.

3. Anything that is NOT a deductable contribution, is handled as a separate deposit by the bookeeper or treasurer, and is entered by them as a fund accounting depost and is debited/credited to the proper accounts. These funds will show up as pass-throughs, etc in the fund accounting reports.

That is how we do it now.

Prior to the bookeeper, our counters would create separate deposits for each group of non-deductable receipts, and attach the duplicate deposit slip with an explaination of what the deposit was for, to a copy of the weekly funds report, which the treasurer would then enter into Funds Accounting.

[Dish-Man]

Is there a way to tell PowerChurch to default to one fund number (our General Fund for Tithes & Offerings) when you are inputting the envelopes that have cash in them?

Everything is going fine using our check reader for contributions, but it really slows down for entering the envelopes containing cash. Is there a way to tell that dialog box in PowerChurch to default to the fund number that the regular tithes and offerings to? It would save a couple of clicks. My only other option is to renumber that fund to ONE (1) so that you only have to enter a one and a tab to accept the fund number.

[NeilZ]

Is there a way to tell PowerChurch to default to one fund number (our General Fund for Tithes & Offerings) when you are inputting the envelopes that have cash in them?

Everything is going fine using our check reader for contributions, but it really slows down for entering the envelopes containing cash. Is there a way to tell that dialog box in PowerChurch to default to the fund number that the regular tithes and offerings to? It would save a couple of clicks. My only other option is to renumber that fund to ONE (1) so that you only have to enter a one and a tab to accept the fund number.

Usually if you enter the first contribution to a fund, any entered afterwards default to the last fund number entered. That is, if you're usnig the normal contribution entry screen, and NOT the check reader in manual mode.

That way does take alot longer to do manual entries. We do the check reader first, then switch over to the standard contributions entry to cover anything in envelopes.

FWIW .. I don't understand why cash contributions are not carried in the same fund as the checks, don't they all go to the same operating fund unless otherwise designated ??

[Dish-Man]

Neil, they all do go to the same fund; sorry if I wasn't clear in that. We have just been using the "Check Scan" screen and checking the Cash radio button at the bottom right when we start to input the cash contributions after we have entered all the checks. I didn't know that the normal entry screen held the fund number through each entry after you hit "Save". I just tried it and it worked! That's pretty cool! That will save me a lot of time.

just gotta try new stuff to learn the fastest way.

[NeilZ]

Neil, they all do go to the same fund; sorry if I wasn't clear in that. We have just been using the "Check Scan" screen and checking the Cash radio button at the bottom right when we start to input the cash contributions after we have entered all the checks. I didn't know that the normal entry screen held the fund number through each entry after you hit "Save". I just tried it and it worked! That's pretty cool! That will save me a lot of time.

just gotta try new stuff to learn the fastest way.

Actually, that's the 'old stuff', we had that before we had the check reader!! We have two people per team, one to read the envelope number, the other to input the data, works great.