[leilani]

We've just held our first online auction using c-Market. Their reports are detailed, clear and well-organized, but I was wondering how I should record auction participants in the event module of RE. I did not want to record a gift in each constituent record to record the amount of money they spent, but if I record the amount in Registration Fees, they aren't marked as being paid unless I link them to a gift. Since auction purchases are taken care of by c-Market and Auctionpay, I hesitate to record amounts in individual records as gifts.

Any advice you can offer would be greatly appreciated.

(this is my first post, so please forgive any clumsiness displayed)

[mifennelly]

I'm not familiar with the RE Event module, but we hold an annual art auction that currently grosses $650,000. Not only do I enter all gifts into constituents' records, I break down the nature of their gifts. So "tickets" is one appeal, "art" is another, "donation", etc. Because these various gift types have different tax-deductible status, I think it's important for us to have access to that info later, as well as the ability to run lists and reports from Raisers Edge that are based upon the giving level and gift/purchase types of each auction attendee. AuctionPay holds this info too, but I need to maintain the big picture in Raisers Edge. Hope this is helpful - I'm still plodding along in RE ver 6.

[Melissa Siobhan]

Most places I blieve do go ahead and enter them as gifts with a receipt amount of $0 (unless somone paid over the FMV then it is the amount they paid over the FMV) If anyone pays over the FMV is is a tax deductible gift to you and definitely should be recorded on the gift tab but even if not most plaes are using the gifts tab for more than the true deifinition of gifts.

If you use a fund called auction purchase for any portion that is not a gift then you can always exclude these amounts from totals of true gifts.

[leilani]

Thanks for your replies. I had hesitated because C-Market and Auctionpay take their "cut" off the top and issue what is left of the proceeds to to the school, but I see how it would be necessary to record the actual amounts the purchaser spent and to record anything over Fair Market Value as a receiptable amount.