[PamelaBryman]

I have inherited a mess of a RE database and am attempting a clean up (which will probably take about a year).

This organization has never tracked online giving. We've just opened up our site to more online giving and I do want to be able to accurately report on it. Anyone with suggestions as to the best long-term method to code online donations, please respond - THANKS!

[Anne Marie]

We use an appeal called Web Page. But you could get into using Gift Attributes as well to be more detailed.

[PamelaBryman]

Thanks Anne Marie! I can relate to your quote!

[asnoah]

We use an appeal code too. We also use a gift subtype of Web Gift. That way, if someone gives through our website in response to one of our mailed appeals, we can give it the mailing appeal but still know that it was a web gift.

[sagespot]

We use appeals and packages for that sort of thing. The gift subtype is a good way to track as well. If for some reason you don't like either of those functions of RE, then maybe track through a gift attribute.

I'm in the same boat with the inherited database - the initial projections said it would take about three years. I'm hoping for two. *grin*

[Anne Marie]

Bravo for all of you who have to clean up these inherited db's!!!

I have a hard time keeping up with the day-to-day stuff, let alone going through a massive cleanup of someone else's "mess". It makes me wonder how the organizations functioned properly before you came on the scene.

Anyway, I know there are alot of you who have to balance both cleanup and current operations, and just wanted to encourage y'all!

Hang in there.

[PamelaBryman]

I bet I have you all beat - mine is a RE merged with two Results Plus databases. I ran a comparison report of "funds" and came up with 313! You read that right - 313 FUNDS!

[Doug Creek]

I can top that... We pulled in (about 6 years ago) information from: An RE Database at one campus, a home built system at another (large campus), and excel spreadsheets from about every major division in the university, dumped them all into an RE system, and to this day we are still cleaning up duplicates/removing useless records...

Oh, and I have approximately 1500 funds with an additional 1400 inactive ones that need to be cleaned up/combined into some our actives ones And that doesn't include the fact that every endowment (605 of those) actually has 3 fund IDs tied to it, not one...

We live in a very fun world up here

Doug

[PamelaBryman]

Gulp! You got me beat!

I would love the opportunity to build a dept's RE database from scratch but cleaning up messes is a whole 'nother story ...

[Doug Creek]

We've made great strides in the last three years...

I wasn't here or I would have recommended re-creating the records one at a time because that would have been more time efficient then cleaning up the mess has been!!

[Scots Girl]

On a side note how would you deal with online gifts that your organization does not actually see the money from the donation. Donors from our area donate online to disasters. We receive notification of the gift but the money goes to a central fund.

How would you record this?

Thanks

[Matthew]

We would record this as an Advocacy action on the donor's record and probably list the gift on the prospect tab under Gifts to Other Organizations.

[Melissa Siobhan]

I'm sorry - I have you all beat. I had over 150 duplicate records for
ONE organization. Yes - that's right - one organization was in my
database over 150 times because they imported them as one record for
each individual contact/employee (or something like that - I was not
here at the time).

Do any of you know what HE*& it is to merge org records and maintain
individual contact information. It is not fun to do once much less 150
TIMES.

Still Smiling Maybe because it is 5:00 on a Friday!

Melissa

Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children

The mission of the Village for Families and Children is to build a
community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.

"You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is
to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in
which their motivation will flourish." Kay Sprinkel Grace.

[Melissa Siobhan]

I'm sorry - I have you all beat. I had over 150 duplicate records for
ONE organization. Yes - that's right - one organization was in my
database over 150 times because they imported them as one record for
each individual contact/employee (or something like that - I was not
here at the time).

Do any of you know what HE*& it is to merge org records and maintain
individual contact information. It is not fun to do once much less 150
TIMES.

Still Smiling Maybe because it is 5:00 on a Friday!

Melissa

Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children

The mission of the Village for Families and Children is to build a
community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.

"You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is
to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in
which their motivation will flourish." Kay Sprinkel Grace.

[Melissa Siobhan]

I'm sorry - I have you all beat. I had over 150 duplicate records for
ONE organization. Yes - that's right - one organization was in my
database over 150 times because they imported them as one record for
each individual contact/employee (or something like that - I was not
here at the time).

Do any of you know what HE*& it is to merge org records and maintain
individual contact information. It is not fun to do once much less 150
TIMES.

Still Smiling Maybe because it is 5:00 on a Friday!

Melissa

Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children

The mission of the Village for Families and Children is to build a
community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.

"You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is
to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in
which their motivation will flourish." Kay Sprinkel Grace.

[Melissa Siobhan]

I'm sorry - I have you all beat. I had over 150 duplicate records for
ONE organization. Yes - that's right - one organization was in my
database over 150 times because they imported them as one record for
each individual contact/employee (or something like that - I was not
here at the time).

Do any of you know what HE*& it is to merge org records and maintain
individual contact information. It is not fun to do once much less 150
TIMES.

Still Smiling Maybe because it is 5:00 on a Friday!

Melissa

Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children

The mission of the Village for Families and Children is to build a
community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.

"You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is
to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in
which their motivation will flourish." Kay Sprinkel Grace.

[Melissa Siobhan]

I'm sorry - I have you all beat. I had over 150 duplicate records for
ONE organization. Yes - that's right - one organization was in my
database over 150 times because they imported them as one record for
each individual contact/employee (or something like that - I was not
here at the time).

Do any of you know what HE*& it is to merge org records and maintain
individual contact information. It is not fun to do once much less 150
TIMES.

Still Smiling Maybe because it is 5:00 on a Friday!

Melissa

Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children

The mission of the Village for Families and Children is to build a
community of strong, healthy families who protect and nurture children.

"You cannot motivate people; they are already motivated, and your job is
to find out what motivates them and construct the right environment in
which their motivation will flourish." Kay Sprinkel Grace.