Our organizations currently uses Soft Credits in an inconsistent manner. I would like to put some parameters around soft crediting. Does anyone have anything they could share with me or any tips on what to be thinking about? Much obliged, Ann McCallum

I believe you have to be extremely careful using soft credits and create your policy and get others to accept your policy. First, be extremely careful in who/what you are willing to allow. We only allow a limited few - consistent brother donors with a family-owned business, Board level individuals with family foundatinos. Even with these few, all reports have to be carefully created and discretion used whether they are for internal staff use only or for Board members review. I add qualifying statements in both report subheader and page footer in red if soft credits are applied to "both donor and recipient" because totals won't tie to actual receipts. From a database manager's perspective, I know we are only as good as others perceive us, so I am extremely guarded about any reports which have the potential for misunderstanding. B. McCulloch Manager, IST & Finance Kaleida Health Foundation Buffalo, NY

Our biggest problem right now is the use of soft crediting spouses. We want to do it but we have a hard time with reporting. When preparing a major donor list we want to soft credit donors who gave through a family foundation or charitable gift fund so they show to us as major donors but on that same list we want individual donors who gave even if a spouse was soft credited. Choosing both adds in the foundations and charitable gift funds and both donor and spouse which is not what we want either. We are trying hard to come up with a solution for this but we can't. We have decided that only one soft credit per gift should be allowed so that soft credit to donor and recipient should both give the same amount of $$. Melissa Melissa S. Graves Manager, Development Database & Direct Mail Planned Parenthood of Connecticut [Email Removed] 203-752-2804