We are starting a Capital Campaign - and want to automate pledge reminders. I created a constituent query from Pledge activity report - and got most of what we need. The dilemma is to exclude people that paid early on their installments. Their installment amount due is still >0 but the balance on their installment is $0. What field is available to tell us that they have already paid on their installment and nothing is truly due that warrants a pledge reminder?

If you're using the automated Mail/Reminders from RE - any paid installments will automatically be excluded from the reminders since they are based on the run date you enter and there wouldn't be anything due for that date.

How are you creating your Pledge reminders? We can come up with something more specific if we know your process

Laurel - thank you for you input! I wasn't too sure about run date - but I created a customized Reminder type in RE Mail, tested it with early payers,  and it worked beautifully. Thanks for your assistance!

 Leila McClure - Big Bend Hospice - Tallahassee, FL

Laurel - thank you for your input! I wasn't too sure about run date - but I created a customized Reminder type in RE Mail, tested it with early payers,  and it worked beautifully. Thanks for your assistance!

 Leila McClure - Big Bend Hospice - Tallahassee, FL

Leila,

I know this string of communication is a year old now, so you by now you have probably mastered the pledge reminders for your campaign.  We are trying to automate our reminders for an upcoming campaign as well.  We would like to send all campaign reminders out quarterly or semi-annually (every other quarter).  Can you explain to me how/why you created a query from the Pledge Activiy report and how it helps you?  Might this help me figure this out?

Is there a way to remind a constiuent quarterly if their scheduled installment is 1x/year?  If so, what is the field that should be merged into the document to state the annual payment (installment amt, installment balance)?  Will this need to be done outside of Mail or can you make it work in Mail: Reminders?

Anyone doing something unique and different to what the Mail Reminders is designed to pull?  I am excited to hear!

Thanks,

Kelly

Kelly,

I'm a bit puzzled.  If I'm your donor and have a 1x/yr pledge with payment due in Dec, why would you want to send me a billing reminder in Mar/Jun/Sep?  Personally, I'd wonder why the org was wasting the time, paper and postage to do it. 

For your consideration also, if donor has ability to select the date when their payments are due for annual, semi-annual or quarterly payments you will probably find yourself needing to do billings/pledge reminders monthly. With a campaign of any size you will have payments due each month.  Sending them monthly also is a good reminder for those who didn't pay their scheduled payment the previous month.  I wouldn't wait 3 months to bill again.

Just my 2 cents...

Joanne,

 I see your point.  I am just trying to clean things up because reminders have gotten out of hand due to delinquint payments.  Previously our staff was running monthly reminders by installment.  When the installment schedule came to an end these delinquint payments were no longer pulled in a "per installment" pledge reminder, so they got lost in the shuffle never to be reminded again.  I have moved more to a "per pledge" pledge reminder but now feel we are producing too many reminders too frequently and possibly doing more harm than good with properly stewarding our donors.

 Another issue is how pledges have been put in.  To a donor a year is offten "calendar year" and to a development office it seems to be "Fiscal year".  I assume we should be planning installments based on 1 year equals 12 months right?  So, it all depends on when the pledge is made as to when payments are due.  That makes sense to me, but previous practices are different here and I am trying to clean it all up.

 Any suggestions to use the system with ease and make our gift officers happy would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks,

Kelly

Couple thoughts:

You could possibly do separate reminders for those with current payments due and those with past payments.  We send custom reminders (per pledge) at the first of month for all payments coming due that month and also those with past due payments.  In my export, it show when payment was due so every so often I run list past exec of those we've been sending reminders to for number of months with no payment.  At times I'd like to see our past due list be smaller too   Sometimes I wonder if it's just lack of communication between donor and solicitor - donor may not plan to pay pledge till Sept but solicitor just turns in pledge in Feb without that date.  Leads to lots of unnecessary billing.  Most all seem to be paid in the long run.

Regarding year - yes if donor wants 5 annual installments of $X with starting date of X/X/XX that's how we enter it.  I don't see an issue between calendar and fiscal year other than first installment may not be until org's next fiscal year. 

Sounds like you're on the right track for getting some things cleaned up.  Good luck.