Hi all,
I have a few questions regarding why we are doing what we're doing for After-Batching procedures. It was reccomended to us, and I went along without know the why's, that we copy the gift cover sheet and photocopy the check or back-up documentation and file in a Batch envelope. Each batch gets it's own envelope containing all the gift cover sheets and backup from that batch. I have never, in three years, gone back to the Batch envelopes for anything. Why are we doing this and should we continue?

Next, I file the Batch commit Control Report in a three ring binder. Again, I've never gone back to this report. What do you do with it?

We are preparing for our first Audit and in putting together a more comprehensive policy manual, I'm revisiting these questions. Please feel free to contact me off line at [Email Removed] or 425.462.0095 to share your wisdom!

Thanks, Elizabeth
Elizabeth Brokaw
Database Coordinator
Performing Arts Center Eastside (PACE)
Bellevue, WA
[Email Removed]

Your auditors will dictate what copies, backup you require and/or do not need. How to store it is your choice. When we were keeping copies of everything we simply stapled the batch report to the copies and filed them in date order in a hanging file by month. Envelopes definitely seems like overkill.

Gift cover sheet - is that an internal form? It has been argued that these types of forms are frequently unnecessary - especially with direct mail remittance forms/envelopes. I never use them at all.

We eventually stoped copying so much and only stapled the original reply/remittance slip or documentation to the batch report (unless original was a form that needed to be sent back then or something to be filed elsewhere - then we made a copy) and continued to file by month.

We did weekly bank deposits and would copy all checks together (4-5 per page) and staple those copies to the bank deposit report we ran (which was a Gift detail and summary report for the week.

Copying checks is not necessary and many consultants advise against it but it is still hard to completely remove from a dev operation. Our compromise was several on a page copied weekly (rather than 1 per page with copy of original reply slip copied daily).

So much copying was sucking 5-7 hours from my DE person and we got it down to approximately 1-2 hours a week. Melissa S. Graves
Director of Development Services
The Village for Families and Children
mgraves (at) villageforchildren.org
www.villageforchildren.org

GET ON THE BUS! Check out what the Blackbaud User Society is talking about today at www.blackbus.org!

I give the hard copies to finance but in our Philanthropy dept we purchased a scanner. I scan the checks and the batch report save it to a folder and then we burn it on a cd every few months. We used to photo copy everything but it is not worth the time it takes nor the space it takes up. Development Database/Research Manager Y of Central Maryland It's deeper here.

In our constant effort to bring down the amount of paper we store, we've started scanning in our mail. We scan the checks and the attached documentation and store them on a secure network drive. Every year at audit time we are requested to pull some info. We'll be ablet to relate the gift in RE to the day's mail by batch.

We also maintain a copy of this mail with all secure information blacked out so that a few of our execs can review morning mail before we process it through RE. We like to be very responsive to donations. This helps.

This is a new process. I am investigating PaperSave as a method to attach docs to the gift and to make gift data enty even easier.

On our scanned copies we will use software to indicate Appeal/fund and any other info to help with data entry. Nora Isaac
Manager, Information Technology
The ALS Association, Greater Phila. Chapter
[Email Removed]

Hi Nora, We're looking at a similar solution to try to get information to our fundraisers more efficiently. Can you tell me what hardware/software you use for the scanning, and if you use any particular archiving software for the resulting images? I'm concerned that with a high volume, searching for a particular day/check could be too time consuming, and the fundraisers just wouldn't do it. Have your execs found it helpful? Thanks much! Bran Scott Database Administrator Second Harvest Food Bank

We are just starting this process. The goal is two-fold: 1)to provide immediate access to a day's mail to the top executives; 2)to have checks and documentation in archive for easy discovery at audit time or in the event of donor questions. We use Canon scanner that scan to pdf in a secured user mailbox (shared folder with security). A copy of the pdf file is stored on an archive server. We will move this to cd/tape/external drive - still thinking this one over - monthly. A second copy is altered so that it cannot be printed, important info is blacked out and it is marked copy. This is stored in a secure area for only a few people to review on a daily basis. We keep 10 days of info current. We name our daily mail files with the gift date. That way we can look it up in RE and then relate it to the file. Currently, we are using our own tools as you see. I will compare this with the PaperSave product in the next few months. This software will attach documnetation to each individual gift in RE yet maintain the files in a separate SQL database as I understand it. I hope this helps - let me know if I can share anything else with you. Nora Isaac Manager, Information Technology The ALS Association, Greater Phila. Chapter www.alsphiladelphia.org [Email Removed]

HI Elizabeth, The way we do it is we have batch control sheets, that we put the campain, fund, appeal number of envelopes and total $ amount. We sort our envelope to each type of envelope. ie Memorial, Special Appeals etc. We copy all checks for that batch. After we are finshed posting for the day we print out Gift Detail Report and put that in front of all batches posted for that day with a rubber band around it. We store our in a mail tray with a tag (6-1-07-6-31-07. I have gone back to check address from check if mail is returned, also I have had the Auditors ask to see envelopes from different months. Hope this help a little. feel free to give me a call if you have any questions. Debbie Drummond Hanna Boys Center 17000 Arnold Drive PO Box 100 Sonoma CA 95476 Direct - 707-933-2540 Fax - 707-996-4795 [Email Removed] www.hannacenter.org turning hurt into hope since 1949

Elizabeth, We never copy donor cheques. Instead I enter the cheque number and date as part of the batch. I only make a "gift cover sheet" for donations that do not come in with a donation form or letter of some sort. Once the batch is entered and committed we print three copies of the control report. One gets all backup documents attached to it and filed. The second goes in a binder for the auditors and the third is forwarded at the end of every month to our finance department with their monthly report. I have never needed a copy of a cheque but occasionally have had to go back to the batch to verify information. My auditors like to go through the batches and do spot checks. Each batch has a matching deposit. This makes it easy for the Finance Department to balance the books at the end of each month. This has cut down drastically on time spent processing donations and wasted paper that is never looked at. We are even considering eliminating the control report in the binder as another reduction in paper. Hope this helps. Jan Vezina Brantford General Hospital Foundation