I am wondering if people out there have any rules about how long you let an inactive pledge molder until you finally write it off. Nicole D. McMorrow
Database Administrator
Women's Foundation of California
340 Pine St., Ste. 302
San Francisco, CA 94104
www.womensfoundca.org
[Email Removed]

Nicole - We usually do write offs before our fiscal year end for pledges that have not received payments in the past year. Before year end, we send out a "pledge statement" letting them know the original pledge amount, any payments received and the balance as a method of encourgaging them to send in a payment. Since most of our pledges are from major gift donors & generally do not adhere to an installment schedule, we do not send formal pledge reminders to this group - it's up to the MGO to provide "reminders". Tracie Cassidy Database Coordinator Seattle Children's Hospital Foundation (206) 987-6833 [Email Removed]

Major gift open pledges are reviewed quarterly by the major gifts officer to determine who needs a pledge reminder. Then there is an annual review before the end of the fiscal year. Write-offs are determined on a case-by-case basis for those pledges.

Annual fund pledges are reviewed annually by the major gifts officer and me. We do this about 6 weeks before the end of the fiscal year, in order to send one last reminder to donors. (We invoice at the beginning of each month to those whose pledges are due in that month.) If the pledge hasn't seen any payment in the last year, we write it off. Faith Danforth
Fiscal Manager
The Library Foundation
Portland, Oregon

We have major gift pledes which are reviewed by the major gif officer. But, most of our annual fund pledges are at a lower level to be paid over a number of years. After much discussion it was decided that when a pledge installment reaches 210 days past due it is written off it is not considered to be a major giving pledge. I do this without approval from the anual fund department each month. When we waited for a once a year fiscal year review and write off it made the write offs process time consuming at a time when we were preparing to close the FY. Installments that are 190 - 209 days put these pledges is our fulfilment program. Letters are sent with the reminder stressing the importance of their pledge and that it is past due. I have found in our organization if it is not paid by 210 days it probably won't be. We had a lot of discussions about this. I feel if pledge are going to be kept on the books that are past due aggressive work should be done to collect. Repeadtedly sending the same reminder is not enough. A phone call program is difficult to put in place in my organization. Sandy Luckhurst