Data Entry

multiple divisions within one organization

Scott Crow — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 18:01:05 GMT

Maybe we need to start from scratch - How will you be reporting on this new division? Will it just be to keep the mail group divided? Will you need to report on gifts from each division? Will you pull division specific list for different events? It sounds at the very least a constituent attribute about orginiating insititution would be at least a start. Also unless you use it for soemthing else - the information source line on the mail recrod could be helpful. We are a national organization with 15 affiliate/satelite office across the country. I am adding a primary ConsCodes for each affliate/Satelite office on each constituent. This will help with data segmentation and since it will be the primary conscode it will be on all gift recrods so running a report on where gifts came will be easier. Moving forward we are opening up our RE to our affiliate/sateline offices and will implement security by constituent ensuring that each area can only see their constituents. Scott A. Crow Director of Data Services Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization [Email Removed]

multiple divisions within one organization

Melissa Graves — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:57:46 GMT

What was your agreement when you took them on as a division? Are all of their prospects now yours or are you required to keep them all separate. Maintaining 2 separate lists in RE does present challenges and I have been in that situation and remember it well.

It still comes down to what is the end result you are trying to achieve.

When you print financial reports on giving will all giving to the college and the LBKCA on one report or will you always be required to keep them separate. You can achieve this with just making sure that all giving historical and future has different funds and/or campaigns for the college and LBKCA.

Is the College allowed to solicit LBKCA donors for gifts and vice versa or will each retain ownership of their own lists. If not allowed then a hard code like a constituent code is probably necessary. If you are allowed then something like a source code could be added to the LBKCA records as an attribute just to retain the original source but now they are a combined constituent.

In regards to constituent code I never advocate for a donor code. It is unnecessary. You can query on who is a donor by gift history. Volunteers, Board Members, Students, Members are all codes for which you will need to re-define whether or not this is to the College or LBKCA.

When a constituent is both then you must create a heirarcy for which goes first (thus becoming primary) in that situation. You are forced to do it by RE otherwise your use of primary constituent code will never be accurate. You probably have already done this based on your codes because you probably have former students who are now board members and or members so you will simply need to expand your heirarchy.

My list of constituent codes is simply

INDIVIDUAL
FOUNDATION
CORPORATION/BUSINESS
UNITED WAY
AUXILIARY SHOP
OTHER ORGANIZATION

(advised by a consultant but I still miss my board member constituent code - it is now an attribute)

Technically students can be found by querying on the education tab if you ar using it. Member can be found if you have the membership module or have appeal codes for membership gifts. Volunteer can be found if you have the volunteer module or by using a simple attribute.

I advocate for infomation not to require double data entry because it increases the chances for error. (students need the student constituent code AND an education record, etc.)

I don't know if I've helped or if I've just rambled so I am going to stop now... 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!

multiple divisions within one organization

Dina Sorrentino — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:33:25 GMT

I am sorry for all the confusion. let me see if this expaination helps Ringling College is the main institution. We have partnered with the Longboat Key Center for the Arts(LBKCA) and now LBKCA is a division of Ringling College. The "new folks" is LBKCA's mailing list which includes donors, volunteers, board members, students, members Now some of the people on the LBKCA mailing list are already Ringling College Raiser's Edge database with a constituency code of either alumni, friend, donor, board member. I want to be able keep that information in Raiser's edge but also record or code them as board member, student, volunteer of the LBKCA. I am trying to figure out the best way to do that. my main goal is to be able to code these divisions within the main organization to be able to pull mailing lists and reports. Does that clarify things a little better?

multiple divisions within one organization

Melissa Graves — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:05:06 GMT

And what does "new folks from the latest division" mean? New employees at that division? New donors to that division? New prospects identified by that division? 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!

multiple divisions within one organization

Melissa Graves — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 17:03:33 GMT

It still depends on why. What do you hope to be able to do with the codes? Is is to certain users can only see consittuents with their division code? Constituents with different division codes get different mailings? You need to define what you expect to get as an end result before we can suggest a way to get there. 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!

multiple divisions within one organization

Dina Sorrentino — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:40:25 GMT

would you suggest different constituency codes for each division and if someone overlaps they would have 3 codes?

I am just trying to figure out if i should add these new folks from the latest division with a new constituency code or if i should just use it as an attribute.

Suggestions???

multiple divisions within one organization

Scott Crow — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:24:14 GMT

What are you trying to do? If you want only certian divisions to see the constituents associate by their divisions you can implement security by constituency which can hendle this function. Scott A. Crow Director of Data Services Y-ME National Breast Cancer Organization [Email Removed]

multiple divisions within one organization

Melissa Graves — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 16:21:32 GMT

I don't know what you mean by code a contstituent by division. I would only give a consitutent a code by division if they work for a division. If a donor to your organization (with presumably one Tax ID) they are a donor to your organization as a whole. Individual gifts may be coded to be designated to one division or another but I would avoid leeting divisions claim ownership over any constituent. A constituent can self identify that they have a particular "interest" in one division or another and it would be best practice to continue to focus on that division in communications, solicitaitions, etc. but unless they specifically say I never want to give to one or both of the other division then you are free to use whatever tactics you want to deal with the individual. Even if they say they only want to deal with one division you would then mark that as a "not interested in" and/or "approach restriction" code but they remain an organizational constituent. The only exception to this is if your insitution has set up some other kind of structure that does require segregating your constituents but I don't think this is a very efficient management of prospects, IMHO. 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!

multiple divisions within one organization

Dina Sorrentino — Fri, 17 Aug 2007 15:54:19 GMT

Can anyone give me suggestions on how they work with different divisions within one organization. We are one school with different divisions although there is some overlap within those divisions. I was wondering if anyone has an institution similar to ours (a school with different schools within) I would like to know: How do you code those divisions? What if there is a constituent that is a part of all divisions, how do you distinguish