You
need the following information: pledge total (obtained by adding pledge
card amounts) and down payment total (only if payments accompany pledges
in the stack)
This topic provides a definition of a pledge batch and walks you through the process of creating one and using it to verify that your pledge data is complete and entered accurately into the system.
Managing Pledge Intake and Verifying the Accuracy of Pledge Data
Step 4. Reconcile the Pledge Batch Total Against the Pledge Record Amounts
Step 5. Close and Delete the Pledge Batch
In ParishSOFT Offering, batches offer a quick, convenient, and secure way to enter contributions and pledge information into your system. A pledge batch is special type of batch you can create to make sure that the pledge data entered into your system is accurate and complete. This type of batch has a specific purpose: to help you verify that the pledged amounts (obtained from donor pledge cards) match the amounts entered into the records created to track the redemption of those pledges. Think of a creating pledge batches as an important quality management activity that helps you to catch data errors early in the process so that they do not end up costing more time and effort to find and fix in the future.
Creating pledge batches is an optional but highly recommended task for any campaign that includes a pledge component. The next section walks you through the process of managing pledge intake and incorporating the use of a pledge batch into your workflow. Follow the steps in the order given.
The process of using a pledge batch to verify pledge data consists of five main steps. Follow the steps in the order given:
As pledge cards arrive at your organization, once a week (or on a schedule of your choosing) go through the cards and do the following:
Separate them into stacks by fund.
Within each stack, add the pledge amounts to arrive at a pledge total. Write this total down on a slip of paper and place it on top of the stack. You will need it in the next step when you create the pledge batch for the stack of pledge cards.
Within each stack, add up the down payments, if any were enclosed with the pledge cards. Write this total down on a slip of paper and place it on top of the stack. You will need it in the next step you create the pledge batch for the stack of pledge cards.
Each separate stack of pledge cards will comprise a pledge batch.
The following steps show you how to create a pledge batch. Each stack of contributions must have its own pledge batch.
You
need the following information: pledge total (obtained by adding pledge
card amounts) and down payment total (only if payments accompany pledges
in the stack)
to open the Batch
Management page.
to display the Create new batch window. If you do not have
Add/Edit
access rights assigned to your login credentials, this button is disabled.
The fields you see when creating
a new batch may differ from the ones shown in the illustration below.
Refer to Batch Details for descriptions
of the Create New Batch fields.
.A confirmation window is displayed to let you confirm the details of the newly created batch.
CAUTION
Pay close attention to the names on the buttons. If you want to close the window, click the Close button. If you accidentally close the batch, it is permanently locked, and you cannot reopen it.
to exit the Confirmation window.The pledge batch is added to the list on the Batch Management page.
to open
the Edit window.You cannot change
the batch type. If you made a mistake and selected the wrong batch type,
continue to the next step to save the batch. On the Batch
Management page, delete the batch. Then, re-add the batch, starting
at Step 3. This time, be sure to select the correct batch type.
to save the batch. Then, click to exit the Edit
window.The pledge batch is added to the list on the Batch Management page.
Add a pledge record for each pledge card amount included in the pledge batch. If you need instructions for adding pledge records, go to How to Add a New Pledge Record. In the pledge form, you must select the name of the pledge batch from the Batch dropdown list.
In this step, you will reconcile the batch pledge total against the pledge amounts entered into the pledge records created in the previous step. The objective of reconciliation is to ensure that your pledge card amounts agree with the amount recorded in the pledge record. This step is a critical control that, when completed, proves that your pledge data is accurate and complete.
To reconcile the pledge batch against your pledge records, complete the following:
On the Batch Management page, find and open the pledge batch.
Check the amount in the Pledge Balance field:
If dollar amount equals $0.00, the pledge batch is balanced. This is desirable because it means that your pledge data for the stack of pledge cards was entered correctly.
If the dollar amount does not equal $0.00, the pledge batch is not balanced. This indicates that you either have a computational error or data entry error.
To check for computational errors, go back to the stack of pledge cards. Verify that you totaled the pledge amounts correctly. If you made a mistake, open the pledge batch and edit the Pledge Total amount. For instructions on editing a batch, go to How to Edit the Information for a Batch.
To check for data entry errors, go back to the stack of cards. Verify that the amount on each card is the same as the amount entered into the associated pledge record. To do this, open the pledge record, and check that the amount pledged on the pledge card is the same as the amount in the Pledge Amount field. If the amounts differ, adjust the pledge amount. For instructions, go to How to Adjust a Pledge. Then, return to this procedure, starting at Step 2.
Repeat the previous step until the batch is balanced.
Reconciliation is completed.
After you reconcile the pledge batch against the pledge records, close the pledge batch. If you need instructions, go to How to Close a Batch.
After closing the pledge batch, you can delete it because it has served its purpose and is no longer necessary. For instructions on deleting a batch, go to How to Delete a Batch.
As you receive payments to fulfil pledges, post them to the donor's pledge record using one of these contribution posting methods:
● Detailed Posting: you can post payments either individually or in batches.
● Quick-Entry Posting: you must create a quick-entry batch and then post the payments by batch.
About Fund Permissions and Access Rights
About the Batch Management Page
How to Add a New Pledge Record
How to Edit the Information for a Batch
How to View the Details of a Donor's Pledge
How to Post Individual (Non-Batch) Contributions and Offerings
How to Create a Quick-Entry Batch for Contributions
How to Enter Contributions into a Quick Entry Batch