The Quick Entry Posting feature is provided as an alternative method for entering contributions into your system. The other feature, detailed posting, is also available. You can access either feature from the Posting menu.
This topic introduces you to the Quick Entry Posting feature and provides an overview of the process.
Viewing the Video Tutorial of the Quick Entry Posting Process
Configuring the Batch Entry Form
Workflows for Using Quick Entry Posting
Do you have a large stack of contributions that you need to enter into ParishSOFT Offering? The Quick-Entry Posting feature is designed to help maximize your productivity and speed up your workflow by allowing you to enter many contribution and pledge records into your system at one time. You save time by entering contributions in groups or batches, which allows data entry to proceed much faster. It may help you to think of a batch as consisting of all contributions that make up a single bank deposit. For example, a batch might include all offerings received on a given Sunday or all contributions made to a specific fund during a given period of time.
The Quick Entry Posting feature is provided as an alternative method for entering contributions into your system. The other feature, detailed posting, is also available. You can access either feature from the Posting menu.
Using the Quick-Entry Posting feature to enter contributions is a straightforward process. First, you create and define the batch that will hold the contributions. Defining the batch includes giving it a name and indicating the total dollar amount of the contributions it contains. Next, you enter the data for each contribution (for example, contribution amount and giver's envelope number) into a batch entry form and—with help from the system—validate your data entry. After you enter each contribution into the form, the system automatically saves the batch for you.
Because the batch is saved automatically, you do not need to enter all contributions into a batch in one sitting. You can return to an open quick-entry batch at any time to add new contributions, to remove contributions, or to edit contributions. Because the batch is designated as “quick entry”, however, you must use the Quick Entry Posting process to make these types of changes.
Finally, after you finish entering contributions into the batch, you can commit the batch. Committing a batch processes all of the contribution payments and creates a contribution record in your system for each transaction. The status of the batch is then set to "Committed."
IMPORTANT
Open batches set up for quick entry are held in quick entry mode until you commit them. This means that they are not available through the detailed posting process. If you want to make changes to an open, quick-entry batch or to specific contributions in the batch, you must make those changes through the quick-entry posting process. After you commit the batch, this restriction is removed. The batch is then available on the Detailed Posting page so you can select it from the Batch list and edit it, if necessary.
A video is available to help you learn how to enter contributions into your system using the quick entry posting process. To view the video, click this link: Quick Entry Posting tutorial.
The first step in the process is to create a batch and define it by, among other things, giving it a name and specifying the type as "quick entry." After you create the batch, you can configure the batch entry form to and start entering contributions.
The batch entry form (shown below) provides a central location for you to enter contributions into your system.
The form is customizable, allowing you to choose fields and define default posting values for contributions included in a given batch. For example, if you are posting a stack of contributions to the Haiti Missions fund, you would select that fund as the default value from the Fund dropdown list in the Default Posting Data section. Similarly, if all contributions to the fund are paid for by check, you would select Check from the Type dropdown. By customizing the form to match the contribution data, you save time because you do not have to re-enter the same information for each contribution in the stack.
As the previous illustration shows, the batch entry form has three main areas:
● Posting
The Batch Information section at the top of the form provides details about the currently viewed batch. These details are pulled from the information recorded for the batch when it was created. The name of the current batch appears in the field in the top right. If you want to change batches, simply click the dropdown arrow 
and select the desired batch from the list.
The following list explains the fields in the Batch Information section:
● Total: shows the total cash amount specified for the batch when it was created. This is the value entered into the Cash Total field for the batch when it was created. As you enter contributions into the batch, this value does not change.
● Balance: shows the current balance amount for contributions currently entered into the batch. Initially, the amount in this field is the same as the amount in the Total field (see the previous illustration). As you enter contributions into the batch, the amount of the contribution of each is subtracted from the balance, causing it to decrease toward zero dollars ($0.00). When the amount in this field equals $0.00, the batch is balanced and can be committed.
● Transactions: displays a count of the number of contributions currently in the batch. Because this number is a function of the number of contribution entries, it is initially set to zero (0). With each contribution you enter into the batch, the count increments by one.
● valid/invalid: counts the number of valid (error-free) and invalid transactions. The system performs a validation check on each contribution you enter into the batch. This metric keeps a count of valid and invalid transactions. An incorrect envelope number would increment the count in the invalid category.
● family/member: counts the number of family and member contributions.
By default, these three posting fields are included on the form because they represent required fields for a contribution:
● Fund: fund receiving the contribution or pledge installment.
● Date: batch date.
● Type: payment method (for example, cash) used to fund the contribution.
The values you select in each field keeps the information the same for all contributions in the batch, thus making it easier to quickly enter a large number of contributions of the same type. If desired, you can quickly add more fields to the form by clicking 
and then selecting those you want to add.
The Posting section is where you do your data entry. You enter each contribution on a separate line. When you first open the form, the system provides a couple of empty lines that serve as placeholders for your first two entries. As you enter more contributions, the system automatically adds more line items for you.
Press the Tab or Enter key to move through the fields in this section. This section contains two required fields:
● Env #: family or member’s envelope number. This is the default lookup field. Every contribution you enter must be associated with a giver. You can use the envelope number (the default) to search for givers. Or, you can choose a different lookup field by clicking 
to open the Options and Filters window, which provides other fields you can select.
The purpose of the quick-entry feature is to streamline the process by reducing the number of fields requiring input. Be aware that adding more fields slows down the process.
● Amount: type the amount of the contribution.
After you enter data for a contribution, press the Tab or Enter key to advance to the next line and begin entering the data for the next contribution. The system validates the information you entered.
● If your lookup field entry matches a record in the database, the system displays the giver’s name and address in green text and this checkmark in the Status column: 
.
● If your lookup field entry does not match a record in the database, the system displays a message in red text and this icon to alert you to the error: 
.
A batches must be in balance before it can be committed. A balanced batch is one for which the amount in the Cash Total field (specified for the batch when it was created) equals the amount in the Balance field at the top of the batch entry form. To prevent an out-of-balance situation, the system continuously performs a series of validation checks on the batch to determine whether it is in balance. If a batch fails validation, the system will not let you commit it (post it) until you correct the reported problems.
After you commit a batch, it can still be edited, but you can no longer make any changes in quick-entry mode.
● If you need to edit individual records in the batch, you must find those records on the Contribution List page and edit them using the Edit function on that page.
● If you need to edit the batch details, you must find the batch on the Batch Management page and edit the details using the Edit function on that page.
With the Quick Entry Posting process, you can enter as many contributions or installments to existing pledges as you want at one time from a single batch entry form. A batch can include contributions or pledge installments of various payment types made to various funds. For efficient processing, keep your batches separate. In other words, do not mix contributions and pledge installments together in the same batch.
● To process contributions using the Quick Entry posting process, follow the steps in the workflow diagram in this topic: Basic_Workflow_for_Using_the_Quick-Entry_Posting_Process_to_Enter_Contributions_and_Offerings.
● To process installments to pledges using the Quick Entry posting process, follow the steps in the workflow diagram in this topic: Basic_Workflow_for_Using_the_Quick-Entry_Posting_Process_to_Enter_Pledges_
For more information on working with quick entry batches, go to Understanding and Working with Quick-Entry Batches.
About the Quick Entry Posting Page
Understanding and Working with Quick-Entry Batches