Welcome to the world of Donation Entry! Donation Entry will allow you to log contributions, making it a one-stop shop for donor management and end-of-year tax statement generation. This article will walk you through the Donation Entry workflow from start to finish.
The batching process
Create a batch
Within the Batches section of the Dashboard, select Create batch in the upper right corner.
Name the batch and select Save when finished. We recommend using a date range as part of the name, as it makes locating donations easier in the future!
You will be taken to a new page to begin entering the donations. However, back on the main Batches page, your batch will now appear under Active until it is finalized and committed, as shown below.
Enter donations
Select Create Gift in the center or upper right corner of the page.
Enter additional applicable gift details.
Prior to committing your batch, you have the option to export your active batch to review it. Click the 3 dots in the top right, then select Export to generate a CSV. You can also export a committed batch.
Donation methods
Donations fall into two main categories: tax-deductible and non-tax-deductible. Within each category, donations can be made through a variety of methods. For a more detailed breakdown of these donation methods, please check out this article.
Non-tax-deductible donations are counted towards the progress of a donor's pledge.
Adding a new Donor
If a donor does not exist within the Dashboard, select the "+ Create..." option to add a new donor. Within the pop-up, add the first and last name of the donor and select Create.
We recommend taking note of any newly created donors while gifts are batched. Once finished, locate the donor in People > All people and add additional information to their profile.
Split Donations
If a donor would like to allocate their gift to multiple funds, select the "+" icon to the right of the Amount Field to add a new fund. If you need to delete a fund row, select the "X" to the right of the Amount Field. You may add as many splits as needed. However, donations cannot be split within the same fund; they must be allocated to different funds.
Committing a batch
When you are finished entering and editing your donations, the final step is to commit the batch. To do this, select Commit Batch in the upper-right corner. Confirm by selecting Yes, Commit or select No, Cancel to return to the Active Batch.
Committing the batch moves the entries into your primary giving data, making them searchable on the Gifts page and included within your Analytics & Reports. At the same time, the records sync to donor profiles and will show up in their giving history on your app, while the batch itself moves from Active to Committed on your dashboard.
After committing a batch, entries cannot be deleted or added. However, they can be edited.
Editing entries
Editing an active batch
While a Batch is Active, you may delete the batch, rename the batch, and delete donation entries. Select the three dots in the upper right corner to Rename batch or Delete batch. Once a batch is committed, the batch cannot be renamed, and donation entries can still be edited but not deleted.
Editing donations within an Active Batch
To edit or delete a donation within an active batch, follow these steps:
Select the donation within the batch.
Click the 3 dots in the upper-right corner.
Select Edit gift or Delete gift.
Select Save when you are finished editing.
Editing Donations within a Committed Batch
A committed batched donation can be found within the Gifts or Batches section of the Dashboard. Once found, select the gift to view its details. Select the Pencil icon in the upper-right corner to edit. You cannot delete a committed entry, but the status can be changed to Failed. Marking an entry as Failed will prevent it from appearing on the donor's giving statement. Any edits to the gift will be logged in the Adjustment History section.
Efficiency Tips
Before you begin, we recommend sorting gifts by type. This will allow you to have all of your cash/check donations grouped together inside the batch as you enter them.
Determine if cash will be counted per envelope or entered as a lump sum. Maintaining individual gift amounts can assist the finance team in determining the number of givers and the average gift amount.
You may record $0.00 for stocks, bonds, crypto, or in-kind donations and edit the value at a later date.
To log anonymous cash donations, consider creating a donor named ‘Anonymous Cash.’ This will allow you to keep track of all cash gifts in a simple, organized way.
To add funds or campuses, you will need to add them to the Funds or Campuses pages of the Giving Dashboard. These will automatically appear in the drop-down menus in Donation Entry.
FAQ
When recording checks, what is considered the donation date?
The donation date for a check is either the date the organization received it or the date it was mailed, whichever is earlier. This is especially important for donations made around the end of the year. For example, if you received the check in 2025 but it was mailed in 2024, the donation should be recorded as occurring in 2024. (Source 1 & Source 2)
This article is for informational purposes only and should not be considered tax advice. For questions about the legal or tax implications of a donation, consult a licensed accountant—ideally one with nonprofit expertise.