3 Non-Version-Specific tips that everyone can use
With Memorial Day just around the corner, it's good to know that there are ways to record memorial gifts even if your version of FundRaiser is not equipped with the Tributes Module. The Tributes Module is a great tool not only for keeping track of memorial gifts, but also for sending the right correspondence to the next of kin of the person being memorialized. It can also handle creating lists of memorial gifts during a particular time period, which can then be used in newsletters, etc. But not everyone has FundRaiser Professional (Tribute Module standard), or Select with the optional Tribute Module. So what can a Spark, or Select, user do without that module? Or, for that matter, what could you do in Professional without using that module? These three tips will give you an alternate route to keeping closer track of memorials.
1. Use the Gift Motivation Code
The Motivation code answers the question "Why did this donor give us this gift?". If it is in memory of someone, whether a relative, friend, veteran, or "all who have served", this code can make it easy to pull out tribute gifts into reports, and easy to pull out groups of people who have given these types of gifts. If you've already been doing this, then you can target those who have given these types of gifts in the past for a special mailing to encourage them to give in this way once again. You can have different motivation codes for different types of tributes, if you like, too. You might have "Family Memorial", or "General Memorial", or "In Honor", or "In Celebration", etc. It really just depends on how much separation you need in dealing with the different types of gifts. It's not so easy as the Tribute Module, but it can be done.
2. Record the name of the honoree, if known
On each gift record, there is a Notes section (or two or three). The "Letter Notes for Merging" section is where you might record the name of the person being memorialized or honored, so that you can "merge" that information into an appropriately prepared thank you letter template. One thing about this is that you need to be consistent with the way you do the name entry here. Since you'll be pulling this into a letter template, you'll want to be assured that it will look right when you do, so plan ahead and know what you intend saying in the letter. For instance, if you use just the name, then you might have the letter template say something like "this is a wonderful tribute to the memory of
3. Donation Reports can be "printed" to different file formats
What this really means is that you can use a donation report, which can include the Merge Notes from the gift, remember, and send that report to a file format that you can then open with another program, like a word processor or spreadsheet. If you need to make a list of tribute donors with the honorees' names, for instance, you can send that donation report to an Excel format, or an RTF format, or even a PDF file, for those of you who can edit Adobe Acrobat files. You might do this so that you can further edit the results and "clean up" the format for your use. Once you get the list how you want it in whatever other program you've used, then you can put it in your newsletter, or on your website, or in correspondence. The real point is that you don't absolutely have to have the Tribute Module to make such lists.
Try your own new ways of doing things
Most of the modules available in FundRaiser came about as a result of "work-arounds"; that is, users having to work around limitations of the original program. If you are having difficulty doing what needs to be done, don't hesitate to call or email for suggestions on how it might be done. That's what we're here to do, and your difficulties, as well as your suggestions, might just help us to improve the software for everyone trying to do good things. For more information on the Tributes Module, check out this section of our website.