Donations

Entering Donations in ClearVantage

Nomenclature

Within ClearVantage, Donations frequently refers to a Donation Fund; a category under which multiple transactions can be entered and credited. In order to enter a donation transaction, it be either be credited towards an existing Donation; or a custom Donation set up for that individual transaction.

Donations can be entered as many different types in ClearVantage. Donations can be entered as one-time gifts, pledges, matching gifts, as well as in-kind gifts. You can track detailed notes about donations such as for memorial or honorarium gifts.

Creating a Donation Record (Donation Fund)

Simple one-time donations are generally made by one donor and appear on a single invoice and a single payment in full is made. One-time donations allow you to track the donor as well as any notes about the donation, sponsorships, or memorials.

To enter a one-time donation, use the following steps from an Individual or Organization Notebook:

1. From the Activities button, select Enter Donation. This will open the Donations listing page.

   

2. From the Activities panel, select the Add Donation button. This opens a new blank Donations Notebook.

   

3. From the Notebook, complete the required information and any additional field for which you have information. The fields for a Donation are the same as setting up the fields for a new Subscription or Dues entry.

   1. Sub/Due/Don: Enter the name of the Donation for reference and lookup later.

   2. Description: Enter a description for the Donation.

   3. Price: Enter the amount of the donation.

   4. Frequency: Select one-time from the drop-down.

   5. Category: Select Donation from the drop-down.

4. In the More Information section, select the Company that the donation is towards and enter any additional accounting information as needed.

5. Click the Save button.

Enter the Transaction for the Donation

1. Return to the Donation listing page and search for your new Donation. Click the Add to Cart button.

   

2. Review and update the information in the subsequent pop-up window. Adjust the date of the donation and add any Honor or Memorial information in the Gift Note field. Once done, click the Add to Cart button.

   

3. From the confirmation pop-up, select the Check Out button, and review the payment information page.

   

4. Complete the payment information and process the payment.

Entering Matching Donations

Matching gifts allow you to track donations that will be matched by another donor. Often donations from employees are matched by employers. When the system refers to a matching donation, it is specifically referring to the secondary donation, not the original donation that is to be matched.

To enter a matching donation:

1. Locate the initial donation that you will be matching on the Donation listing.

2. Select the donation line and click the Add to Cart button.

3. From the pop-up – use the Search Individuals/Organizations button to update the donor.

4. From the Donation Category drop-down, select Matching Gifts.

   

5. Complete adding the donation to the Cart and complete the payment process as outlined above.

Installment Pledges

Pledges are generally used for donations to be paid in installments. The donation record and any invoices can be created at the time the pledge is made with dates in the future.

Creating an Installment Pledge

Create a single donation record for pledges, even if they will be paid in installments.

1. From the main menus, select Services | Donations to bring up the Donations listing.

2. Click the Add Donation button.

3. Complete the new Donation notebook (as outlined above).

   1. For the Price of the Donation, enter the total amount being pledged.

   2. For the frequency, select the appropriate frequency discussed with the donor.

4. Click the Save button. The overall pledge has now been created.

Entering a Donation to a Pledge

Once the Pledge has been created, you want to be able to create invoices or enter donations against that pledge. To do so:

1. From the main menu, select Services | Donations.

2. Click on the Pledge that has been set up to select it and click the Add to Cart button.

   

3. Set the Donation Amount of this installment. The default payment will likely be the full amount of the pledge, so it is important to ensure that the appropriate amount is set. When done, click the Add to Cart button.

   

4. Click the Check Out button on the pop-up window.

   

5. Enter the payment details, or select Invoice, to create an Invoice for the installment.

   

6. If you entered the payment details, then you are done. If you selected Invoice, click the View Invoice button. From the Invoice page, you can email the Invoice, edit it, add it back to the cart for payment, or print it for mailing.

   

Paying Outstanding Pledge Invoices

If you have previously created an invoice for a pledge, once you receive the payment, you’ll want to complete the invoice in the system. To do so:

1. From the main menu, select Financials | Invoices.

2. From the search pop-up, enter the invoice number or other identifiable information, and click the Search button.

   

3. From the search results, click on the blue link of the Invoice Number to load the invoice.

4. From the Invoice page, click Add Invoice to Cart.

5. Enter the payment information and complete the payment (If you have not already started a Batch, you will be prompted to do so – make sure you start a batch to process payments).

Alternate Donation Entry

ClearVantage provides an alternate way for staff to enter donations. This method is recommended for organizations which are donation-heavy and receive donations from individuals who are not necessarily already in the database.

This method cannot be configured on the client-end, please reach out to your representative if you have interested in activating this process.

Locating an Existing Donor

Follow the standard procedure for locating an individual.

1. From the left-hand menu bar, select "Membership" and then "Individuals."

2. From the listing screen, use the Quick Search or Power Query to locate the donor.

3. If the donor is already in your system, skip down to Make Cash Donation.

Add Cash/In-Kind Donor

Note

In-Kind donations are used to track the donation of materials and items instead of cash.

1. From the Activity Panel, select either "Add Cash Donor" or "Add In-Kind Donor"

   

2. Complete the contact creation fields in the pop-up window.

3. Click Create Donor.

Make Cash Donation

1. From the pop-up window, select the type of donation you are entering.

   

2. Enter the donation details in the pop-up window. If this is an In-Kind donation, select that option under the Donation Type drop-down.

   

   1. Donor Type: Select if this donation should be credited to an individual or an organization. If this is a tax-deductible donation, this should be the entity able to claim this deduction.

   2. Donor: Will prefill based on the donor you selected or created at the beginning of the process.

   3. Donor #: Prefills based on the donor you selected or created at the beginning of the process.

   4. Donation Amount: Enter the amount of the donation.

   5. Date of Donation: Enter the date the donation was received.

   6. Campaign: If this donation is part of a Campaign, associate it with that Campaign on this drop-down.

   7. Appeal: If this donation is part of an Appeal, associate it with that Appeal on this drop-down

   8. Donation Category: Choose the category for this donation.

      1. Matching Gifts: This category is selected when the gift is part of a matching program. It will display a Matching Gift Information block.

         1. Matching Entity Type: Determines if the matching entity is an Individual or Organization.

         2. Search: Allows for the selection of the matching entity.

         3. Existing Gift to Match: Allows for the selection of which gift is being matched.

      2. Honor/Memorial Gifts: These gifts are given in honor or memorial.

         1. Honoree CD: Allows for the selection to individual being honored.

         2. Honoree Name: The name, as it should be displayed, should be entered.

   9. Donation Type: Select either Cash or In-Kind.

      1. Assessed Value: In-Kind only. Value of the donation at last point of assessment.

      2. Declared Value: In-Kind only. Value of the donation when received.

      3. In-Kind Description: Description of the donated item.

   10. Installments: Enter the number of installments (either received or planned). This is typically used for pledges, but this is not required.

   11. Acknowledge Date: Click the checkbox to note if an acknowledgement letter has been sent and enter the date the letter was sent.

   12. Match Eligible?: Check this box if this donation is part of a Matching Gift program.

   13. Gift For: Enter any dedication related to this donation.

   14. Gift Note: Enter any notes for the donation.

3. Click Add to Cart

Shopping Cart and Checkout

Once you’ve added the donation to the cart, check out will proceed normally. Review the detail, enter the payment information, and click the process button.

Searching Donations

Searching donations allows you to send quick letters to donors, gather information on donation types and calculate donation totals. To locate existing donations, use the following steps:

1. From the Main Menus, select Services | Donations.

2. From the listing page, click the Quick Find button.

3. From the pop-up window, select Donation from the Type drop-down.

   

4. Select any additional search criteria you would like to use and then click the Search button.

5. The list of matching donations displays on the listing page.

Donation Letters

Donation letters allows you to send pre-written email messages to individuals tied to the donation(s) based on if you are invoicing, thanking them, or engaging in another form of communication.

Create and Edit Templates

Creating and editing existing email templates is covered, in detail, in the CV Pro Email Editor Guide. We encourage you to refer to this guide to create, edit and save your templates.

Assign Templates to Specific Donations

Each fund can use a separate Quick Letter Template for its acknowledgement letters.

From the main menu:

1. Select Membership | Dues/Subs/Don List

2. Use the search button to limit the results to Donations by using the Category filter.

3. Search and locate the Donation/Fund to update.

4. Click on the CD number to open the notebook.

5. Locate the Communication section of the Notebook.

6. Select the appropriate Payment Due Letter, Renewal Notice, Cancellation Letter, and/or Confirmation Letter.

   

7. Select Save.

Print or Email Donation Letters

Quick Letters can be sent as emails or printed and sent through the mail.

1. From the main menu, select Membership | Dues/Sub/Don List.

2. Use the search functionality to locate a list of donors. This list should all need to receive the same letter. (Use the Save List feature to save this search for future use).

3. From the Activity Panel, select Send Quick Letter.

4. From the pop-up select the letter to send and click Continue.

   • To print, click Show All QuickLetters to Print/Download.

   

5. From the pop-up, select if you would like the letter marked as acknowledged.

6. Supply the email information (From, Reply-to, Subject line) and click Send.

Linking Donations to Events

Fundraising events often require that some revenue is attributed to the event while other revenue is tied to a donation record. There are several ways of handling this in ClearVantage.

Selecting a Default Donation Fund

You can set a default donation fund in any event. The donation fund selected will be the fund used if a donation is manually added to the registration. The easiest way is to configure the donation portion of the event as a separate function.

Note

Detailed instructions on creating "Functions" can be found in the Functions guide.

To begin, open the Event’s Notebook:

1. Select the Functions tab.

2. Click the Add Function button.

3. Complete the required fields on the Function Pop-up.

   

   1. To tie to a donation, click Edit Accounting CD and select the code(s) associated with donations.

4. Click Save.

Linking Event Price Types to Donations

You can create event price types that automatically spit a portion of the registration fee into a donation. This is often used when a fundraising event such as a benefit dinner has a set portion of the registration that is tracked as a donation. This can also be used to automatically create a dues record.

Note

Detailed instructions on creating price types can be located in the Price Types guide.

From the Event’s Notebook:

1. Click on the Prices tab.

2. Click the Add Price button.

3. Complete the appropriate fields for creating the Price Type.

   

4. The amount that should be applied as a donation should be entered into the Donation Amt field.

5. Click the Save button.