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RE Handbook

Jackie Cuevas

Hello all,

I am working on a RE handbook for my organization (not a users manual) to streamline the process in my department. Does anyone have tips of topics to include in the handbook? Any feedback would be helpful.

Thank you!

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Comments

Bobby Steurer

@Jackie Cuevas Do you have any topics so far? If so, what have you chosen? How do you see the handbook being used, and by who? Knowing the above may help us give better tips. Awesome to hear you're taking this step!

Ryan York

@Jackie Cuevas So, more of a map of where to find certain information within the database-- not follow Steps 1 to 5 to record this within the database?

Jackie Cuevas

@Bobby Steurer Hello! Some of my handbook topics include:

constituent management preferences
query field requirement preferences for reports
defining within the organization the features and how we would like to use them, for instance an inactive record

Jackie Cuevas

@Ryan York I might consider adding this as well, but for now the team seems to be looking for a handbook tailored to the organization. Defining what terms mean for them (ex. an inactive record) and preferences for constituent managements and reports.

Faith Murray

@Jackie Cuevas
Consider a historical record of list criteria. At our org, that seems to be a highly-desired item: a record of “For this event, we invited all alumni over age 45, all residents of NH, and all regent-donors” – etc. And then, how that translates into query processing.

Also useful: how we defined our ratings and donor profiles; a “data maintenance checklist” that schedules phone appends, deduping, imports, etc; a list of annual audit reports for pre-audit prep.

Bobby Steurer

@Jackie Cuevas Sorry for the late follow-up, Jackie. Maybe consider adding Actions: When and How to Use Them and Opportunities: When and How to Use Them. I can't tell you how many old, useless Actions and notes I've uncovered that were basically just “Left VM” or “I saw Chad today and waved.” Haha.

Christine Cooke

@Jackie Cuevas. Good to hear you are documenting!

your org's way of standardizing both individual and org records.
standards for establishing relationships between records and utilizing Assigned Solicitor
preferred formatting standards for Primary Addressee and Salutation and any other Add/Sal your org may have active
standards/rules for constituent Attributes. When and how to utilize and what are the parameters of establishing new ones.
outline of your gift processing procedure and why it is done that way
any rules you have about Constituent Codes - because if you have a hierarchy this is very important.
a list of (and corresponding folder) of monthly/annual maintenance queries for keeping data clean and consistent
tips and tricks to getting exports, merges, reports to print or save to whatever formats have been established as working for your department
outline of regular reports that are run weekly/monthly/annually and where to find them, or their reports/queries/exports to produce said reports
explanation of the Active checkbox as used or not used by your org and why/when
explanation of whatever system you have in place for maintaining phones and emails (whether you keep old ones and label them or move them out of phone tab to where? or delete them altogether)
explain why or why not you keep former addresses when adding a new one.

I'm sure there are others that I am not remembering but these came to mind quickly.