Gift batching - adding defaults

Milly Jones

We currently do all our gift processing in batches in RE7. Investigating the batch functionality for gift processing in NXT looks limited. Is it possible to set any defaults, or do you have to manually add every single piece of information for every single gift?

Does anyone have any good experience processing gifts via RE NXT via batch function?

PS - we don't use NXT donation forms either.

Lee Grisham

@Milly Jones, unfortunately, the answer is don't. ?

There are no defaults and no real reason to batch anything in NXT unless you are using NXT donation/event forms. It is much easier, flexible, and quicker to use database view for all of that. Avoid it unless you want more headache and a longer time to batch things. You can only view one gift at a time and it is many more clicks to process than in database using tab on a keyboard.

#Things we wish we knew before moving to NXT…

Milly Jones

@Lee Grisham
Thanks Lee! That was the impression I was getting from all my research, but it's helpful to hear it from someone directly!

Carrie Powell

@Milly Jones, as Lee said, database view Batch is best if you are processing a lot of gifts with the same default info. I do find RENXT gift processing helpful when I have a one-time credit card gift to run or if I am just entering one gift.

Paula T Poole

@Milly Jones Good morning Milly. I am new to the forum. I've worked in RE and other CRMs since 1992. Yes, blow the dust off of me! ? I can tell you that there is no easy way of setting up defaults in NXT for a gift batch, which I find very frustrating. I also cannot find a way of setting up a message indicating if a donor has an active pledge that a gift should be entered against. I can do this in Database View using Business Rules. This has been an ongoing concern for me and I have brought these issues to the attention of BB management many times over the years since NXT was introduced. I am told that Database View will eventually go away as BB gears up to address our needs as users in bringing both sides of the system together. Until then, I will continue to use Database View as it is the only efficient and reliable way to set up recording gifts with all data needed in place and to update pledges.

Lee Grisham

@Paula Poole I would love to know how those conversations went, Paula! How long can it take you to do something similar to what SharePoint has with a List view that is easily searchable, filtered and edited without having multiple screens to go through??? The lack of unity in NXT is also frustrating as it blatantly ignores business rules put in place to keep the database accurate. It's the Wild West of database work. ??

Paula T Poole

@Lee Grisham Hi Lee. We are a Google Workspace, which further complicates things for me. I am not familiar with Sharepoint and I do not want to introduce yet another component to getting this work done as I'm sure you understand. I know RE7 well and will continue to use it until such time as Blackbaud finally gets things together. I was told just this week that the work to bring both sides of RENXT together continues, so at least I know that Database View will be around for awhile.

Pat Phillips

@Paula Poole
I only use RE database view as well.

Aldera Chisholm

@Milly Jones We do 99% of our batches in Database View. My one exception: I set up a daily batch for gifts called in, so that any of our team who answers incoming donor calls can quickly and easily process a credit card using NXT. Every day I check that batch. There are a number of important fields for us that the NXT batch does not have an option to use, but it's handy for this situation.

Becky Jones

@Milly Jones We use only database view for entering gifts of any type. Don't like many aspects of NXT.

Jenna Jones

@Aldera Chisholm

I love this! I'm going to look into this process for our org, too, especially since we only use DB7 for gift entry due to NXT's lack of so many necessary features.