Celebrating first gifts and first gift anniversary and using first gift date

Sherry Aldrich

As part of our stewardship, we like to send note cards or some special acknowledgement for first time gifts and on the anniversary of their first gift. Most of the time using the first gift date works perfect for pulling the information. We've noticed that especially with alum, that if they have attended an event, say home coming, where there is a fee attached, the first gift date is populated with that. Since that's a fee and not a gift, but it's populated with data, we can't use this field for pulling the information. I'm wondering if anyone else has run into this, what soultions / processes they might have created. Any and All ideas are welcome.

Joe Moretti

@Sherry Aldrich If you all use appeal codes, in your query, eliminate any gifts that have appeals for gifts you do not use such as these events you were referring to.

JoAnn Strommen

@Sherry Aldrich @Joe would sure be an option if you have appeals on event reg or on all gifts.

Having event registrations pull in as gifts when using web view is an issue for our org as well. I have tried to explain this to BB staff but without great success. We still are having our event fees go straight to accounting without entry into RE records. All moved into a huge NXT batch that will not be approved.

It messes with not only first gift data but last gift, lifetime giving, retention and pretty much any report. Paying a $25 fee for a dinner where we turn around an pay the venue $25 for each person attending is not a gift to us.

Sherry Aldrich

@Joe Moretti We do generally use appeal codes on all gifts. We have been using online express for event registration so the fees get paid directly into RE / NXT.

This will be a good way to exclude them when they are registration fees, however, how do we know when to include them because their gift truly is their first gift? Or on the anniversary of their first gift?

Joe Moretti

@Sherry Aldrich That I am not sure since these will be exceptions. It is kind of all or none situation.

Lena Payne

@Sherry Aldrich Hi there, I absolutely love the idea of sending notes to celebrate the first anniversary of a gift! While I’m unable to contribute more than what’s been suggested, I was curious if you’d be willing to share the type of messages you include in these notes? Do you offer the option to donate again, or is it purely a thank you? I’d love to hear more about how you approach it. Thanks so much!

Sherry Aldrich

@Lena Payne We are just setting this process up but my guess is it will be a stewardship outreach. No ask involved. When we send the first gift stewardship we send a note card (completely separate from acknowledgement letter) with a college sticker or something. We are excited to get this implemented once we have most of the wrinkles worked out.

Sherry Surmont

@Sherry Aldrich We just started using RENXT event registration and we were frustrated that the fee comes in as a one-time gift. Our workaround was to create an events fund that has the campaign of Non-donation. So any reports I run in web view or database view I do not include the campaign - Non Donation.