FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

1) What are typical Constituent and Gift Attributes that organizations utilize?


Of course every organization is unique and they each have different needs for tracking information with attributes. The key thing to remember about attributes is that they should never be used to track something for which there is already a predetermined place to track that information.

Examples of Constituent Attributes:
              Committees
              Dietary Preferences
              Interests
              Giving Club Level

Examples of Gift Attributes:
             Gift in Kind Type
             Auction Item
             Planned Giving
             Expected Realization Date
             Expected Gift Amount
             Realized Gift Amount
             Realized Gift ID
             Planned Gift Relationship
             Vehicle
             Planned Gift ID

When creating new Attributes always take into consideration the data type to be used. To ensure accuracy and consistency of data entry, the best case scenario is to use a table whenever possible.


2) After sending out a blast mailing to a group of constituents, under what circumstances should it be tracked as an Appeal an Action or both?

If the mailing you send out is a solicitation mailing – in other words, asking that group of constituents to donate – then it should be tracked as an Appeal. An Action should be used to track any other sort of mailing where you’re not specifically asking for a donation, for example things like event invitations, seasonal greetings and information packages about your organization should all be tracked as Actions.


3) After completing a mass mailing, is it possible to globally add either an Action or an Appeal rather than having to add it manually to each record?

Yes. As much as possible, you should always create mailing lists from within Raiser’s Edge based on a query. Then use that query to create the mail merge and then again within the Admin section to globally add an action or an appeal on the Constituent records. Higher end user rights are required, so this should be considered a task for the database administrator, or at minimum that user that is extremely knowledgeable. When doing a global add or change, it is always a good idea to first test that change on just one record, then review that record to ensure that what was done is what was intended.


4) Is it possible for me to see my assignments, actions and gifts that I am attached to as the solicitor on my home screen in Raiser’s Edge?

Yes. Dashboard panel s can easily be created to display on the home screen that shows the solicitor details. ResolutionsTECH can always assist in creating those dashboard panels – just reach out and let us know!


5) When a gift record is marked as “Anonymous” on the miscellaneous tab, financial reports in Raiser’s Edge show the constituent’s name as “Anonymous”. Is it possible to see the constituent’s name in the report?

Yes. There is a user option that permits individual Raiser’s Edge users to decide whether to display the constituent name, the name as “Anonymous” or the constituent name with an asterisk at the end of the line of the report. That last option is in my opinion the best of both worlds – you will see the constituent name in the report and at the same time you will be able to easily identify those anonymous donors by seeing the asterisk at the end of the line in that report.

Across the top of Raiser’s Edge, note the menu options, File, Edit, View, Go, Favorites, Tools and Help. Click Tools, then from that menu choose User Options. In this area you can control how you personally see things in Raiser’s Edge and it has no impact on how other users see things. Click on the Reports tab, then along the left menu “Gift Preferences”. Note there the drop down menu to format how the constituent name should look on reports when the gift is marked as anonymous.


6) In a query, under the menu option of Tools, then Query Options there is a tab for Advanced Processing and under that tab two optional check boxes:

“Use alternate SQL method for code table fields”

AND

“Use alternate SQL method for multiple attributes”

What does this mean and what do they do?

SQL stands for Structured Query Language, and is the programming language that runs in the background of databases, including Raiser’s Edge.
If within your query you have a large output containing many attributes or many code table fields and you find the query is taking a long time to run using these check-boxes may increase the speed in which your query generates the output.