Create a Donor Record

Create a Donor Record

A Donor record must exist for an individual or organization before you can enter any Gifts from that source into FIMS. The Donor record is an extension of the Profile record that contains development and biographical information about the Donor or Prospect.

Note: A Profile record must exist for the Donor before you can create the Donor record.

You can create both the Profile and Donor record in the Donor and Gift Management module. The Profile 1, Profile 2, Salutations and Affiliations tabs are available from either module. However, we generally recommend that you enter the Profile record in the Profile Management module and then enter the Donor record in the Donor and Gift Management module. There are Profile-related fields in the Profile Management module that are not available in any other modules (for example, Notes and Fund Associations). Also, when a Donor Profile is selected in the Profile Data Grid, you can use the tabs to view the Donor’s Giving History (Summary and Detail), Contact log and Promises. These Donor-centric views are not so conveniently available elsewhere in FIMS. Refer to Entering the Main Profile Record for more information.

Note: This procedure does not cover every field available for Donor entry. Refer to the Donor Tab for more information about all of the available fields.

1. In the Donor and Gift Management module, click the Donors super tab. The Donor Data Grid opens.

2. Use the Donor Data Grid to verify that the Donor record does not already exist. FIMS will not allow you to save duplicate Donor records.

Note: Refer to Checking for an Existing Profile and Donor Record for more information.

3. Click the New Button or the New Donor button on the toolbar. The Donor tab opens for creating a new record.

4. Enter the Profile ID Code for the individual or organization that you want to create a Donor record for.

5. Click the arrow in the Source drop-down box and select the code that indicates how the Donor learned about the organization. This can be an important indicator of Gift origins, and the relative success of development efforts.

6. Click the arrow in the Solicitor drop-down box and select the person who cultivated the relationship with the Donor. It is generally appropriate to enter a Solicitor code when the Source code indicates a personal or professional referral.

7. Click the arrow in the Staff Code drop-down box and select the development officer responsible for maintaining the relationship with the Donor.

8. Click the Save button on the toolbar to complete the basic Donor entry.

NOTE: If you try to save a duplicate Donor record, a message will appear to inform you that the record already exists.

NOTE: Although the ID Code is the only field that FIMS requires in order to save the Donor record, your organization may require other fields. You should generally enter as much information as possible about each Donor. The Source, Staff, and Solicitor codes can be especially helpful in tracking the development efforts at your organization.

NOTE: When you initially create a Donor record, an Affiliation code is automatically applied to the Profile record (for example, Prosp to indicate that the Profile is a potential Donor). Refer to Configuring Automatic Affiliation Codes in the Profile Management module for more information.

Tip: Coding Development Efforts

The Source, Solicitor, and Staff Code fields on the Donor tab provide important information about the development of the Donor relationship, and the person(s) responsible for initiating or maintaining the relationship.

• The Source code provides information about how the Donor learned about the organization. This can be an important indicator of Gift origins, and the relative success of development efforts.

  Note: This code is also available on the Gift tab to indicate the reason that a Gift was given. However the source of a specific Gift is not always known.

• The Solicitor code indicates the person who cultivated the relationship with the Donor. It is generally appropriate to enter a Solicitor code when the Source code is a personal or professional referral.

• The Staff code indicates the development officer responsible for maintaining the relationship with the Donor.

These codes are useful for filtering lists of Donors and donations in reports. They can also be used for statistical analysis in Trends and Analysis reports. For example, an analysis of Donors by Staff code would provide information about the relative responsibilities of the development staff in a given area. An analysis of Gifts by Donor Source code would tell you the amount and number of Gifts for each source.

Refer to the FIMS Reports Guide for more information about Trends and Analysis reports.