Maintaining FIMS Codes

Maintaining FIMS Codes

When FIMS is first installed, there is a standard set of sample codes in each code table. However, as you work with FIMS, you may find that you need to add, remove, or change some of the codes.

Almost all codes in FIMS are user definable. You can maintain the master list of valid codes for each module from the module’s File Maintenance menu.

Note: The following procedure takes you through the process of maintaining Donor Rank codes in the Donor and Gift Management module. Keep in mind that although this procedure uses specific data, you can apply the steps to any codes that you want to maintain in FIMS.

1. Open the Donor and Gift Management module and select File Maintenance > Donor and Gift Code Maintenance > Donor Rank. The Donor Rank Code Maintenance window opens.

Donor Rank Code Maintenance Window

2. If you want to update or delete an existing code, do one of the following:

Note: The available code fields vary depending on which code you are working with. Many code tables have only a Code and Description field, but some have additional fields (for example, Staff codes have a Code, Description, Business Title, Email, ID Code, and FIMS User ID).

• If you want to change the code, click in Code field, and enter the new code.
• If you want to change the code description, click in the Description field for that code and type in the new description.
• If you want to copy an existing code to make a new code, select the desired code and click Copy.
• If you want to delete a code, select the desired code and click Delete.

NOTE: You cannot delete a code if it is associated with any FIMS records.

3. If you want to create a new code, click the New button. A blank line opens in the code list. Enter the desired Code, and Description, and then click Save.

4. When you are finished, click the Close button. The new code will be immediately available to assign to any record that uses the selected code table.

Configuring FIMS Codes

While FIMS requires you to use a few code fields for data entry, most are optional. Therefore, you can determine the codes that are relevant for your organization’s reporting, mailing, and data management needs, and only use those codes during the data entry process.

FIMS codes are alphanumeric and usually range from one to six characters in length. Whenever possible you should use mnemonic codes, (for example, art = Arts, edu = Education). This increases readability and the number of unique codes that you can create.

All FIMS reports may be sorted and selected based on the codes you define. Keep in mind that the selection process for all reports gives you a beginning and ending code (a range) for each code field you use for record selection. Therefore, when you design your coding structure you may wish to group certain codes alphabetically. For example, when defining your Contact Type codes you could use the following coding scheme to allow you to easily report on all development related contacts by selecting dev1 through dev6.

Example: Contact Type Coding Scheme

• dev1: Development inquiry
• dev2: Courtesy call
• dev3: Serious inquiry
• dev4: Donor cultivation
• dev5: Gift being sent
• dev6: Acknowledgement/Thank you
• prg1: Requested info on applying for grant
• prg2: Intent to applying for funding
• prg3: Application status inquiry
• prg4: Payment status inquiry

Note: This coding scheme represents a fairly detailed approach to categorizing contacts. Most of the sample codes in FIMS employ a simpler approach.

As a general rule, a simpler coding scheme is a better coding scheme. If you have a large number of categories, staff members may have trouble keeping track of when to use each code and they may assign codes differently. If you use a large number of categories and produce a pie graph for the annual report it may have too many slices to be informative. If, on the other hand, you have only ten or twelve categories, code assignment would be more consistent, and the pie graph would be very informative.

Making Codes Inactive

The codes in the following code tables can be set to inactive in FIMS.

When a code is marked inactive, it will not display in the drop-down box when selecting codes for data input. It is possible to manually enter an inactive value and any existing inactive values will still be valid. The purpose of this distinction is to enable the department to change the code values used in various tables without having to recode historic data. Inactive codes cannot be used in new records but will be displayed in existing records.

The most frequent use for this feature will be to handle the changes in the organization’s staffing. As people leave the organization there has always been a need to remove their staff codes from active records, but retain the values on historic records (program officer on grants for instance). This will allow you to remove the code from the code table, but still be able to retain the value on existing records.

The following is a list of the code tables where you can now set codes to inactive:

• Profiles – Contact Type
• Profiles – Affiliation Codes
• Profiles – Staff Codes
• Grants – Grantee Type
• Grants – Request Type
• Grants – Strategy
• Grants – Program Area
• Grants – Staff/Program Officer

NOTE: As of FIMS 14.00, the following additional codes can be de-activated:

Grant codes:

• Application Status
• Committee
• General Population
• Grant Effect
• Grantee Status
• Population Economic Group
• Population Ethnic Group
• Project Code
• Risk Assessment
• Strategy

Gift codes:

• Acknowledgement
• Donor Class
• Donor Rank
• Ethnic
• Gift Type
• Purpose

Securities 

You can access these tables by going to:

• File Maintenance > Profiles > Profile Code Maintenance OR
• File Maintenance > Grants > Grant Code Maintenance

Simply click in the Active column and change the value to Yes(Active) or No(Inactive) for each code.

Regional Categorization of Funds, Donors, Agencies, and Grants

Many organizations manage Funds that have a regional designation. Sometimes these Funds belong to an affiliate; sometimes they are corporate Funds that are designated to philanthropic purposes in a specific county or other region. Financial reports must often be consolidated by region, and some organizations also need to categorize and report on Donors, Grantees, Applications, and Grants by the same regions.

FIMS offers several codes that work together to track regional associations:

Division Code

The Division code is a one or two character code, which is primarily intended to indicate Fund ownership. This code becomes part of the General Ledger account identification number (G/L Account Key) for every account carried by the fund, and is useful for segregating fiscal entities (affiliates or support organizations) on financial reports. For example, you could run the Fund Balance Report (which shows Assets, Liabilities, and Net Assets) for the Funds in a particular division.

Affiliates frequently serve different regions, so the Division code can secondarily be thought of as a regional indicator. Organizations may manage corporate funds that have a regional purpose, and sometimes they wish to produce financial reports (for example, statements of activity) by region. In this case, you should use the Division code as a regional identifier.

Note: One code should be established for Funds that are not regionally specific. You can then assign Division codes so corporate Funds sort together and managed Funds sort together. You can easily select a Division code range to consolidate the Funds in a financial statement.

County Code

The County code can be used to categorize Funds, Fund Distribution records, Profiles (for example, Donors or Grantees), Applications, and Grants. Even if you are using the Division code to define a region, it is a good idea to use the County code. In fact, if you are using the Division code, you should use the same two character code scheme for the County code.

Donor Profile records (once they are coded) can be listed or exported by region, based on the County code. Donations can also be listed by region by running the Gift History Report and choosing the Profile County code as the basis for sort/subtotal or selection.

If a County code is entered on the Profile record for a Grantee agency, it will automatically flow into the County field on the Grant Application record. It can be changed if a particular project serves a different region.

A Grant could be coded as serving one county, while made to an agency coded in a second County, and paid for from a Fund coded for a third county. The Sorting and Selection fields for the Grant History Report reflect that fact: you can sort or filter by either the County served (Grant code), the Fund County code, or the Profile County code. Similarly, for Gifts, the Donor Profile could be categorized under one county, and the recipient Fund categorized under another county.

Region Code (Grants)

Before the County code was added to FIMS, the Region code served a similar purpose for Grants. If you only need a regional categorization for Grants, you can continue to use the Region code instead of the County code. However, if you would like to categorize other records regionally, you should standardize on the County code. Contact FIMS Support for help with converting existing Region codes to County codes.

Note: Even if you use County codes, the Region code can still be used as a supplement to code geographic areas within the primary County (for example, East Side or West Side).

Running the FIMS Code Listings Report

The FIMS Code Listing provides a list of the codes that are available in FIMS tables.

1. From anywhere in FIMS, select Reports > FIMS Code Listings. The FIMS Code Listings window opens.

2. Click the arrow in the Module drop-down box and select the module whose codes you want to view. A list of available code tables appears in the Code Table pane.

3. Do one of the following:

• Select the desired code table from the list (hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and click to select multiple code tables).
• Click the Select All button to select all of the codes associated with the selected module.

4. (Optional) If you want to print each code table on a separate page, select the New Page for Each Code checkbox.

5. Click OK.

6. Verify the Send To destination, and then click the Run Report button. The list of codes from the selected table appears in the FIMS Viewer.