Every organization, no matter the size or mission, will be entering gifts. While this task (or maybe the size of this "How To" article) might seem daunting, Virtuous has created tools and safeguards to allow you to efficiently import gifts and gift data into your database so that you're able to keep clean and up-to-date records of giving!
Buckle up as we walk through the steps of Entering a Gift in Virtuous!
1. Set Up a New Gift Import
The first step of entering gifts is creating a new Import in the Gift and Contact Import Tool. To navigate there, find Import Tool near the bottom of the left-hand Primary Navigation menu.
Create a new Gift Import by selecting the blue "add" button in the top right. This will open a New Import Screen with fields to define your gift data.
The required information on this screen will be choosing the CSV file if you are uploading data from a CSV or choosing to Enter Gifts Manually and including a name for this Gift Import.
There are, however, more optional details below you are able to include. You might want to use these Default Detail fields if the majority of the gifts that will be entered share the same Type, Date, Marketing Segment, Media Outlet, or Batch and Batch Total. You are also able to choose a Receipt Segment and Template if that is relevant to this import. The Default Transaction Source allows you to document a non-integrated giving platform to include where gifts have come from.
2. Manually Entering Gifts
For Gifts that include Checks, Cash, In-Kind gifts, or any gift information that is not already in a spreadsheet, it is best to Manually Enter Gifts. While this option might have a few more steps than Uploading a CSV, Virtuous has built-in features (like Contact Matching) to simplify manually entering your gifts! To begin entering a new Gift in the Virtuous Gift and Contact Import tool, select the blue "add" button in the top right or click on the Actions button in the upper right and then select “add a transaction.” If you prefer, you can also use the new transaction quick key command to bring up the entry form. This will open a New Gift page to begin entering your gift data!
- Quick Search for a specific Contact. You can also use the Quick Search field at the top of the screen to search with any values you like. As you type, Virtuous will try to identify matching Contacts and display these matches on the right side of the screen. Select the correct Contact in blue on the right-hand side, or use the Quick Keys command to select the first suggested match.
In some cases, matches may not be found. Continue to enter all of the information you may have -- most times, when entering check gifts, for example, you will have a complete address, and maybe even a phone number. For addresses, begin typing in the Address 1 field to enter as much address data as possible, and Virtuous will automatically search for an address and autocomplete the address fields with a standardized mailing address.
Virtuous will use any information entered to identify potential matches. As you enter data, you’ll notice that the system will begin building a new Contact profile. If there are no matches found for the information you provide, then click on the green button to create a new Contact.
Trainer Tip: Contact records are created instantly. Make sure you do want to create a new record before proceeding to avoid duplicates. It’s best to try out a few searches first to confirm that your donor is new.
You are then able to start entering the gift details. Some of these fields may already be completed when you define any Default Details on the Import Setup page.
- Choose a Gift Date.
- Select a Gift Type. The list of Gift Types is hard-coded in Virtuous. The values include Cash, Check, Credit, Cryptocoin, Electronic Fund Transfer (EFT), Noncash (or an In-Kind Gift), Other, Qualified Charitable Distribution, Reversing Transaction, and Stock.
It’s important to note that there are many things about Gifts that can be changed once they have been entered and saved, but the Gift Type cannot be changed. This is because there are certain conditional fields that will be included on a Gift record, based on the Gift Type.
- Enter Gift Amount and indicate if the Currency is other than USD.
- If the Gift was a part of a Batch, include the Batch Code.
- Marketing Segment or code that allows you to track what communication reached your donor.
- Media Outlet
- Notes to indicate any gift or donor details.
- Project and Split Amount to designate this gift to a specific accounting fund.
- Premiums and Quantities to include any non-tax-deductible benefits (think tote bag or coffee mug) that were given to the donor.
- Pledges and Applied Amounts to credit your donor for contributing to their pledge.
- Recurring Gifts and Applied Amounts to account for a recurring gift payment.
- Memberships will allow you to apply the gift toward any membership fees.
Before you move on, it may be important to ensure that your gift does not include any of the Additional Gift Information details. Select the blue hyperlink to expand a few additional fields.
This will, then, show fields including defining a gift as Private to indicate an anonymous gift or Non-Tax-Deductible. A Passthrough Giver would be searched and selected here in order to acknowledge who the gift originated with. If a receipt has already been sent or if you want to send a specific receipt to this donor, you are able to choose the Receipt Date, Segment, and Template. You are then able to note the Cash Accounting Code for your Quickbooks Integration. Finally, the last few fields allow you to note if the gift was made In Honor or Memory of a Tribute and who to Acknowledge for that tribute.
3. Importing Gifts through a CSV
If Credit Card, Crypto, or EWT gift data is already stored in a CSV file, it will be more efficient to Upload that file rather than Manually Entering this information. In your Gift Import Setup, make sure to select the Upload a CSV bubble and choose the correct file to upload.
Once uploaded, Virtuous will attempt to match all giving data in your file with Contacts in your Virtuous Database. If there are errors or updates needed, you will be prompted to fix these on the next page.
4. Match Needed, Update Needed, or Ready for Import
When you have finished entering all of your gift data or uploaded your file through the Gift and Contact Import tool, Virtuous will look at all of the data provided with each transaction and ensure that all of the data is correct, including attempting to match each Gift with the correct Contact record. These transactions will then be sorted into three different categories: Match Needed, Update Needed, or Ready for Import, which you’ll see listed at the bottom of the screen.
Select each of the pages to correct any errors, match any Contacts, or make your updates. Once all gifts have been reviewed, they will be ready for import.
If your organization has the feature "Enable Ability to Create New Contacts With No Match On Import", you will have an additional feature available in the Actions drop-down, "Create New Contacts". Enabling this feature will allow you to bulk-create Contact records in the Import Tool when there are no possible matches found. While this feature has the potential to create many Contacts at once, there are additional considerations to keep in mind. If there is any matching piece of data, then a Contact will not be made and it will be placed in the Match Needed or Update Needed buckets for review.
You'll find the Import button on the top right-hand side. Select Import to finalize your Gift Entry.
And Ta-Da! You've entered gifts! Now, you'll be able to see these gifts on your Contact records AND you're ready to get started with Receipting!
To learn more about acknowledging IRA gifts, check out this support article that has a wealth of knowledge!