Now that we have configured CiviContribute and have a working knowledge of the key functionality options, we are in a position to look at recording a contribution record. Part of the reason for learning how to record a contribution manually at this point is that it will provide a better sense of the wealth of information that is stored about a donation. This will lay the groundwork for a better understanding of the automation that occurs when online contribution pages automatically record contributions.
The simplest way to record offline contributions is to record them manually. The term "offline" may be a bit misleading or confusing; it is used to distinguish between payments received and processed directly online (for example, credit card payments) and payments received through other offline means. This includes donations of any sort that are not processed by an online payment processor. Examples include cash, in-kind goods, and services received at the office, checks received by mail, credit and debit card donations outside the website such as those received by a call centre that are processed through a point of sale (POS) device, or electronic fund transfers (ETFs) conducted at a bank branch.
To record a contribution manually, click on Contributions | New Contribution from the main menu or the Create New button. From within the contact record you can click on Actions | Add Contribution, or click on the Contributions tab then click on Record Contribution (check, Cash, EFT…). If an integrated payment processor is configured for your site, you will see the option to Submit Credit Card Contribution. That form is almost identical, except that it will include the required credit card related fields and will trigger an actual payment transaction.
Fill in the fields as follows:
- If the method of adding the contribution has not resulted in a read-only name beside Contributor, then begin typing part of a name or e-mail in the Select Contact field. Select a contact from the resulting list that is automatically populated.
- If the contact that made the contribution cannot be found from the contact search, click on Create new contact and choose one of the contact type options. This will open a popup form where you enter basic information about the contact and save the record.
Tip
The modal popup form that appears when you select a contact type is controlled by the reserved profile. You may modify the fields you wish to collect whenever this Create New contact option is selected throughout CiviCRM. After going to Administer | Customize | CiviCRM Profile, click Fields beside one of New Household, New Individual, or New Organization.
- Select the appropriate Contribution Type.
- Enter the Total Amount and currency type. If you have previously created a price set, you will be given the option of selecting it in order to choose from the available options.
- Optionally enter a Source. This is intended to help you trace where the donor/donation came from. If left blank, CiviCRM will populate it with a few relevant pieces of data, such as who entered the contribution.
- Beside Received, enter a date and a Time. To remove the date received, click on the Clear link to the right of the Time field. If left blank, CiviCRM will populate the field with the current date.
- Select the appropriate value for Paid By, or leave blank for an in-kind donation.
- If Paid By is set to Check, enter the Check Number.
- In Transaction ID, enter a unique transaction identifier if one exists, such as a bank transfer number; otherwise leave blank.
- If an e-mail exists on file for the constituent, you will have the option of sending them a receipt by e-mail. If left unchecked, or if no e-mail is on file, you may enter a Receipt date and Time. These values are automatically filled if the receipt is sent by e-mail.
- Select the appropriate Contribution Status, such as Pending if a promised check has not been received.
- In Soft Credit To, enter part or all of a name or e-mail and select a contact from the resulting list. The concept of a soft credit is to recognize another constituent's role in soliciting and obtaining this contribution. For example, if you know that John Doe decided to contribute to your organization through conversation with Jane Johnson, you could credit Jane using this field. If the contact is owed soft credit for the contribution and is not yet in the database, create the contact in a different tab and then return and conduct a search in this field.
At this point, you've completed the most essential elements of the contribution record. If you have created any custom fields associated with contributions, they will appear below these opening fields and can be expanded by clicking on the title panel. Click Additional Details to open additional field options.
- Enter Notes about the donation, if any. For example, "Contact him again in December to see if he wants to make another tax-deductible donation before year-end".
- Enter the Non-deductible Amount of the donation. For example, if you are entering an auction payment of $500 for a bottle of wine with a fair market value of $350, the non-deductible amount in Canada is $350.
- Enter the Fee Amount, if any. For example, a $-1.25 bank charge to process an ETF.
- Enter the Net Amount as calculated from Total Amount Fee Amount.
- Enter the Invoice ID, if any. This could be a generated invoice number from your accounting software.
- Enter the date and approximate Time for a Thank-you Sent.
CiviCRM supports honoree/in memory of contributions. Click Honoree Information to open the fieldset. When a contribution is made in honor of or memory of another person, a contact record is created for the honoree and the contribution will display in their record (as in honor/memory of them).
- Click on either In Honor of or In Memory of. If one was incorrectly selected, click on Clear to erase it.
- Enter the First Name, Last Name, Email and Prefix of the honoree.
If you have created premiums, you will have a Premium Information panel that may be opened:
- If appropriate, select a Premium requested by the donor.
- If there are options for the Premium, select the one preferred by the donor.
- If the premium has been shipped or delivered to the donor, enter the date it was Fulfilled.
Once you've completed the form to your satisfaction, click on Save to store the contribution, Save and New to store it and immediately bring up the same form to enter another contribution, or Cancel to abandon the record without saving.