DonaMail and Integrated Software   0021-02   ZZall

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                             TO:  Interested Ministries                                                                                                            FROM: Jim Bramer, Retired CPA, Auditor
                                                                                                                                                               Nahum 1:7     FILE: 0021-02/all

                             RE:  DonaMail/Integrated Software                                                                                          ORIGINATED:  May 1996                              

           Below is a hypothetical Online Email (EML) thread between Jim@bcidot.org and one of the following MFTeam members PAT (Ministry Chief Executive), LEE: (Ministry Volunteer Treasurer), or FRAN: (Ministry Computer Bookkeeper). 

FR: PAT

    Following the example of larger expensive Software Packages, we are planning to use Quickbooks (QB) (or other like small bookkeeping software packages) for keeping records of our calendar year Donations ..... plus the ever-present need to stay in touch (email or snail mail) with our very important constituents. In other-words, many believe it is ALWAYS appropriate to have an INTEGRATED bookkeeping and donation accounting/mailing list software package.
     My problem is that I am getting the message that this integration is NOT recommended ..... as per the following Forum/Board messages extracts:

TO: Onliner RXX - FR: Onliner JXX -

        Our Church has less that $500,000 annual income and we use Intuit’s QuickBooks.  We want to set up each Giving Unit within QuickBooks with an account number much like some of the C> hurch M>anagement S>ystem  (CMS) software packages do. Then use QuickBooks's invoicing function to send out quarterly and end-of-year Pledge and Giving Record information.

                        TO: Onliner JXX -- FR: Onliner RXX -

                    Don't do that. Do this in one of the inexpensive separate CMS only software packages. That's what it's for. You will just frustrate yourself trying to make QB into a CMS program.  
                    Keep your mailing list current and relevant in your CMS software.  Then process your contributions therein and make a QB batch entry as a split deposit so you can appropriately post to respective Funds ... or do your needed Fund Accounting. Since we are a Church,  I recommend such CMS  products as  MEMBERSHIP PLUS and CHURCH WINDOWS.

FR:  Jim@bcidot.org   

      We say a hearty AMEN to Onliner RXX, Pat !!!!
      Appreciate you bringing up this topic, as I have discovered in working with smaller Donation funded Ministries that it is a common and unnecessary desire to attempt to integrate  DonaMail   (Dona>tion and Mail>ing) , or CMS as it is called above, and Bookkeeping into one Software Package. 
      There are software products 'out there'  that can readily integrate the DonaMail process and the Bookkeeping Fund Accounting and Payroll effort.  But, since they are expensive, paying that much for software seems an unnecessary expense for Medium to Smaller Ministries.
       Like Onliner RXX suggests above, I also recommend that the results of an inexpensive DonaMail, or CMS for Churches,  software deposit process be placed within an inexpensive product like QuickBooks that can handle Fund Accounting and Payroll.  Within QBs  it can easily become a personalized memorized split deposit entry from the above DonaMail source.  Please go to  0107  plus  and  0078   for more DonaMail and related resources -- please especially note  "Web"  based resources where you obtain/use software using the Internet only.
         In my experience (4), it is unwise to maintain a constituent or donor's address etc in more than one place, or you place such info into QBs, for example, for donation processing and then you use some other database for mailing and related purposes, etc.  The ideal is to have such info into one place so that you can establish and update such vital name/address data once and not twice, or more, etc.  In essence, it is critical for you to have a DonaMail product which responds to your special needs for both Mailing (both Email and Snail Mailings), or contact, with your constituency plus, of course, the Donations Accounting. Non Donation or Constituent/Donor Profile issues include:

                                                  At most Churches  (1)

    CMS (please go to  0921  for more info on this topic)  products should include such info as: When they became Church members etc; generic family or individual profiles; vocation and birth month/year; pictures etc; small group ID and attendance/mailings; event name tag capabilities; Church newsletter mailings and use of their email address:  Ideally,  the means to export info to Excel docs, etc

                              At Mission Agencies (2)

    Or like minded Christian Ministries supported by the public where you need to able to do such things as: 
    Make regular contact/appeal mailings, who is constituent or Donor's Staff Member of interest, etc; what is Donor's Ministry Project of interest, etc.; what is personal profile and history; the Donor is part of which Church; need a record of in-person contacts; need to be able to make personalized non-appeal mailings to Donor; need to be able to make Donor contact/appeal mailings and related stats; make maximum use of Email mailings;  and be able to have pictures of Donor/family.

        As explained above, such DonaMail needs go beyond what most products like QB can provide.
        Of course, you realize that DonaMail is a concept .... not a software product that we make available to Ministries.

Fr Pat

        Do you mean, Jim, that if we have 100 or fewer Giving Units/Donors, that we should obtain a separate piece of software?

Fr Jim

        Basically that is my view, although when you go to  0621  you will find that when a Ministry has more than 50 Donors and insists on using QB,  we show a Ministry how to work with two separate QB companies ...... one for the usual accounting and the other JUST for applicable DonaMail purposes. 

Fr Pat (3)

        One other thing about all of this, Jim.  When/if we do have a separate DonaMail file (database) for processing our donations, our auditors have said something about internal control via a "Control Account and Subsidiary Listt" process.  Please explain this.

        Fr Jim (5)

      Within this context, you can identify with the need for the total of amounts due from each entity owing you money (subsidiary list) agreeing with the total Accounts Receivable (control account) amount appearing within your Balance Sheet. And the same for Account Payable ...  the amount (control account) appearing within QB's Balance Sheet must be be in agreement with a total of the individual amounts (subsidiary info) due to your vendors.  Such agreement within QBs is made easy by their use of integrated and affiliated databases, etc.
      But when you use an unaffiliated database (like DonaMail software) then this vital "Internal Control" feature is missing.
      I suggest that you maintain a separate Excel file of calendar year totals.  Or you accumulate the cash basis batch totals of the donations that have been posted into the General Ledger (via the QB Deposit system) and weekly verify that it agrees with the accumulated calendar year-to-date  donation totals as posted to this separate DonaMail database, etc.  Of course, if for some reason  you change the QB bank deposit info, (like NSF checks, etc) then you will need to reflect this within the subsidiary separate DonaMail database file, etc.
FR: PAT       

      Thank you, Jim....  we will definitely stick with our QB for Fund Accounting and Payroll system and research what you have shared above. We'll let you know what we come up with.

        Thanks again....
 

    Click here for a list of known DonaMail products.

  This was   UPTD:  May 02, 2008

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        (1) An Online Document, or WRIT (Writing), may be applicable to all Ministries, or it may be designed for just groups like: Evangelical Church, School, Missionary Agency or Organization, Christian Camp / Conference, or other named group.
        (2) WRIT formats include the perspective of  Jim@bcidot.org  via IOMs (Inter-Office Memos) to the Ministry Finance Team (MFTeam); THRDs, a hypothetical Online conversation with members of the MFTeam; GLEANINGS, or Scripture within context of the MFTeam; FWIW; A periodic editorial (For What it is Worth); TRUISM, or believed Ministry Finance principles; and FAQ, response to Frequently Asked Questions