Payment schedules in Fundraising and Engagement

Payment schedules are like donor commitments, but comprise multiple scheduled gifts instead of just one. Each payment schedule record contains the the donation amount, the payment frequency, and the date range.

There are two types of payment schedule: recurring donations include a payment method and a Tribute section, whereas pledge schedules do not.

To work with payment schedule records, follow these steps:

1. In the navigation pane, select Gifts from the Change area menu.

2. Under Gift Processing, select Payment Schedules.

3. The default view opens and displays existing records. If needed, switch to a different view.

   

4. To open an existing payment schedule record, select the check mark in the left column of the record's row, then select Edit on the action pane.

Add a new recurring donation

1. In the navigation pane, select Gifts from the Change area menu.

2. Under Gift Processing, select Payment Schedules.

3. In the view that opens, select New on the action pane.

4. Fill in the fields on the new record's Single Donation Form tab as shown below:

   

   #	Area
   1	Payment Schedule Entry
   2	Recurrence Schedule
   3	Contact Address
   4	Payment Schedule Details
   5	Fundraising Attributes
   6	Payment Method
   7	Tribute

Payment schedule entry

#	Field	Description
1	Gift Type	Select Recurring Donation
2	Payment Type	Choose a payment method for processing the donations.
3	Donor	Look up the contact or organization who's donating.
4	Amount	The total donation amount.
5	Channel	The channel through which the gift was received: Phone: Indicates that the gift was received over the phone. In Person: Indicates that the gift was received in person. Direct Mail: Indicates that the gift was received by mail. Online: Indicates that the gift was received online (for example, third-party website or e-transfer). Social: Indicates that the gift was received via social media campaigns.
6	Book Date	The date defaults to today’s date. You can change it to either a post-dated donation (a donation yet to occur) or a previous date.
7	Originating Campaign	The campaign or event that the gift is related to.
8	Primary Designation	The designation contains the information needed to track both expected and received revenue. Credit/Debit

Recurrence schedule

#	Field	Description
1	Start Date	The first day the recurring donation is to be processed.
2	End Date	The last day the recurring donation is to be processed.
3	Recurrence Start	The day the payments will be debited from the account each time (for example, first of the month or 15th of the month).
4	Run Every	The frequency with which the pledge should be processed (for example, every one month or every two weeks) in the Time Period.
5	Time Period	The unit of time in which the donation should be processed (for example, weekly, monthly, or annually).

Contact address

Donor’s contact details.

Payment schedule details

#	Field	Description
1	Currency	A lookup field to choose the applicable currency for this pledge.
2	Receipt Preferences	Represents the receipt preferences from the account or contact but can be set or modified at the transaction level. DO NOT RECEIPT: Indicates the donor doesn't want to receive a receipt for their donation. Email: Indicates the donor would like to receive a receipt for their donation via email. Print: Indicates the donor would like to receive a printed receipt for their donation. Both: Indicates the donor would like to receive a printed receipt and a receipt via email.
3	Donate Anonymously	Indicates whether the contact would like to be included in any marketing material for this particular donation.

Fundraising attributes

#	Field	Description
1	Appeal	The appeal this gift record is related to.
2	Package	The package this gift is related to.
3	Solicitor	A lookup field to identify the individual credited with obtaining the gift.
4	Related Constituent	A lookup field to identify the contact/constituent related to the gift. For example, an organization may be the donor and the related constituent is the individual associated with the organization’s gift.

Payment method

Selecting Process is the only way to complete a transaction.

Note

Prior to gift processing, an administrator is required to set up a configuration record to activate the various processes necessary to complete credit card transactions, donations, and integrations. After performing changes in the configuration record, some features described here may or may not be available. More information: Configurations: Primary Configuration Record

Tribute

Indicates whether the gift was made in tribute or memory.

Process a recurring donation

1. Complete all fields in the Payment Schedule Entry section.

2. Complete all fields in the Recurrence Schedule section.

   

   In the following scenario, a recurring donation of $50.00 is being charged to the donor every month. First, specify the payment method (this example uses Credit/Debit, along with a New Card), and then select Process.

3. Add payment information, and then select Save. The example image shows what you see when payment is by credit or debit card and no card is set up yet. For other payment methods the text and exact set of fields will be different, but the process is otherwise the same.

   

   

4. Select Process to complete the recurring payment schedule.

   Note

   Selecting Save or Save and Close won't process a recurring schedule. Selecting Process is the only way to complete a recurring schedule.

After successfully scheduling the payments, a transaction is also created and related to its parent payment schedule. This transaction represents the revenue charged during this process. The payment schedule acts as the controller of the ongoing recurring donation and the generated transactions represent the attempts to collect the revenue. To review payment statuses in greater depth, see Status overview.

There’s a summary of the recurring gift as well the option to modify the next payment date or the option to charge the donation now. For example, if it is August 29th and you choose to Charge the Donation Now, you may wish to update the Next Donation will be taken on date to October first rather than September first).

Cancel a recurring donation

1. Open the donor's contact record.

2. On the General tab, select Recurring Gift from the central contact snapshot.

   

3. Select and open the recurring donation to be canceled.

4. On the action pane, select Cancel This Donation.

5. Complete the fields Reason and Note, and then select Cancel This Donation.

   

Add a new pledge schedule

A pledge schedule represents how a total pledge amount will be allocated over a pre-determined period of time. Typically, a schedule is used to manage a grant or a major gift.

In Fundraising and Engagement, a pledge schedule includes individual allocated amounts or installments, which the donor has agreed to in principle. Once the funds have been received, you must convert the individual pledge installment into a donation. You can modify the schedule anytime, if necessary.

#	Area
1	Payment Schedule Entry
2	Pledge Schedule
3	Contact Address
4	Payment Schedule Details
5	Fundraising Attributes

Payment schedule entry - pledge schedule

#	Field	Description
1	Gift Type	Select Pledge Schedule
2	Donor	The contact or organization giving the gift.
3	Amount	The total amount. This sum will be divided into equal payments using the number you enter in the
4	Channel	The channel through which the gift was received: Phone: Indicates that the gift was received over the phone. In Person: Indicates that the gift was received in person. Direct Mail: Indicates that the gift was received by mail. Online: Indicates that the gift was received online (for example, third-party website or e-transfer). Social: Indicates that the gift was received via social media campaigns.
5	Book Date	The date defaults to today’s date. You can change it to either a post-dated donation (a donation yet to occur) or a previous date.
6	Originating Campaign	The campaign or event that the gift is related to.
7	Primary Designation	The designation contains the information needed to track both expected and received revenue. Credit/Debit Bank (ACH)

Pledge schedule

#	Field	Description
1	Start Date	The first day the pledge is to be processed.
2	Allocate Over	The number of payments. The figure you entered for Amount in the Payment Schedule Entry section will be divided by this number to set up the payments.
3	Time Period	The interval between payments..

Contact address - pledge schedule

Donor’s contact details.

Payment schedule details - pledge schedule

#	Field	Description
1	Currency	A lookup field to choose the applicable currency for this pledge.
2	Receipt Preferences	Represents the receipt preferences from the account or contact but can be set or modified at the transaction level. DO NOT RECEIPT: Indicates the donor doesn't want to receive a receipt for their donation. Email: Indicates the donor would like to receive a receipt for their donation via email. Print: Indicates the donor would like to receive a printed receipt for their donation. Both: Indicates the donor would like to receive a printed receipt and a receipt via email.
3	Donate Anonymously	Indicates whether the contact would like to be included in any marketing material for this particular donation.

Fundraising attributes - pledge schedule

#	Field	Description
1	Appeal	The appeal this gift record is related to.
2	Package	The package this gift is related to.
3	Solicitor	A lookup field to identify the individual credited with obtaining the gift.
4	Related Constituent	A lookup field to identify the contact/constituent related to the gift. For example, an organization may be the donor and the related constituent is the individual associated with the organization’s gift.

Process - pledge schedule

Selecting Process is the only way to complete a transaction.

Note

Prior to gift processing, an administrator must set up a configuration record to activate the various processes necessary to complete credit card transactions, donations, and integrations. After making changes in the configuration record, some features described here may or may not be available. More information: Configurations: Primary Configuration Record

Process a pledge schedule

1. Select Pledge Schedule in the Gift Type field.

2. Complete the required fields marked with an asterisk in the Payment Schedule Entry and Pledge Schedule sections.

3. Specify the Start Date, Run Every (how many installments), Time Period (days/weeks/months/years) over which the gift will be given, and the Amount (total gift amount).

4. Once all required fields are filled in, select Process.

   The solution will generate the Pledge Schedule automatically and amortize the Gift Amount over the selected number of installments.

   Note

   The dates entered are tentative donation dates based on discussions with or expectations of the donor.

Convert a pledge installment to a donation from the pledge schedule

To convert a pledge installment into a donation, select the installment and then select Convert to Donation.

The solution will generate a corresponding donation record set to the correct amount and linked to the originating pledge allocation. Once all required fields are complete, select Process.

In the Pledge Schedule, the pledge installment’s Total Amount will reflect the payment and the Status Reason will be set to Completed.

See Also

• Gifts overview
• Donor commitments in Fundraising and Engagement
• Transactions in Fundraising and Engagement