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Using Contribution Date & Date Lock, Add Contribution Screen

Help -- Training -- Explanations -- Hints


This is the Help Text for "Using the Contribution Date & Date Lock Feature" on the Add Contributions screen.

There are slight differences depending upon whether you are posting a new contribution or modifying a (updating an existing) contribution. In this case, about the only difference is the Add screen will have a default Contribution Date displayed but the Modify screen will display what was entered initially. If you are Modifying an existing donation, and want to change the Contribution Date, just follow the same procedures described below for Adding (posting) new donations. Also, the "Date Lock Feature" is only available when Adding new donations.

Some churches post all their contributions for the week with the same posting date. Other churches use the actual date the contribution was received. The "Contribution Date" box and the "Lock This Date?" Checkbox can be used to facilitate rapid transaction entry without requiring you to enter a date for each transaction.

Using the Contribution Date

When you login to MemberLink®, the Contribution Date will be set to the default date -- the date of the most recent Sunday. The "Contribution Date" box is located at the top right of the Add or Modify screen.

If you are posting contributions for the default date, you do not have to enter the date each time. The system will use the most recent Sunday as the posting date (the date is shown in the box).

However, if you want to post contributions for a date other than the most recent Sunday, you can change this date. If it is a one-time post, just change the Contribution Date and complete the post.

You change the date by clicking your cursor in the Contribution Date entry box. A date utility will appear, letting you select the month, day, and year that you want to use for the contribution.

When you start to enter the next contribution, the Contribution Date will revert back to the most recent Sunday and be ready for that post.

** Note: The "day of week" for the default posting date is a configurable option with your system. It will be set to "Sunday" unless your system's MasterAdmin or SysAdmin has changed it for your church.

Using the Date Lock Feature

This section applies only when you "Add" or post a new Contribution. This feature is not available when you are updating a previously posted donation. There is no need to lock the Contribution Date when updating a donation already posted.

When you "Add" a new donation, if you change the Contribution Date for a one-time post, the date will revert to the default date again when this donation is posted.

However, if you want to change the date and use the new date for several transactions, you can use the "Lock This Date" feature. Locking the date will stop it from reverting to the default date after each posting.

To lock the date, use the Checkbox to the right of the Contribution Date entry box and just left of the "Lock This Date?" label on the screen. If you click the Checkbox, the date shown at that time will become the new default date for your posting of donations. This will speed the data entry process because you can skip entering the date each time.

If you want to change the date again, just enter a new date and then use the Checkbox again to make it the default.

Using this approach, you can post transactions (donations) for your Saturday evening service offerings; then change the date and post your Sunday service offerings; then change the date and post transactions for a date later in the week from mail-in offerings; and so forth. You will not have to enter the Contribution Date while posting each donation, thereby speeding the process and cutting down on your labor efforts.

Important: The actual locking process doesn't take place until you press the [Add Contribution] button. The system expects that you have selected the donor, entered the fund and amount, etc., BEFORE you enter or change the Contribution Date, lock it with the Checkbox, and click the [Add Contribution] button. If you select a donor AFTER locking the Contribution Date but before clicking the [Add Contribution] button, the attempt to lock the Contribution Date will be aborted.

At any time you can change the Contribution Date again, lock it again, and that will remain as the posting Contribution Date -- until you change it to a different date again, and so forth.

When you logout of MemberLink®, the next time you login the Contribution Date will be reset to the default.

Example:
It is Thursday and you are ready to post all the contributions for the past week. You had an offering from your Saturday evening service, your Sunday services, and those that arrived in the mail during the week.

You can set the posting date to last Saturday's date and "lock it" with the checkbox, then post those transactions. Change the date to last Sunday's date and lock it, then post those transactions. Finally, change the date to the Thursday current date and lock it, then post the mailed-in offerings.

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