Recording offline gifts
A donor who mails a $500 check and also gives $25/month online is one person - and their record should say $500 more. Donor Merchant's Add Donation screen lets you log any offline gift in seconds:
- Matches an existing donor by email, or creates a new one
- Records the amount, method (check, cash, bank transfer, other), a reference like a check number, and the date the gift counts on in reports, receipts and statements
- Optionally assigns it to a campaign
- Optionally emails the donor a receipt
Let donors choose to pay offline
Turn on Offline gifts under Settings → Payments and the form offers "Check or bank transfer" (rename it to suit) next to card and PayPal. The donor sees your instructions and gets them by email. The gift is saved as Awaiting payment and is not counted in totals until it arrives.
When the money comes in, click Mark received in Donations, enter the date it arrived and how it came in (check, cash, bank transfer, or your own methods such as Cash App or Zelle, set under Settings → Payments → Offline gifts), and the donor's receipt goes out (you can untick it). Offline gifts are one-time only.
Why it matters
Lifetime giving totals tell you who to thank and who to ask. If checks and cash never get entered, those totals are wrong. Entering offline gifts keeps your donor database and reports complete.