Approaches

Approaches are the means you use to raise money for your organization. They normally track the sources your organization uses to generate gifts and the expenses associated with these sources. They can include any activity, such as a direct mailing, a phonathon, or a special event. Approaches can help you analyze how different types of asks perform with your constituents.

The Approach field is not required when you add a gift, although your organization can choose to make it required. When you know what specific approach generated a gift, we recommend that you track it when you enter that gift.

For information about how to report on funds, refer to Approach Activity Summary.

  1. From Management, click Approaches. The Approaches page appears.

  2. Under Tasks, click New Approach. The New Approach screen appears.

  3. In the Name field, enter a descriptive name for the approach.

  4. In the Description field, you can enter a description to better identify the approach internally.

  5. In the Goal field, enter the monetary goal for the approach.

  6. In the Quantity field, enter the total number of gifts you have set as a goal for this approach.

  7. To create the approach, click Save And.

When you no longer need an approach, you can disable it. When you disable an approach it does not appear on the menu when you enter a gift, but you retain the gift history to that approach. You cannot delete an approach.

To disable or re-enable an approach, from Management, click Approaches. There is an indicator under the approach name to indicate if it is enabled or disabled. Click it to switch the status of the approach.

You can make approaches required so that when your organization enters gifts an approach must be linked to each gift. To make the Approach field required in gift entry screens, from Management, click Approaches. On the Approaches page, select Require Approach on Transactions.