FundSvcs Community

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering when you usually finalize and release your annual report. 

We're working on our annual report right now, led by new leadership. Our Annual Report (of course!) includes donor recognition. Our practice is to include gifts until around January 15th in the Annual Report, if they were dated in the prior year. (Yes, I did read John Taylor's date of gift guidance that says we shouldn't give a formal gift date on gift receipts.) However, for our recognition purposes we have always included gifts made until early January if the date on the check was for the prior year.

The challenge with this is that we then have to wait until all gifts are received to start preparing the donor recognition list. Our new leadership is resistent to this idea and wants the donor recognition list prepared as soon as possible so we can finish the annual report as soon as possible. 

Should I cut off the donations sooner (aka 12/31) so I can prepare the donor recognition list sooner, or should we accept that we have to wait until mid-January to get the donor list, pushing back the timeline for finalizing the annual report? Thoughts? How have other people handled this? 

Thanks,

Leslie

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering when you usually finalize and release your annual report. 

We're working on our annual report right now, led by new leadership. Our Annual Report (of course!) includes donor recognition. Our practice is to include gifts until around January 15th in the Annual Report, if they were dated in the prior year. (Yes, I did read John Taylor's date of gift guidance that says we shouldn't give a formal gift date on gift receipts.) However, for our recognition purposes we have always included gifts made until early January if the date on the check was for the prior year.

The challenge with this is that we then have to wait until all gifts are received to start preparing the donor recognition list. Our new leadership is resistent to this idea and wants the donor recognition list prepared as soon as possible so we can finish the annual report as soon as possible. 

Should I cut off the donations sooner (aka 12/31) so I can prepare the donor recognition list sooner, or should we accept that we have to wait until mid-January to get the donor list, pushing back the timeline for finalizing the annual report? Thoughts? How have other people handled this? 

Thanks,

Leslie

Thanks John. That is certainly some good food for thought. Unfortunately I don't think I'll be able to convince our team to change course on donor recognition in time for this year's annual report, but maybe next year!

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering when you usually finalize and release your annual report. 

We're working on our annual report right now, led by new leadership. Our Annual Report (of course!) includes donor recognition. Our practice is to include gifts until around January 15th in the Annual Report, if they were dated in the prior year. (Yes, I did read John Taylor's date of gift guidance that says we shouldn't give a formal gift date on gift receipts.) However, for our recognition purposes we have always included gifts made until early January if the date on the check was for the prior year.

The challenge with this is that we then have to wait until all gifts are received to start preparing the donor recognition list. Our new leadership is resistent to this idea and wants the donor recognition list prepared as soon as possible so we can finish the annual report as soon as possible. 

Should I cut off the donations sooner (aka 12/31) so I can prepare the donor recognition list sooner, or should we accept that we have to wait until mid-January to get the donor list, pushing back the timeline for finalizing the annual report? Thoughts? How have other people handled this? 

Thanks,

Leslie

Hi everyone,

I'm wondering when you usually finalize and release your annual report. 

We're working on our annual report right now, led by new leadership. Our Annual Report (of course!) includes donor recognition. Our practice is to include gifts until around January 15th in the Annual Report, if they were dated in the prior year. (Yes, I did read John Taylor's date of gift guidance that says we shouldn't give a formal gift date on gift receipts.) However, for our recognition purposes we have always included gifts made until early January if the date on the check was for the prior year.

The challenge with this is that we then have to wait until all gifts are received to start preparing the donor recognition list. Our new leadership is resistent to this idea and wants the donor recognition list prepared as soon as possible so we can finish the annual report as soon as possible. 

Should I cut off the donations sooner (aka 12/31) so I can prepare the donor recognition list sooner, or should we accept that we have to wait until mid-January to get the donor list, pushing back the timeline for finalizing the annual report? Thoughts? How have other people handled this? 

Thanks,

Leslie