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  • 1.  Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Hello,

    I'm looking for ideas on how other organizations track gift entry accuracy for their gift processing teams. We use Blackbaud CRM and are trying to develop an efficient, sustainable approach that provides meaningful performance data without creating a lot of manual work.

    Specifically:

    How do you define gift entry accuracy?
    What metrics or scorecards do you track?
    How do you get a "random sampling"?
    How do you leverage Blackbaud CRM tools?

    Any best practices, lessons learned, or examples of successful processes would be greatly appreciated. My goal is to build a sustainable approach that provides meaningful performance data, helps identify coaching opportunities, and maintains a high level of data quality without creating a significant administrative burden.



    ------------------------------
    Karry Morton
    Director, Gift Services
    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation
    kmorton@children's Colorado Foundation
    ------------------------------


  • 2.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago
    I would ask first

    What's driving this desire to track your accuracy?   Are you seeing a number of errors that you are not comfortable with?   Are you doing a lot of gift revisions?   Is your reporting unreliable because of a number of errors?  Are the errors the result of Bad data entry or something else? 

    It's relatively easy to set up a number of data hygiene checks, but that might not be the best place to start. 


    Dave Woodley
    Owner
    49 Data/Fractional Advancement LLC





  • 3.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Hi Dave,

     

    The gift processors currently have a performance metric of 95% accuracy; however, this metric has not been actively tracked for quite some time. We have also recently onboarded new employees. During their training period, all of their work was reviewed for accuracy, but as they transitioned into their roles, reviewing every transaction is not a sustainable long-term approach.

     

    My goal is to develop a practical and sustainable process that provides meaningful performance data, helps identify coaching and training opportunities, and maintains a high standard of data quality. As a data-driven organization, it is critical that we have confidence in the accuracy and integrity of the information stored in our system. I'm interested in learning how other organizations measure and monitor gift entry accuracy in a way that balances quality control with operational efficiency.

     

    Karry Morton | Director | Gift Services

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation

    Anschutz Medical Campus | 13123 E. 16th Ave., B045 | Aurora, CO 80045

    Southern Colorado | 111 S. Tejon Street, Suite 309 | Colorado Springs, CO 80903

    Office: 720-777-1742 | Cell: 720-323-3305

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation logoRight Logo

    SupportChildrensColorado.org | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

    If you would like to opt-out of communications from Children's Colorado Foundation, please email info@childrenscoloradofoundation.org or call 720-777-1700.
    CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is legally privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. Any release, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the author immediately by replying to this message and delete the original message. Thank you.          

          

     




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  • 4.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago


    David Woodley      data@49data.com

    7:24 AM (0 minutes ago)
    to AASP-fundsvcs
    I would recommend setting your goal a little bit higher.  If one out of 20 of your gift entries have errors, I think you would still have a process Problem and a reporting liability.   

    It seems you also have a ready-made set up for using automation either through traditional means, or AI.  At the very least, I would develop AI powered workflows to capture gift information on your gift forms and convert it into import-ready data. 

    Similarly, You could use AI to verify original gift information and compare it to data in the CRM.  Creating agents and skills to do this is fairly simple and can be done on device, rather than through a paid service.  

    I would agree manual review across the board is probably not a realistic option, but during the training period is still needed.  Are most of your gifts coming through BBIS solutions?  What percentage and volume of your gifts are coming through that require manual gift entry?





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  • 5.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago
    I believe Dave has asked the right questions. Trying to track "error rates" just for the sake of tracking them is not a useful exercise. To your point, reviewing every gift transaction is not sustainable. Further, once you determine who is complaining about which errors, getting to the root of those errors is your first step. I'd say that easily 75% of the "errors" gift entry staff have been accused of at some of my clients were not errors at all - they were due to gift officers entering incorrect information on a gift transmittal or omitting data that should have been included.

    When it comes to gift recording errors, sometimes the best approach is to track (and investigate) "errors" identified by staff when reviewing daily gift transaction reports, or by donors when they see - or don't see - something critical on their gift receipt. From there, you can create the important data integrity reports Dave mentioned to try to "catch" the most common errors before those reports or receipts go out the door.

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


  • 6.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago
    I agree with Dave and John here -

    It sounds like the underlying goal is to establish an objective and measurable performance metric for Gift Administration staff. As John pointed out, accuracy or error rates don't reflect the root cause of the error and imply that the staff member made a mistake. If you're truly wanting to use a quality measure, then it would be best to define or standardize the error source (adjustment reason) along with what is within Gift Administration's level of control. This root cause analysis can help differentiate between training, technology, and process flaws to make corrections and improve the overall accuracy, while also differentiating individual performance concerns from broader operational challenges.

    If you're looking for other KPIs for performance reviews, you may consider processing timelines (average time from receipt to entry, % of gifts entered within SLA), exception management (average time to resolve exceptions, number of unresolved items beyond SLA), or documentation and compliance standards (completeness of supporting documentation, adherence to gift recording procedures).

    In my experience, measures like this tend to produce more actionable coaching opportunities while still supporting the broader goal of maintaining confidence in the quality and integrity of the data.


    Matt Bain

    AVP-Management Consulting

    A MissionWired Company

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    0cc4c400dc1f43f598d6e506195cfda6@zurigroup.com?anonymous&ep=signature" style="color: #0078D4; text-decoration: none; margin: 0">Book time to meet with me




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  • 7.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Thank you all for your feedback. I understand the root cause of errors is important and that not all adjustments or corrections are necessarily the result of an individual data entry mistake.

     

    The metric I'm trying to measure is specifically focused on the quality and accuracy of gift entry for gifts added through batch processing. We already track metrics such as average time from receipt to entry and the percentage of gifts entered within established timelines. Where I'm struggling is determining the best way to objectively measure data entry accuracy given the multiple touchpoints involved in the process.

     

    For example, accuracy may include:

    • Selecting the correct constituent record, including updating constituent information when new information is provided with the gift collateral.
    • Assigning the correct appeal and fund designation based on the donor's instructions and supporting documentation.
    • Following gift transmittal instructions when a transmittal is provided. While not all gifts require a transmittal, those associated with an assigned fundraiser often include additional coding or processing instructions that must be followed accurately.

     

    I'm trying to determine the most effective way to capture and measure those various components of gift entry.

     

    Karry Morton | Director | Gift Services

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation

    Anschutz Medical Campus | 13123 E. 16th Ave., B045 | Aurora, CO 80045

    Southern Colorado | 111 S. Tejon Street, Suite 309 | Colorado Springs, CO 80903

    Office: 720-777-1742 | Cell: 720-323-3305

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation logoRight Logo

    SupportChildrensColorado.org | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

    If you would like to opt-out of communications from Children's Colorado Foundation, please email info@childrenscoloradofoundation.org or call 720-777-1700.
    CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is legally privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. Any release, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the author immediately by replying to this message and delete the original message. Thank you.          

          

     




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  • 8.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago
    Without manually reviewing every gift transaction and comparing it to the source document, I am not sure these metrics are viable. Unless, that is, you scan those source documents and train an AI platform to identify what to look for.

    As I mentioned earlier, you might be better positioned to track reported errors based on feedback from fundraising staff or donors. Again, I suspect many of the "errors" you want to assign to your staff are actually caused by misinformation in the source document. So even an AI-trained protocol cannot account for those. From an AI perspective, if the actual gift and the source document agree, then there is no error.

    John

    John H. Taylor, Principal
    John H. Taylor Consulting, LLC
    2604 Sevier Street
    Durham, NC     27705

    919.816.5903 (cell/text)

    Serving the Advancement Community Since 1987





    Original Message


  • 9.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Ha! John, I should have mentioned that the gift collateral is linked directly to the revenue record in CRM, which does provide a way to validate entered information against the source documentation.

     

    For a short-term solution, I'm thinking the most practical approach would be to export all revenue entered through the batch process, select a random sample from each processor, and perform a quality review against the gift collateral, gift transmittal (when applicable), and any adjustment documentation. This would allow us to assess whether the gift was entered correctly, including constituent assignment, fund, appeal, and adherence to any gift transmittal instructions.

     

    Longer term, I'd like to explore whether we can better leverage the adjustment tracking functionality within CRM. That would help us distinguish true data entry errors from issues related to documentation, process gaps, training opportunities, or system limitations.

     

    It's also on my aspirational list to improve our ability to track errors originating outside of gift processing, such as inaccuracies or incomplete information on gift transmittals submitted by gift officers. Having better visibility into the source of adjustments would provide a more complete picture of data quality and help ensure that performance metrics are both fair and actionable.

     

    Karry Morton | Director | Gift Services

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation

    Anschutz Medical Campus | 13123 E. 16th Ave., B045 | Aurora, CO 80045

    Southern Colorado | 111 S. Tejon Street, Suite 309 | Colorado Springs, CO 80903

    Office: 720-777-1742 | Cell: 720-323-3305

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation logoRight Logo

    SupportChildrensColorado.org | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

    If you would like to opt-out of communications from Children's Colorado Foundation, please email info@childrenscoloradofoundation.org or call 720-777-1700.
    CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is legally privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. Any release, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the author immediately by replying to this message and delete the original message. Thank you.          

          

     




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  • 10.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Karry,

    One approach that has been helpful for my gift processing teams is categorizing the reason for each adjustment or modification. The first question we ask is, What type of change is this?

    For example, is it:

    • Is the change the result of an administrative process, such as placing a gift in a holding fund until the appropriate designation can be established?
    • Did the error originate from incorrect information received by the department, such as a transmittal containing the wrong designation?
    • Was the modification requested by the donor?
    • Or was it a true data entry error where the gift was not processed according to the information that was available at the time?

    Creating categories, like administrative, donor initiated, request, or data entry makes reporting much more meaningful and helps identify where modifications are originating.

    At a previous institution, this analysis showed leadership that many adjustments were caused by issues outside the processor's control. We redesigned transmittals, worked with annual giving on tweaks to solicitations, and implemented targeted training and onboarding for development staff, which reduced those errors. We also identified process-related adjustments, such as gifts entered before pledge completion, and improved workflows in our pledge process and language to reduce those modifications as well.

    You may also want to track more specific adjustment reasons, such as donor, amount, designation, campaign, or soft credit changes. That level of detail helps pinpoint root causes and determine whether training, process improvements, or procedural changes are needed.



    ------------------------------
    Kirsten Williams
    University of Tennessee Foundation
    kwill312@utk.edu
    ------------------------------

    Original Message


  • 11.  RE: Tracking gift entry accuracy

    Posted 2 days ago

    Thank you Kirsten, I appreciate you insight.

     

    Karry Morton | Director | Gift Services

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation

    Anschutz Medical Campus | 13123 E. 16th Ave., B045 | Aurora, CO 80045

    Southern Colorado | 111 S. Tejon Street, Suite 309 | Colorado Springs, CO 80903

    Office: 720-777-1742 | Cell: 720-323-3305

    Children's Hospital Colorado Foundation logoRight Logo

    SupportChildrensColorado.org | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

    If you would like to opt-out of communications from Children's Colorado Foundation, please email info@childrenscoloradofoundation.org or call 720-777-1700.
    CONFIDENTIALITY NOTICE: The information contained in this message is legally privileged and confidential information intended only for the use of the individual or entity named above. Any release, dissemination, distribution, or copying of this communication is strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the author immediately by replying to this message and delete the original message. Thank you.          

          

     




    Original Message