Cash and check batches

A batch is one offering's cash and checks, entered together so they can be balanced against what the counters counted and deposited as one sum. Every batch moves through three stages: Open (keying gifts), Closed, not deposited (balanced and locked) and Deposited (in the bank, and on its way to QuickBooks).

When to use this

Each week, after the offering has been counted and the count sheet signed. Use one batch per offering: Sunday morning, a special service, or a midweek gathering.

Start a batch

1. Open Giving › Batches.
2. Under Start a batch, set the offering date: the day the gifts were given. Every gift in the batch is dated to it, which is the date donors see on their statements.
3. Give it a name if you like. Leave it empty and it's named after the date.
4. Enter the count sheet total: the grand total the counters wrote and signed. It's optional, but it's how the batch can tell you whether it balances.
5. Select Start batch.

Key the gifts

The entry row is built for speed, so you can work down the stack without touching the mouse.

1. Start typing the donor's name and press ↓ then Enter to pick them. For plate cash with no envelope, choose Loose cash (no donor); it won't appear on anyone's statement.
2. Choose Check or Cash. For a check, type the check number.
3. Choose the fund. It stays set for the next gift, so key a whole fund's envelopes together.
4. Type the amount and press Enter. The gift is added and you're back in the donor field.

Press Esc to clear the row. If the same check number from the same donor is already in the batch, you'll see a warning; add it again only if it really is a second check.

Balance against the count sheet

The Count sheet tile compares what you've keyed with the count sheet total:

• Balanced: they match to the cent.
• Over by …: you've keyed more than the counters counted. Look for an envelope keyed twice.
• Short by …: you've keyed less. Look for a missed envelope or a check under the stack.

The Checks and Cash tiles split the total, which helps you find which pile the difference is in. By fund shows each fund's share.

Close a batch

1. Select Close batch.
2. Check or enter the count sheet total. The dialog tells you whether the batch balances.
3. Select Close batch (or Close anyway if it doesn't balance and you've confirmed why).

Closing locks the lines. Until it's marked deposited, you can still Reopen it to fix a mistake.

If the count sheet itself is wrong, both counters initial the correction on the paper sheet before you close.

Mark it deposited

When the deposit has gone to the bank:

1. Open the batch and select Mark deposited.
2. Set the deposit date: the day the money went into the bank. It can't be earlier than the offering date.
3. Add the deposit slip number from the bank's slip, if there is one. It makes the bank statement easy to match.
4. Select Mark deposited.

The Deposit entry card shows what goes to QuickBooks: one entry for the whole deposit, split by fund. It is posted by the next QuickBooks sync, dated to the deposit date, so it lines up with the bank.

Fix a mistake

The batch is…	To fix a wrong line
Open	Select Remove beside the line and key it again.
Closed, not deposited	Reopen it, fix the line, and close it again. Or Void the line: it drops out of the total and the deposit entry.
Deposited	The money is in the bank, so the gift can't change. Refund it instead; see Refunds and voids.

Good to know

• An empty open batch can be deleted with Delete empty batch. Once it has a gift, close it or void the lines instead.
• A deposited batch has Print batch report for the finance file.
• Gifts appear in Gifts and on donors' statements as soon as they're keyed.

Top tips

• Key the checks first, in the order they're stacked, then the cash envelopes, then loose cash: the Checks tile then matches the adding-machine tape on its own.
• Enter the count sheet total before you start keying. Watching the variance fall to zero tells you the moment you're done.
• Put the deposit slip number in every time; at month-end it turns reconciliation into ticking boxes.
• Keep fund and method the same while you work through a pile: they stay set after each Enter.

Troubleshooting

The batch won't close. It needs at least one gift. An empty batch can only be deleted.

I can't edit a line. The batch is closed or deposited. Reopen a closed batch; refund a gift in a deposited one.

"The deposit can't be before the offering date." Check both dates. The offering date is when the gifts were given; the deposit date is when the bank received them.

It's out by a small amount and I can't find it. Compare the Checks tile with the adding-machine tape from the count. If checks agree, the difference is in the cash.