Here's my question:

How important is it to enter on my records the value of the benefit received
for a gift?  Here's why I ask:  We have one big special event a year.  As I
understand it, the dinner is valued at $50.00 (calculated simply by dividing
the number of people attending into the total expenses attributable to the
event).  Our board treasurer (a retired CPA and volunteer chief financial
officer for the organization) keeps track of the income and expenditures for
the event.  All money related to the event goes into and comes out of a
separate bank account set up exclusively for this purpose.  The treasurer is
the person who keeps track of the responses to the event, and sends the tax
letter to them that separates out the value of the gift minus the value of
the benefit.  I should also mention that attendees are charged $75 per
ticket, while "Special Friends" pay $125 and up.  Only the Special Friends
receive the tax letter that separates the value of the gift from the value
of the benefit. Since the treasurer handles all these details on his own
system and send out the letters, is there any particular reason I need to
enter the value of the benefit on my system?  He would prefer that my
reports of individual donations to the event be made on the basis of their
gross amount, not the net, and since I don't send the thankyous to these
folks I don't see the need to show the detailed breakdown on my system.

A related question would be whether we need to be sending tax letters to the
people paying $75 for a dinner worth $50 so they can get an additional
deduction for their $25.  The fear is that this would reduce their response
to our other solicitations, not to mention the nightmare of sending out all
these additional letters to every attendee, not just the "big givers".  The
treasurer does not seem to think it is necessary and I am hoping that is
true, but wanted to check it out.

 I am the first and only development person in a small social services
agency and very new to this field.  We recently purchased a fundraising
program (Paradigm, by JSI) and I am manually entering most of the
constituent and gift records myself as the data up to now has been totally
fragmented and decentralized, being kept in various files on various board
members' or staff computers (Word, WordPerfect, Excel, Access, etc. - with
lots of overlaps of names).  I am only entering gift histories for the last
3 years in order to keep the scope of what I am doing to a manageable level
(fortunately, we only have a total of around 2500 records, but it is still a
monumental task for one person and no support staff - and data entry is not
my most important responsibility!).  I am not looking to create more work
for myself, but on the other hand I want to do things the right and ethical
and legal way, and if there is a compelling rationale for why we need to be
doing things differently, I'd like to hear it.

This is a great listserv by the way, and I have learned an enormous amount
by "lurking" in the shadows.  We are very tiny compared to the big
institutions represented on the list, but of course many of the issues you
cover are applicable to my office as well, just on a much smaller scale.

I tend to get wordy trying to explain myself, but thanks for bearing with
me, and thanks in advance for your help.

Susan Lebold, MSW, JD
Manager, Project & Fund Development
Jewish Family Service of Metrowest
475 Franklin Street, Suite 101
Framingham, MA  01702
(508) 875-3100 ext 30
(508) 875-4373 fax
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