How to create a correction batch to update the donor in a closed batch posting

Correction batches are created from the Contributions page and never from the Batches page. Also, these correction batches only apply to contributions.

If you use pledges...

Make note of any batches where initial pledge records were also created through the pledges tab. You must then manage the pledge records individually. If a fund requires pledges, you must ensure the 'correct donor' has a pledge before creating a correction batch that uses that donor/fund.

A payment (contribution) that was made against a pledge and that is now being reversed will be 'unapplied' during this correction batch process. The only thing that does not happen automatically is the removal or addition of an initial pledge record as this process only deals with contribution payments and not creating or removing pledge records.

How to create a correction batch when you want to change the donor

• This article will describe how to create a correction batch to update the following fields: Donor.
  • NOTE: You must create one correcting batch for each unique donor. So, if you have several transactions where the correcting donor is the same, you may update all of these transactions in one batch. However, if you have several transactions where the correcting donor is different in each, you must create a correction batch for each.
  • The total amount in the correction batch will be 0.00 because it creates two transactions for each entry, one that adds the amount in for the correct donor and one that removes the amount for the incorrect donor which washes out to 0.00.
•  If you need to add additional transactions to your batch, please see How to make additions to a closed batch.
• If you need to correct an amount or remove an entry, please see How to correct a closed batch posting that was added in error or for the wrong amount.

Batch corrections:

When you have a closed batch(es) and you realize that a group of contributions (or even one) has the wrong donor, you may follow this process to make a correction batch. This will create a batch that has two sets of entries for the selected contributions.

• Set One will reverse the "original" selected entries.
• Set Two will re-add the entries, but with the updated fields as noted.

1. On the Contributions page, find the contribution(s) you would like to correct.
   • Each contribution in the correction batch will be assigned the same new donor, so make sure to only select the contributions that you want to assign to this one new donor.
   • You may use the filter panel on the right to narrow down the contributions that populate the page. In this case, if you are changing a group of transactions that were assigned to one donor to another donor, you could search using the envelope number field of the original wrong donor in the filter panel.
   • Mark the contributions and click the Create Correction Batch button in the toolbar (upper-right).
     
2. The Create Correction batch page displays and you must fill in the following:
   
   
   • Mark the category for Donor on the right side of the page.
   • Name the correction batch. See the following suggestions:
     • If your correction batch is basically a correction of an existing batch, name the correction batch exactly the same as the original with the word 'Correction' or the letters 'CB' at the end.
     • If your correction batch is a conglomerate of several postings from different batches or from entries made on the Contributions page, work out a naming convention for naming the batch that indicates what is being corrected.  Use the same naming convention for all correction batches. That way, you will always be able to easily identify the batch as a correction batch.
3. Donor Lookup Type: Choose either Family or Member.
4. Fill in the donor field with the correct donor. 
5. Reason: Fill in the reason for the correction. The Reason field is required.
6. Save the record by clicking the floppy disc save button at the top right which will become active once you fill in the required fields.

Once you save the correction batch form, a new batch record has been created. In the example below, there were three transactions selected to change the donor for all three to a new correct donor. Normally the selected records would always have the same wrong donor selected (for example, if the donor member record was selected when it should have been the donor family record). However, the original donor could be several different donors. The correcting donor, however, will be the same for all selected records. In other words, only choose records that need to be changed from the existing donor to the new donor.

The batch details record is created and is displayed on your page. If you selected three records (as in the case of this example) the Contribution Count will be six (double the number of selected records). This is because for every record selected there will be two transactions. One that reverses the original transaction, removing the amount for the originally selected donor, and one that adds a new transaction for the correct donor.

Click the batch postings button in the upper right of the batch details page to see the transactions that have been created for this correction batch.
 
The batch is open but flagged for review. After reviewing the batch, it may be closed.

If a pledge record was added in the same batch as a contribution record for a wrong donor, the pledge record will still be there and a new pledge record is not created for the correct donor through this process. This correction batch routine only updates contributions. You must deal with pledges individually.

Updated August 03, 2023 03:40