Adding Source Code Path to all default Contribution templates

Hi! There are lots of ways to solve for this, so a lot depends on your organization’s reporting needs and how you want to consume your data or deal with reporting, and what decisions you’ve already made. There are a lot of possibilities not only with source codes themselves, but Campaigns and Campaign Types. It also depends on how these contributions are arriving in EveryAction. There’s a lot that depends on your organization’s specific situation.

I’ll outline a couple of questions and what I think some solution paths could be. 

Questions:

1. Are these contributions from gift entry by a person, bulk upload, or from an online actions contribution form?
2. From your question I infer that the source code path is Parent: Event and Child: Sponsor. Is that correct? 
3. Are you using Campaign Types and Campaigns also? 

Comment: I do think that keeping source codes hierarchical is a good idea, because it makes organization across fiscal years organized and preserves access to the source code path field. You can rename source codes to make the names “flat” while keeping the hierarchical structure, though (as briefly discussed below). As long as it stays in the character limit for source codes that’s a good solution. 

Possible solution paths:

First - moderately intense with some data figuring out and changes. 

1. Swap the parent and child source code. For example: Parent: FY26 Gala Sponsors. Children: FY26 Gala Foundations, FY26 Gala Corporations (etc.). Ideally the parent source code would parent up to a Campaign of type Gala (or even Events) and a campaign type of restricted or unrestricted. 

Second - less intense, workflow adjustments.

1. If gift entry or bulk upload, then make sure whomever is entering or uploading gifts includes the specific source code you want to see on reports. This will also include a task to recode past contributions to match your new structure. (This will not change which source code appears on the contact’s contribution page though.)

Third - lowest impact, no changes other than reporting:

1. You can include Source Code Path in your contribution reports by using Edit Columns, as you said. Then save that report as a Saved Template so your Sponsor reports always include source code path, and you don’t need to manually add it every time. (Also won’t change what displays on the contact’s contribution page.)

Hi Sally,

Thanks for these ideas. We created the Source Code - Child Source Code structure based on the recommendations of our Bonterra Consultant.

We came from an environment where everything was organized by Appeal and Package. The packages are breakdowns of the revenue stream of the overall Appeal.

In EveryAction the Appeal became the Parent Source Code and the Package became the Child Source Code.

We re-use packages across events so every event would be similar to:

Appeal=Gala

     Packages = Ticket, Sponsor, Raffle, Silent Auction, Live Auctions, etc.

Appeal=Golf

     Packages = Ticket, Sponsor, Raffle, Silent Auction, Live Auctions, etc.

When we run an Appeal report we can easily get the total and or/break out by Packages.

We can also easily pull packages across appeals to see if we should continue different efforts. Example: Are Live Auctions bringing in money across all events?

So, the Parent Source Code - Child Source Code works for reports.

The issue is, when we look at an individual Contact record or an individual Contribution record, all we see is the Child Code. So, we can see the donor was a sponsor, but we don’t know what they sponsored. We are all confused why the lowest level instead of highest level of Source Code is showing. Frankly, naming all the levels the same thing is a bit confusing as it does not clarify what level you are seeing.

Here is a common scenario for us. A gift officer looks up a contact record and looks to see what they like to support. Instead of seeing things like GALA, WALK, GOLF, Specific Program, Specific Location they are seeing Raffle ticket, Sponsor, Donor. 

Now they have to run the contribution report and manually add the Source Code Path. This has to be done every single time because we can’t alter the defaults when coming from the Contact Record. 

If we could simply add (or even better swap out to) the Source Code Path to the default report and to the Contact record Contributions tray we would easily be able to see what we need.

I get the idea of eliminating Child Source Codes but that will complicate reporting as we would have 6 or more Source Codes for every event and would have to make sure we pull every single one every single time. Not to mention trying to do year-over-year analysis.

Ahhhh, I see. So all the child source codes have the same name. This could be as simple as renaming each child source code.

Gala → GalaTicket, GalaSponsor, GalaSilentAuction

Golf —> GolfTicket, GolfSponsor, GolfAuction

Keep the structure, change the names. Would that work?

How would this affect our ability to pull analysis like, how much was brought in by Auctions across all events?

It honestly does feel like a duplication of effort in recreating the structure as it is seemingly built. How is it different from just making them all Parent Source Codes and doing away with the Child Source Codes altogether?
I wish I understood the logic of why the system is designed this way. There is no literature or documentation to explain any of the logic. We are forced to heavily rely on a consultant to set-up our data.

This is just such basic information commonly used by fundraisers and the only database I have every used where this is buried. We can’t possibly be the only ones who would prefer this be front and center on the Contributions section.

I will discuss this with our consultant to see if this suggestion is feasible.

I really hope Boneterra will consider making the Source Code Path a top level accessible column as this would easily solve this issue. 

You could still pull reports using the parent source code all child source codes to get a comprehensive report on all of Golf. This would simply be renaming to make the reports and contribution page for explicit. 
 

It’s a good idea to discuss with your consultant since while I think I understand what you’re describing, there is nothing like actually seeing the data and having you describe verbally what you want to see.