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Karen Paskiewicz

Karen Paskiewicz
Member since : May-11-2009 (Verified)
11 Ideas, 25 Comments, 57 Votes

User Activity Stream

Ideas Posted

When viewing the list of Position Descriptions or Giving Categories in Campaign Setup or the PD list, they are quite lengthy, and many are no longer used. They cannot be deleted because they were used in the past. I would like to be able to mark them as "expired" so only the current ones show in my list. A check box to "show all" could be included, much like we have the "show lapsed units" or "include deceased persons" boxes. Another nice otional feature would be to show only the positions for a specific campaign.
Could we somehow have people in the system under their given name, but indicate they have a "prefered name" which could appear on FOS billings, reports (perhaps as an additional line on reports) or other materials? One of my donors called his DE several times, irate, after his monthly bill arrived under his given name. However, to maintain the integrity of our youth protection procedures, we don't want to create a separate record in case an individual should appear on the "ineligible" list. Also, there tends to be confusion with these records - especially when a new DE comes on board - because the FR and Membership departments are often the only ones who see the names enough to realize that Skip's real name is Thomas. Finally, it may be beneficial on pledge cards, so when volunteers make calls, they know how how the donor prefers to be addressed.
As with viewing multiple addresses in a search, I believe it would be beneficial to also see a Nickname for an individual. Many times a person submits their legal name for registration, but is submitted for FOS using their nickname. I don't mean "Donald" vs "Don". But specifically those who use a very different or unrelated name: "Thomas" vs "Skip". It would help in reducing duplicated records.
Include an option in the payments and pledges function that will allow us to scan in a stack of cards, then change the status on all of them to "W" without having to go into each record individually. This would be great for unchecking "Copy Prospect to New Campaign" box as well. A more advanced version would show a warning if there is a current-year pledge, and allow an override.
37
Our auditors require a list of all Council Officers/Executive Board members and their giving totals, regardless of campaign. This currently requires an extensive amount of data gathering and analyzing. A user code that can be assigned to a person or organization record, rather than just the prospect record, and accessed through Fundraising, would be very helpful for this task.
Moderator Comments
9/29/09
From: Mark Moshier, Council Funding Team Leader, Finance Impact Department

You can now run a multi-campaign report from MyBSA Fundraising. Go to Prospect Campaigns/Create Materials. Select all of the campaigns you what to include in the query. When you run the dataset, at report will generate for each of the campaigns individually and also to all of the campaign combined. You then export that report to Excell and sort by last name and first name. This will group all of the donations from a donor together. You can also subtotal at each change in name.
38
Our auditors require a list of all donors that give $5,000 or more during the year. At this time, I must pull all prospects from all campaigns into one list, sort it and scrutinize it. I would like to be able to pull a report based on a person's total giving for the year, regardless of campaign.
Moderator Comments
10/2/09
From: Mark Moshier

You can now run a multi-campaign report from MyBSA Fundraising. Go to Prospect Campaigns/Create Materials. Select all of the campaigns you what to include in the query. When you run the dataset, at report will generate for each of the campaigns individually and also to all of the campaign combined. You then export that report to Excell and sort by last name and first name. This will group all of the donations from a donor together. You can also subtotal at each change in name.

To recap...when slecting multiple campaigns in the "create materails" routine in MyBSA FR, you lose the ability to select Donor Groups, BSA Structure and Workerr. You can still sort on user codes, worked status and limit on gift amounts. The report only offers export file as a print option when mulitple campaigns are selected.
29
It would be nice to be able to identify in reports whether a prospect was a recent add, or if they've been around awhile but haven't given recently. It is impossible to identify this difference in a Prospect File Listing (either printed or exported), and it is important information during prospect analysis and evaluation.
Moderator Comments
10/29/09
From: Mark Moshier, Council Funding Team Leader, Finance Impact Department

You can retrieve this information through an export file from MyBSA FR in the Create Materials routine. There is a column that displays the number of years a prospect has been a donor in a campaign. I have seen reports that show as much as 30 years in that column for a donor. The donor history displayed would be dependent on how campaigns have been copied.
Some prospects have a local contact address, but need to have the bill sent elsewhere for payment. An "alternate billing address" option would be helpful.
I would like to pull a report based on pledges or payments made within a certain date range
Almost every time we print billing statements or pledge cards, we add the same message or comment. It would be nice to be able to save a selection of frequently used comments so it doesn't have to be retyped each time.
With so many people using cell phones as their primary, or ONLY number, we need to have the option to include that number on pledge cards. The only alternative at this time is to incorrectly identify it as a home or work number.
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Comments Posted

Karen Paskiewicz 8 days ago
Yes to hover count!
Karen Paskiewicz 16 days ago
Can I vote "up" more than once?? This is a big issue with certain groups of donors. I have some cards that come in every year with the spouse's name added by hand, and the underlines increase every time.
Karen Paskiewicz 16 days ago
We just use a cardboard box at our desk to collect paper, and although it is sometimes mistaken for trash, it works well. However, a more durable and recognizable blue bin would be even better!
Karen Paskiewicz 16 days ago
As a Food Network fan, I think this is a great idea! Campfire cooking (No grills allowed, Bobby Flay!) would make an great Throwdown!
Karen Paskiewicz 23 days ago
We have this issue as well.
Karen Paskiewicz 23 days ago
I also checked with our local bulk mail department and they are unaware of a requirement change in address/labeling. All uppercase is currently required only for very small fonts.

I believe ScoutNet already has all uppercase as an option for billings and contribution statements, but I'm sure it would be a nice option in all areas, required or not.
Karen Paskiewicz 29 days ago
My employment experience with BSA covers three Councils in three different states. In two of those Councils, I worked for National Supply. I have heard "My son is a Weblo" or "My son is a Weeble" from more parents than I could count. Some even break into the Weebles jingle. I have even heard them called "the ones with the corn on their hat." Correcting them gets a "whatever" response - either verbal or simply in their expression. The kids giggle and parents are confused. The remarks come from adults just as often as they do from the kids. Kids that age don't join because they'll learn character and values, they join because it looks fun. To them, the name matters. We may like the origin and tradition of the Webelos name, but we have to face the facts.

I like the Bagheera/Panther idea. As older members of the Pack, they become mentors and role models, even if they don't know it yet.
Karen Paskiewicz 29 days ago
What about mini-snack size caramel corn or chocolate covered pretzels from Trails End? For freshness, they may need to be available independently from the regular sale, but it would provide a branded product that we already use, as well as a "sample" for those who have never tried it.
Karen Paskiewicz 2 months ago
Oops...sorry about that last comment - I was thinking of a different issue. How about a feature on Innovation Engine to delete a comment we have previously made! :}
Karen Paskiewicz 2 months ago
Example for when "most recent payment date" is not sufficient: When trying to determine donor information within a calendar year, by a certain user code or other defined selection. If multiple payments are made against a pledge, or you have a multi-year campaign, you must look up each prospect individually to determine the amount paid during the year in question. This could also be accomplished by exporting a Contribution Statement report, but the only way to get a truly accurate picture is to export EVERYONE, and you don't get the same info in the report, such as a user code (which is useless in Excel anyway, since only five export). Bottom line is: sure, it can be done in a round-about way, but why should it need to be? I am hoping this is addressed in the custom reporting feature.
Karen Paskiewicz 2 months ago
Yes, I am aware of that feature and use it quite often. However, unless a change has been made very recently, that report cannot be refined in any way whatsoever prior to opening in Excel. If it could utilize at least some of the same selections as a single campaign report, such as user codes, structure, etc, it would be much more user-friendly, especially for user code selections, since only 5 show up in Excel, making this report useless in that situation. Perhaps it can move into this direction in the future? Also, this is practically useless for multi-year campaigns as you only get the most recent payment date and total amount paid, then you have to look up each one to see how much was paid during the calendar year in question, which actually ties to another of my posts....
Karen Paskiewicz 3 months ago
Linking records together would also be beneficial for multiple gifts given by a single company, but in different areas, or a family that gives a separate gift for each person. This idea could apply to many scenrios! The Soft-Credit relationship does not apply to these scenarios.
Karen Paskiewicz 3 months ago
I like the idea of a single knot to cover all.
Karen Paskiewicz 3 months ago
I was thinking Twitter too. Or something similar. It's easier to monitor, and parents could also follow the feed so they know what's being communicated.
Karen Paskiewicz 3 months ago
Regarding tying Scouting to the motorcycle culture, yes, the historical reputation of bikers causes some concern, but today's bikers are a different breed. There is the Patriot Guard for example - a group whose main mission is to recognize and provide support to families of fallen military personnel. Many of today's professionals scrap the suit and tie and hop on a bike on weekends. There is a whole new image these days and I think a positive correlation could be made.

The concern of upsetting parents and "promoting" motorcycles is a valid one. As with pocketknives and firearms, presenting the safety side is a good way to go. As a parent, I am always on edge when my son rides with his dad, but knowing he is learning to respect the bike NOW instead of later makes a difference. How many activities has Boy's Life featured that we don't necessarily "promote" but we don't discourage, either?
Karen Paskiewicz 3 months ago
I like the Wii idea. I wasn't sure at first about a video game because I agree that we want kids to get away from the "screen", but I also understand about "hooking" them through their interests. And it does rain some days! So on those indoor-days, they could have a game that provides physical activity while teaching and developing an interest in Scouting. Perhaps a series of games covering different skills and activities. They may not buy a game called "Boy Scouting" but a game called "Wilderness Survival" would get their attention!
Karen Paskiewicz 4 months ago
I currently use the Nickname field to enter a preferred name so I can change it in a mail merge. Reviewing one of the export files, I see that my Nickname column includes many more entries than the Certificate Name column. Would it cause problems for Membership if that field were to be used by FR as well? I also see that some of the Certificate names are not the same as the preferred FOS name - including my "irate" prospect's!
Karen Paskiewicz 4 months ago
I hope this feature is BY PERSON, not by billing statement report! I have many donors who only give a first initial and a full middle name!
Karen Paskiewicz 4 months ago
It's a nice idea, but not realistic or feasible for all to comply with. Perhaps it could be optional by Council if all employees are agreeable, in which case it doesn't need to be a policy.
Karen Paskiewicz 5 months ago
Yes, but only if the "last payment date" suits your needs. Also, the time difference between pulling a file of several thousand records and pulling a group of a few dozen can be significant.
Karen Paskiewicz 5 months ago
I find it frustrating when I'm working on something in ScoutNet (or MyBSA) and have to step away to get some additional information, then when I return (which can sometimes take awhile) I've lost the work I've done. I understand the purpose of timing out, but the time is too short.
Karen Paskiewicz 5 months ago
That's what I meant. Thanks for clarifying for me! :)
Karen Paskiewicz 5 months ago
The requirement is understood. However sometimes we WANT to include donors beyond the required group. It could also be the best way to satisfy the auditors' need for a list of anyone whose combined giving (over multiple campaigns) is over a certain amount.
Karen Paskiewicz 6 months ago
Giving categories can already be used for this purpose.
Karen Paskiewicz 6 months ago
Even though it is not required, there are donors who just don't understand that. It would be very useful to have an option to print for all donors over a certain total amount, rather than by single payment, if we want to.