December 2009

Who hasn't had this experience? A board committee meeting is coming up, and you need to pull together the regular reports that you always include in the materials. Normally, Christina is the go-to person for this type of thing. She knows the system through and through, and can easily get you whatever you need. Problem is, she's out sick, with no prospect of coming back in time.

Of course you can call tech support, and we can walk you through the process. Or you could simply pull out the procedures manual that Christina keeps by her computer and follow the steps for the reports.

What, you say? There isn't a procedures manual? This is an all-too-common situation, largely caused not by bad intentions, but simply by the fact that writing a procedures manual is a big effort and who has time?

Because we know how important it is to have such a document, we have created one for you. If you are an Exceed! Premier user, the procedures manual has been included with your program upgrades and probably exists in your Exceed! program folder already. The manual is named "Procedures Manual.doc", and the newly updated manual for Exceed! Premier 7.0 is named "Procedures Manual 7.0.doc". For Exceed! clients with a current Technical Support Contract, the updated procedures manual is available for Exceed! Premier 7.0 as well as Exceed! Basic 3.0.

We also have an edition of the procedures manual specifically for the Ronald McDonald Houses that use Exceed! Premier. If you are interested in this edition, contact our Technical Support Department for more information at, 800-750-6418 or support@telosa.com.

The procedures manual we provide is only the beginning. It includes our ideas for what a set of procedures might be for a typical development office, but we fully intend that you rewrite it extensively to document your own procedures. It is written in Microsoft Word, and is easily edited.

Why should you bother to take this manual and update it for your organization?

• Consistent data entry: Trying to retrieve information from a database where consistent rules have not been applied is virtually impossible. Everyone adding or changing information should be following exactly the same rules. For example, how are salutations entered? When should certain Fund codes be applied to gifts? How are board members' preferred addresses flagged?
  
  
• Clear money-handling procedure: Checks, and perhaps cash, flow through the office on a regular basis and need to be properly handled. Your auditors, if you have them, need to know what the standard procedure is, and that it is being consistently followed.
  
  
• Good stewardship: Donors deserve to be acknowledged promptly and correctly. Gift history needs to be accurate to ensure that the stewardship correctly reflects the intent of the donor. Consistent recording of interactions with donors and prospects leads to better relationships.
  
  
• Easier staff transition: When new staff comes into your organization, their ramp-up time can be greatly reduced. More importantly, the errors that often accompany staff turnovers can be minimized.
  
  
• Procedures fine-tuned: By writing down your procedures, you may find inefficiencies and inconsistent understandings of what the actual procedures are or should be. Just the process of keeping the manual up-to-date can lead to continuous improvement in how your office functions.
  
  
• Institutional memory: All of the little details of relationship-building, the nuances of the funds raised, and stewardship strategies are the rightful property of the organization, and reside in the information that has been consistently and accurately recorded in your data, according to well-understood procedures.

Yes, it is a lot of work to keep a good, up-to-date procedures manual, but it is well worth the effort. And now you have no excuse, since we have already done a large amount of that work for you. So take a look at what we have provided and get started in making it your own.

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