Lock Box Import automatically saves payments downloaded from a lock box service. It posts payments fulfilling open pledges and updates the donor’s membership records. This cost effective automation module eliminates the manual entry of check payments returned with solicitation reply forms.
► Lock box services can differ regarding the amount of data they return and the fees for their work. Herlick Data Systems will consult with your business office and your bank’s lock box manager, to reach common agreement on fields to be provided in each payment file. HDS will apply your business rules to the posting of lock box payments, with up to two hours of programming provided in the cost of the module.
► MemSys mailing programs and Query Report Writer output a scan line field. The field consists of: Account number, Pledge number, Source code written in a single string with a Modulus-0 check-digit. The scan line field is compatible with OCR-reading software used by many lock box firms. The scan line field can be customized to meet local requirements, even printed on the bottom of reply forms. Your lock box firm could read the scan line, to quickly and economically capture the donor account number, pledge number and source code. Otherwise they may manually key in the fields needed for the lock box payment file.
► The minimum field set required to import lock box payments is MemSys donor account number and payment amount. Additional recommended fields are: pledge number, source code, check number and date of check.
► Payment import rules can be customized to meet your organization’s unique policies, such as how payments should be applied to a donor’s open pledges. The import can find an open pledge by pledge number or source code.
► A lock box payment save updates the donor, pledge and premium files, exactly as happens when a user enters a payment manually. The import calculates the payment purpose; new, renew, rejoin or add-gift. It fulfills an open pledge, if one is found to meet your rules for crediting the payment, or it creates a new pledge and applies the payment. The saved payment advances a donor’s renewal date (except for add-gifts), approves the pledge’s premiums for shipment, and activates any pending gift subscription or children’s club membership attached to the pledge.
In summary, the Lock Box Import module provides the same degree of automation involving the posting of check payments as our Credit Card Authorization module does for the posting of credit card payments.