Database for managing gifts

[Aloha]

Hi,

We are a non profit organisation and may accept money gifts.

The main data that have to be collected:

* information about he person who makes the gift(s): Name, first name, address

* information about the gifts: date, amount, occasion (birth, mariage, death, undetermined,...), date of acknowledgment letter

I also have to keep the sum of the gifts of former years.

I have already a database, but it is not very sophisticated and requires regular interventions in some fields in the structure.

The main problem is that I didn't find a good solution for the case that a person makes more than one gift during a year; for that purpose I have created 12 individual fields, one for every possible gift.

When the secretary who manages the gifts has to print acknowledgment letters for the gifts she has to change the text of the letter in the defining of the field.

Therefore I would like to create a more performing one, using relationships.

I have already experienced a sample database, containing 2 tables: one for the data of the person and one for her gifts, both tables being related by an ID field, but when I'm searching for a gift where the date of the acknowledgment letter is void, meaning that it has not yet been printed, and in order to print it, FM shows all the gifts of the person.

How do I have to proceed?

I have joined some screen captures. Although the language is german, You may get an idea about what I mean.

 

If required I may join tomorrow, when I'll be back in office, the database in english.

Thank You for Your help.

Regards

Aloha

[Matt Malyschko]

I cannot read german at all, but this would pretty much require only 2 tables: one for the contacts, and one for the gifts.

 

The gifts table would be linked to the contacts table via an ID field from the contacts table.

[Lee Smith]

Hi Aloha, and welcome to the forums,

 

Please Update your Profile information to show your version of FileMaker, OS and Platform. Here is a quick link Update My Profile.

 

There is a free non-profit file here that maybe of help to you Non-Profit Donations

 

HTH

 

Lee

[Aloha]

Hi "MattyM", That's exactly what I have done, but it doesn't work as it should: as I have mentioned above I'm not able to retrieve only that gift of a person for which it still didn't get a letter. See the first screencapture for an illustration. Therefore my question: what do I have to change in the structure in order to find individual gifts? Have a nice day Aloha

[Aloha]

Hi Lee, I have followed Your advice to complete my profile and thank You for the link.

By the way, this solution is not sooo free! (99,55$)

But that iisn't the real problem for getting ist. My problem is that my VISA card is not recognized.

Have a nice day, You too

Aloha

[datacontrol]

Aloha,

Try Richard Carlton's free donation db.

http://www.filemakerdonations.com

[Lee Smith]

It use to be free to Technique members or by contacting FMI (you might have had to prove your Non-Profit status), not sure which. Anyway I like the one that datacontrol pointed to for keeping track of donations. I kind of remember the pricing being $99

[Aloha]

Hi

thank You very much for Your helpful messages

Aloha

from snowy Luxembourg

[Aloha]

Hi "datacontrol",

 

It's not free! After a 40 days trial one has to purchase it or to delete it from the computer.

Thanks anyway

 

Aloha