Importing Gift Aid Data

[SPM]

I am in the process of setting up CiviCRM 4.2 using Joomla. The Gift Aid Extension is loaded but when I came to import data I found that the UK tax payer fields were not listed for mapping. I checked the Custom Data settings and found that the Gift Aid Extension allows "multiple entries".

The text associated with this setting says:

"CAUTION: The following features are NOT available for custom fields in 'multiple record' custom set:
These fields can not be used in Profiles
They can not be Imported or Exported"

How should I import from within Civi? The data I am trying to import was exported from Raisers Edge and is a .csv file?

Thanks, any help will be appreciated.

[Parvez]

Hi

Not sure if you still need help with this but you're best bet is to do this directly into the DB.

At the moment CiviCRM doesn't deal with import data via the GUI when the target fields have multiple records.

Parvez

[SPM]

Thank you. I have put this on the back burner at present. I will come back to Gift When I have looked at the new regulations.

Stephen

[Parvez]

ok cool, we're going to have a session on the changes to the Gift Aid reg's at the next London meet up on the 27th of March. This includes an extension that will allow an online submission to the HMRC, one of the changes introduced as part of the Gift Aid review.

[SPM]

We were having discussion about the entering of gifts last Thursday. And one thing that came up is "how do you know if a donor has a current Gift Aid Declaration when you enter a gift?"

It would be helpful for "Gift Aid Declaration status" to appear somewhere on the "new contribution screen".

[Parvez]

Yep, seems like a worthwhile enhancement.

[SPM]

Thank you. I look forward to seeing the new Gift Aid module.

At a concept level I wonder whether the question that needs to be in the Gift Aid module is whether the constituent has made a GA declaration and the nature of the declaration i.e. one off, continuing or retrospective? I realise that the existence of a declaration can be derived from the presence of a date but the nature of the declaration cannot. From a fundraising perspective answers to these questions are important.

Stephen

[Parvez]

Hi

I thought that was implied by the wording of the declaration i.e. its normally worded to allow any contributions going back x years to be claimed against?

[SPM]

Hi, sorry for the slow response. There have been a number of different forms of wording. The following is from the HMRC and shows how wording may vary:


Identify the gift or gifts to which the declaration relates

Any appropriate description can be used in a declaration but it must be unambiguous. Donations considered to fall outside the description provided will not qualify for Gift Aid relief.

"Examples of some common descriptions include:

'the donation of £x I made to you on dd/mm/yy';
'the enclosed donation'
'all donations I make under the direct debit mandate below'
'all donations I make on or after the date of this declaration'
'all donations I make from this date until further notice'
'all donations I have made for the four years prior to this tax year'"

In particular the model sponsored event form is for one off gifts and I suspect charities will use the model without editing.

I hope this helps.

Stephen

[Parvez]

Yeah, I noticed that today - the wording is around one off gifts. I think this should be changed to default to something like

'Yes I want to treat all donations I have made for the four years prior to this year, and all donations I make from today's date until I notify you otherwise, as Gift Aid donations.'

This is a common use of wording around Gift Aid and would be the better default.

[SPM]

I agree that the wording you suggest is the best wording for a gift aid declaration. The challenge that is faced in CiviCRM is that it is a means of recording the the nature of the gift aid declaration that has been made.

If a charity has a policy of using a "one off" style declaration, as may be the case for those running sponsored events, then one standard wording would not cover the limited range of possible declarations. It is for this reason that I favour providing options!