To record tithes and offerings from a Sunday service in One Church Software, use the Contributions area of the system, located on the left-hand navigation menu. This is where donations can be entered, ensuring they will appear on the donor's tax statement.
After entering the donations into the Contributions area, then post them into Accounting to record them in the general ledger as income for the church. This two-step process is crucial for maintaining accurate records for both donor statements and the church's financial accounting.
It's important not to enter contributions directly into Accounting (if that add-on is enabled), as this would prevent them from appearing on the donor's tax statements.
1. Create a batch
Three ways to create a batch:
Click "New" menu > Transaction > Create New Batch (from any page).
Go to Contributions > Batches listing in the left-hand navigation menu and click "Add New" button.
Navigate to Contributions > Transactions listing in the left-hand navigation menu, click "Add New" button.
In each option, fill in the appropriate details, including the batch name, merchant account, and posting date, in the pop-up, and then click "Save" to add the batch and start entering transactions.
Two automatic batches are created daily for online giving (credit card & ACH).
2. Add contributions
Two ways to add contributions to a batch.
Individually: Enter the date, choose whether the contribution is anonymous, and specify the donor (if known).
In bulk:
Import a file containing contribution information.
3. Close/post a contribution batch
Closing a batch finalizes the batch and prepares it for depositing in the bank. Posting can also be done in Accounting (if that module is enabled).
To close a batch, navigate to the batch that should be closed and select "Close batch" from the "Actions" menu in the top right corner. Alternatively, click on the "Open" pill located beneath the batch name.
Also, select from the dropdown menu on the batch listing screen. A confirmation message appears, noting that all transactions will be finalized. Click "Close" to complete the closure.