Recording Donations Manually

Every Sunday offering, midweek gift, and special collection flows through the same process in Wired Church: create a batch, add contributions, validate totals, and finalize. This guide walks through the full manual entry workflow from start to finish.

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Step 1: Navigate to Contribution Batches

1. Open the admin sidebar and click Contributions.
2. Click Batches in the sub-navigation.
3. You will see a list of all existing batches sorted by date, with status indicators showing whether each batch is open, finalized, or posted.

4. Click the New Batch button in the top-right corner to begin.

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Step 2: Configure the New Batch

When the New Batch form opens, fill in the following fields:

1. Batch Date — The date the offering was collected. This defaults to today but can be backdated for late entry. All dates display in Central Time.
2. Service Type — Select the service this offering came from:
   • Sunday School
   • Family Worship
   • Wednesday Worship
   • Special Service
   • Other (with a description field)
3. Campus — Select the campus where the offering was collected. If your church has a single location, this will be pre-selected.
4. Batch Type — For manual entry, leave this set to Manual. The other types are:
   • Online — Auto-created by Stripe when online donations come in. You typically will not create these yourself.
   • Import — Used when importing contribution data from a CSV file or external source.
5. Notes (optional) — Add any internal notes about this batch, such as "Easter special offering" or "Combined AM/PM service."

6. Click Create Batch to save and open the batch for entry.

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Step 3: Add Individual Contributions

With the batch open, you are now on the batch detail screen. This is where you add each individual donation.

1. Click Add Contribution to open the entry form.
2. Select Member — Start typing the donor's name in the search field. The autocomplete searches across first name, last name, and family name. Select the matching member from the dropdown.

3. Amount — Enter the total donation amount for this donor. Use standard currency format (e.g., 100.00).
4. Fund — Select which contribution fund this donation goes to. The default is typically General/Tithes, but the donor may have designated their gift for Missions, Building, Benevolence, or another active fund.
5. Payment Method — Select how the donation was given:
   • Cash — Physical currency
   • Check — Paper check (enables the check number field)
   • Online — For manual entry of online gifts not captured by Stripe
   • Other — Catch-all for money orders, cashier's checks, etc.
6. Check Number (conditional) — When the payment method is Check, a check number field appears. Enter the check number for reconciliation and audit purposes.

7. Click Save to add this contribution to the batch and clear the form for the next entry.

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Step 4: Split Giving Across Multiple Funds

Some donors designate portions of their gift to different funds. For example, a member might give $200 total: $150 to General and $50 to Missions. Wired Church handles this with split giving.

1. After selecting the member in the Add Contribution form, click the Split Gift toggle (or the split icon next to the amount field).
2. The form expands to show multiple line items. Each line has its own Amount and Fund fields.
3. Enter the first allocation:
   • Amount: 150.00
   • Fund: General/Tithes
4. Click Add Line to add another allocation:
   • Amount: 50.00
   • Fund: Missions
5. The Total displayed at the bottom automatically sums all lines. Verify this matches the donor's total gift.
6. You can add as many lines as needed — there is no limit.
7. Click Save to record the split contribution.

Each split line creates a separate contribution record linked to its respective fund, but they are grouped together under a single transaction for the donor's giving history and tax statement.

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Step 5: Review Batch Totals

As you add contributions, the batch detail screen updates in real time:

• Contribution Count — The number of individual contributions (not split lines) in the batch.
• Batch Total — The sum of all contribution amounts.
• Breakdown by Fund — A summary table showing the total allocated to each fund within this batch.
• Breakdown by Payment Method — Cash total, check total, online total, and other.

Using the Count Sheet for Validation

If your church counts cash and checks before entry, compare your physical count sheet totals against the batch totals on screen:

1. Look at the Cash total in the payment method breakdown — it should match your counted cash amount.
2. Look at the Check total — it should match the sum of all checks counted.
3. If the totals do not match, review individual entries for typos or missed contributions.

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Step 6: Finalize the Batch

Once all contributions are entered and totals are verified:

1. Click the Finalize Batch button at the top of the batch detail screen.
2. A confirmation dialog appears showing the batch summary: total amount, contribution count, and fund allocation.
3. Review the summary carefully. Once finalized, contributions in this batch are locked from casual editing (see the section below on post-finalization edits).
4. Click Confirm & Finalize.

The batch status changes from Open (amber badge) to Finalized (green badge).

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How Finalized Batches Create Journal Entries

When a batch is finalized, Wired Church automatically creates a journal entry in the fund accounting system:

• A debit entry is created against the appropriate asset account (e.g., Checking — Undeposited Funds) for the total batch amount.
• Credit entries are created for each fund's corresponding revenue account, matching the fund allocations in the batch.
• The journal entry is dated to match the batch date.
• The journal entry reference includes the batch ID for audit trail purposes.

This automation eliminates the need to manually re-enter contribution totals into your accounting system. Fund-level reporting in the finance module will reflect these entries immediately.

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Editing a Contribution After Finalization

Mistakes happen. If you need to correct a contribution after the batch has been finalized:

1. Navigate to the finalized batch and locate the contribution that needs correction.
2. Click the Edit icon (pencil) next to the contribution.
3. If the batch is finalized, you will see a notice that editing will require the batch to be unfinalized temporarily.
4. An admin with the appropriate permissions can click Unfinalize Batch to reopen it.
5. Make the necessary corrections — change the amount, fund, member, or payment method.
6. Save the changes.
7. Re-finalize the batch when corrections are complete.

Only users with write permission on the contributions module and admin access can unfinalize batches. This is intentional — contribution data integrity is critical for tax reporting and financial auditing.

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Tips for Efficient Data Entry

• Use keyboard shortcuts — Tab between fields, Enter to save and advance. The form is designed for rapid sequential entry.
• Enter in order — Work through offering envelopes or checks in a consistent order so you can easily find your place if interrupted.
• Batch by service — One batch per service keeps reporting clean and makes discrepancies easier to trace.
• Enter the same day — The sooner contributions are entered after the service, the fewer memory gaps and lost envelopes you will deal with.
• Two-person verification — Have one person enter and another verify against the count sheet before finalizing. This is also a best practice for financial controls.

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Related Articles

• Understanding Contribution Funds
• Donor Management
• Generating Giving Statements and Tax Receipts
• Annual Giving Statements