Reconcile giving alongside the CRM you already use

Donor reconciliation is the process of checking that giving records describe the same underlying activity across your fundraising systems. It includes identifying donors, accounting for duplicates and refunds, and explaining differences between gift totals and the money that reaches the bank.

An existing CRM can remain part of that process. The first decision is who owns each kind of record and how reviewed changes move between systems. A second tool should make those responsibilities clearer. Before calling anything a sync, establish what it reads, what it writes and what a person still needs to approve.

Define the reconciliation boundary

List the sources involved in one reporting period: donation platform, ticketing system, CRM export, offline gifts and payment settlements. Record which date each export uses and whether it includes pending, refunded or failed activity. Keep the original files unchanged in an access-controlled location.

Then name the outputs you need. A donor view answers who gave and their giving history. A payment view explains fees and settlements. Finance may need a ledger mapping and bank reconciliation. These views relate to one another, but matching donor identities does not complete the accounting work.

The NCVO guidance on internal controls explains the value of checking accounting records against bank statements and separating responsibilities. It is a UK practice reference; your finance lead should determine your organization's accounting treatment and controls.

Keep gifts, fees and payouts separate

A donor's gift amount and a platform's settlement amount can legitimately differ. Fees, refunds, timing and other adjustments need their own explanation. Never reduce a gift just to force it to equal a bank deposit.

For each source, retain:

• The original transaction identifier and donor identifier, when supplied.
• The transaction date and status.
• The gross gift amount and currency.
• Fees, refunds and adjustments in separate fields.
• The settlement or payout reference and date, where available.
• The campaign or designated purpose recorded by the source.

Compare amounts within the same currency. If reporting requires conversion, document the conversion method with finance and retain original amounts. A contribution promise, a completed payment and an event ticket purchase should not silently become the same kind of record.

Resolve identity without erasing evidence

Match on reliable identifiers before relying on a similar name. An email address can help, but shared household addresses, changed emails and organizational contacts still need judgment. Keep individual and household decisions explicit.

Distinguish a duplicate import of the same transaction from two genuine gifts of the same amount. The source reference, date and status are stronger evidence than amount alone. When uncertain, place the item in an exception queue with a named reviewer rather than forcing a match.

Relae brings imported giving through matching and review. Read how the review queue works and how spreadsheet imports work. Confirm the supported import or connection for each source with the team. Working alongside a CRM does not imply automatic write-back to that CRM.

A fictional example: explain the difference

Suppose a fictional community theatre receives two completed gifts, 100 and 50 in the same currency. Its source shows a combined fee of 5 and a payout of 145. The fundraising record should still show two gifts totaling 150. The fee explains the difference to the payout.

Now suppose the 50 gift also appears in a CRM export. Importing both files must not create a third gift. Preserve both source references and review whether they describe the same transaction. If a later refund appears, link it to the original activity and keep its date rather than deleting the history to make a current total look tidy.

These amounts illustrate the workflow only. They are not a statement about any provider's fees or tax receipting rules.

Close the period with an exception list

Use the donor reconciliation checklist CSV to document the scope, checks, owner and evidence for a review. It is a blank operational checklist, not an import file or accounting policy.

Before sign-off, compare source counts and gross totals; inspect refunds and excluded statuses; check duplicate decisions; and explain timing differences. Record what remains unresolved, who owns it and whether it affects the report being released. A colleague should be able to repeat the checks from the evidence.

Agree how accepted changes reach the CRM and finance system. That might be a reviewed export and manual update. Record the completion of that handoff so the same correction does not get applied twice. Avoid maintaining competing editable masters with no update rule.

For a larger cleanup, start with donor spreadsheet preparation. For a reporting deadline, use the year-end fundraising and finance handoff. The goal is a clear explanation of the numbers and a donor history your team can use with confidence.