A pledge is an estimate of how much money a donor plans to give during a specified period of time. Pledges can be entered into Argenta and then converted into donations once the donor completes the transaction. A pledge is not a binding contract.
To get started, choose Fundraising > Pledges from the Argenta main menu on the left-hand side of the screen. This opens the full listing of your organization's pledges.
From the Pledges list, click the Add New button. Argenta creates a new pledge and opens the Pledge Workspace so you can enter the details.
Let's walk through the fields on the Pledge Details screen:
Record Level Permissions – At the top of the screen you'll find two switches. Turn on Set As View Only to let users see the record but not edit it. Turn on Lock This Record to prevent users from viewing or updating it unless they're a master admin or have been granted access on the Record Permissions tab. Permissions also work by assigning a chapter, division, department, district, and/or precinct. If you have users who are restricted by these permissions, they will only be able to see records in the areas you have granted them access to.
Date of Pledge – Enter the date of the pledge by typing it in or using the date picker. It defaults to today's date. This is a required field.
Pledge Amount – Enter the amount of the pledge. This is a required field.
Donor – Start typing the donor's name and select them from the matching list. If the donor isn't in your database yet, you can add them right here using the Add New (orange + ) icon. This is a required field.
Recurrence (Y or N) – Choose Yes or No to indicate whether this pledge recurs.
Recurrence Frequency – If the pledge recurs, set how often it repeats using this drop-down list.
Team Member Who Solicited – If the pledge came in as the result of a direct action by a member of your team, you can record that team member here.
Donation Category – Select a category from the drop-down list. If the category you need isn't listed, add it using the Add New (orange + ) icon.
Associated Campaign – If the pledge is related to a campaign, select that campaign from the drop-down list. If it isn't listed, add it using the Add New (orange + ) icon.
Chapter, Division, and Department – If your organization uses these groupings, you can assign the pledge to a chapter, division, and/or department using the drop-down lists.
District and Precinct – Political organizations will also see District and Precinct drop-downs. Choose the district first, then the precinct.
When you're ready to save, use the buttons at the bottom of the page. Click Save All & Continue to save and keep working on the record, or Save All & Exit to save and return to your Pledges list. You can also click the save icon at the top of the page. To leave without saving, click Cancel & Exit.
When the donor follows through on their pledge, you can turn it into a donation. Click Convert To Donation (at the top of the workspace or at the bottom of the page) and Argenta will create a matching donation, moving the pledge's files and notes over to it.
In addition to the pledge details, you can attach related files and notes using the Pledge Files and Pledge Notes tabs in the workspace. You can also manage who may view or edit this record on the Record Permissions tab.
For help adding a related file, please see the Add Related Files article. For help adding a note, please see the Add A Note to the Notes Section article.