Offline Donation

Donation Recording Module — Administrator Help Guide

Church Management System | Donation Section

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1. Overview

The Offline Donation module (found under Donation → Offline Donation in the CMS) is the central tool for recording and managing cash, cheque, and other non-digital contributions made by church members. These entries are instantly reflected in the donor’s profile within the mobile app, giving members a transparent and up-to-date view of their giving history.

The module supports two entry pathways:

• CMS Entry (Administrator) — Church administrators or treasurers manually enter a donation received in person, by cheque, or through any offline payment channel.
• Mobile App Entry (Member-Initiated) — Members can log their own offline contributions directly from the app, which then appear in the CMS for administrator review and confirmation.

Key capabilities of the module include:

• Recording donations across multiple categories in a single transaction (e.g., Monthly Contribution + Special Offering)
• Tracking donation amounts, payment periods, and running totals
• Attaching payment proof images (e.g., cheque scans, bank transfer screenshots)
• Adding remarks for internal reference or member communication
• Selecting payment mode (Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer, etc.)
• Viewing all historical donations per donor via the View Donation link

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2. Navigating to Offline Donation

1. Log in to the CMS with your administrator credentials.
2. In the left navigation menu, click Donation.
3. From the sub-menu, select Offline Donation.
4. You will see the Offline Donation list showing all previously recorded entries.
5. To add a new donation entry, click Add New (or the equivalent button on the list screen).
6. The Offline Donation – Add New form will open.

3. Form Structure

The Offline Donation – Add New form is divided into three areas:

Section	Purpose
Header Fields	Donor identification, donation reference number, date, payment terms, and remarks
Donation Details	Line-item entry grid where you specify category, amount, period, and calculate totals. Multiple line items can be added to a single donation.
Footer – Payment Mode	The payment method used for the overall donation (Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer, etc.)

4. Header Fields Reference

These fields appear at the top of the form and apply to the entire donation entry.

Field	Required?	Description
Choose Donor	Yes	Select the contributing member from the dropdown list. The list is populated from the church’s member directory. Type a name to filter the list. Always select the correct donor before proceeding — all subsequent line items are linked to this person.
Donation No	Yes	Enter a unique reference number for this donation entry (e.g., a receipt number, cheque number, or a sequential ID like DON-2026-001). This number is used for tracking and reconciliation.
Donation Date	Yes	The date the donation was received. Defaults to today’s date. Use the calendar picker to select the actual date of receipt if different. Format: DD/MM/YYYY.
Terms	Yes	Select the payment frequency or term for this donation. Common options include: For Monthly, For Annual, One-Time. This determines how the No of Month/Year field behaves in the detail line.
Remarks	Yes	Enter any internal notes about this donation (e.g., “Cheque No. 004521”, “Received at Sunday service”, “Donor requested receipt”). This field is for administrative reference and is not shown to members in the app.

5. Donation Details Section

The Donation Details section is where you add the individual line items that make up the total donation. Each line represents one giving category (e.g., Monthly Contribution, Special Offering, Building Fund). A single donation entry can contain multiple lines.

5.1 Detail Line Fields

Field	Required?	Description
Category	Yes	Select the donation category from the dropdown (e.g., Monthly Contribution, Special Offering, Harvest Festival, Building Fund). Categories are pre-configured by the system administrator.
Donation Amount	Yes	Enter the per-unit donation amount in Indian Rupees (Rs.). For a monthly contribution of ₹2,000 per month, enter 2000 here.
No of Month/Year	Yes	Enter the number of periods this payment covers. For example: if a member is paying 3 months’ contribution at once, enter 3. For a single month, enter 1. For an annual one-time gift, enter 1.
Donation Year/Month	Yes	Select the specific period this donation applies to from the dropdown (e.g., January 2026, February 2026). For multi-month entries, this typically indicates the starting period.
Total Amount	Yes	This field auto-calculates as: Donation Amount × No of Month/Year. Verify the calculated total is correct before adding the line. You may also enter it manually if required.

5.2 Adding a Donation Line Item

1. Fill in all five detail fields: Category, Donation Amount, No of Month/Year, Donation Year/Month, and Total Amount.
2. Verify the Total Amount is correct (Donation Amount × No of Month/Year).
3. Click Add Donation Details. The line item will appear in the grid below.
4. Repeat for each additional giving category in this donation.
5. To remove a line before saving, use the delete/clear option on that row (if available).

5.3 The Donation Details Grid

After clicking Add Donation Details, each line appears in the summary grid with the following columns:

No.	Type	Category Name	Donation Year/Month	Donation Amount (Rs.)	No of Years/Months	Total Amount (Rs.)
1	Monthly	Monthly Contribution	January 2026	2,000	3	6,000
2	One-Time	Special Offering	March 2026	1,500	1	1,500

The grid will show “There are no records available” until at least one line item has been added. You must add at least one line item before the form can be saved.

5.4 Clear Detail Line

The Clear button next to Add Donation Details resets only the five detail input fields (Category, Donation Amount, No of Month/Year, Donation Year/Month, Total Amount) back to blank. It does not remove lines already added to the grid. Use it if you want to re-enter a detail line from scratch before clicking Add Donation Details.

6. Payment Mode

At the bottom of the form, select the Payment Mode — the method by which the donation was received. This is applied to the entire donation entry (all line items share the same payment mode).

Payment Mode	When to Use
Cash	Donor handed over physical currency. Most common for weekly offerings and envelope collections.
Cheque	Donor provided a signed cheque. Record the cheque number in the Remarks field.
Bank Transfer / NEFT / IMPS	Donor transferred funds electronically. Record the transaction reference number in Remarks.
UPI	Donor paid via UPI (e.g., GPay, PhonePe, Paytm). Record the UPI transaction ID in Remarks.
Demand Draft (DD)	Donor submitted a bank demand draft. Record the DD number and bank in Remarks.

7. Attaching Payment Proof

The Offline Donation module supports attaching an image of the payment proof — such as a photograph of a cheque, a screenshot of a bank transfer confirmation, or a UPI payment receipt. This attachment is stored against the donation record for audit and reconciliation purposes.

To attach a payment proof image:

1. Locate the image/file attachment field on the form (labelled as attachment or upload, depending on your CMS version).
2. Click Choose File or the equivalent upload button.
3. Select the image file from your device (JPG or PNG recommended; keep file size under 2 MB).
4. Verify the filename appears next to the upload button.
5. Proceed to save the donation entry as normal.

Specification	Detail
Recommended Format	JPG or PNG
Recommended Max Size	Under 2 MB for fast loading
What to Upload	Cheque scan, bank transfer screenshot, UPI receipt, DD copy, or any payment confirmation
Cash Donations	No image attachment needed for cash; use Remarks to note collection details instead

8. Saving the Donation Entry

1. Complete all header fields: Choose Donor, Donation No, Donation Date, Terms, and Remarks.
2. Add at least one line item in the Donation Details section using Add Donation Details.
3. Verify all line items in the grid are correct.
4. Select the Payment Mode at the bottom.
5. Attach a payment proof image if applicable.
6. Click Save (bottom-right). The entry is recorded and immediately reflected in the donor’s profile on the mobile app.
7. Click Back to return to the Offline Donation list.

9. Viewing Donation History

The View Donation link in the top-right corner of the Add New form opens a full history of all donations recorded for the currently selected donor. Use this to:

• Verify whether a particular period has already been entered (to avoid duplicates)
• Check a member’s cumulative giving for a category or financial year
• Confirm the last recorded entry before adding a new one

The Offline Donation list (the screen before Add New) also displays all entries across all donors, with options to edit or view individual records.

10. Member-Initiated Donations (Mobile App)

Members can also log their own offline donation details directly through the mobile app. Here is how the two-way flow works:

Step	What Happens
Member logs entry	The member opens the app, navigates to the Donation section, and submits their contribution details (category, amount, date, payment mode, and optionally a payment proof image).
Entry appears in CMS	The member’s submission appears in the Offline Donation list in the CMS for administrator review.
Administrator reviews	The church treasurer or administrator opens the entry, verifies the details against the actual payment received, and confirms or corrects as needed.
Record is confirmed	Once saved/confirmed by the administrator, the entry is finalised in the member’s donation history and appears as a verified record in the app.
Receipt / History visible	The member can view their full contribution history, including the newly confirmed entry, from the Donation section of their app dashboard.

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11. How Donations Appear in the Member’s App

Once a donation entry is saved in the CMS (or confirmed after a member-initiated submission), the member can see the following in the Donation section of their mobile app dashboard:

What Members See	Source in CMS
Donor Name	Auto-populated from the selected donor profile
Donation Date	Pulled from the Donation Date field
Category & Type	Pulled from the Category field of each line item
Amount per Period	Pulled from Donation Amount in the detail line
Period Covered	Pulled from Donation Year/Month and No of Month/Year
Total Amount	Pulled from Total Amount in the detail line
Payment Mode	Pulled from the Payment Mode dropdown
Payment Proof Image	The attached image, viewable by the member in their record
Cumulative Giving Summary	Auto-calculated by the app across all confirmed entries

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12. Step-by-Step: Recording a Donation

Use this walkthrough to record a typical offline donation from start to finish.

Step 1 — Open the Add New Form

Navigate to Donation → Offline Donation. Click Add New.

Step 2 — Select the Donor

Click the Choose Donor dropdown and type or scroll to find the member’s name. Click to select them. Confirm the correct person is selected before proceeding.

Step 3 — Enter the Donation Number

Type a unique reference number in the Donation No field. Use a receipt number, cheque number, or your internal sequential ID system.

Step 4 — Set the Donation Date

Confirm the date or click the calendar icon to select the actual date the donation was received.

Step 5 — Set Terms

Select the appropriate payment frequency from the Terms dropdown (e.g., For Monthly if this is a monthly contribution payment).

Step 6 — Add Remarks

Type any relevant notes in the Remarks field: cheque number, transaction ID, collection point, or any other reference useful for reconciliation.

Step 7 — Add the First Donation Line Item

In the Donation Details section: select the Category, enter the Donation Amount per period, enter the No of Month/Year, select the Donation Year/Month, and verify the Total Amount. Click Add Donation Details.

Step 8 — Add Additional Line Items (if needed)

If the donor is contributing to more than one category in this payment, repeat Step 7 for each additional category. Each line will appear in the grid below.

Step 9 — Attach Payment Proof

If the donation was made by cheque, bank transfer, or UPI, upload the payment proof image using the file attachment field.

Step 10 — Select Payment Mode

At the bottom of the form, select the correct Payment Mode (Cash, Cheque, Bank Transfer, UPI, etc.).

Step 11 — Review and Save

Review all header fields and the donation details grid one final time. Click Save. The record is created and immediately visible in the donor’s app profile.

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13. Best Practices

Donation Numbering

• Establish a consistent Donation No format across your team (e.g., DON-YYYY-NNNN) and communicate it to all data entry staff.
• For cheque donations, use the cheque number as the Donation No for easy cross-referencing.
• For cash donations, use an internal receipt or envelope number.

Remarks Field

• Always fill in Remarks for non-cash payments with the transaction or cheque reference.
• For cash collections, note the event or service where the offering was collected (e.g., “Sunday Service 25 May 2026”).
• Use consistent language so records are easy to search and audit.

Multi-Period Payments

• When a member pays multiple months at once (e.g., 3 months’ contribution), use No of Month/Year = 3 rather than creating three separate entries. This keeps the record concise and accurate.
• Always set the Donation Year/Month to the first period being covered.

Data Accuracy

• Double-check the donor selection before saving — it is the most critical field.
• Cross-reference with physical receipt books or collection registers before data entry to avoid discrepancies.
• Enter donations promptly (same day or within 24 hours of receipt) to keep app records current for members.

Member-Initiated Entries

• Review app-submitted entries at least once a week (or after every major service).
• Confirm the payment has actually been received before finalising the CMS record.
• If an app-submitted entry has incorrect details, edit the record before saving the confirmed version.

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14. Troubleshooting

Issue	Resolution
Donor name not found in Choose Donor list	The member may not have been registered in the system. Contact your system administrator to add the member to the church directory before creating the donation entry.
Add Donation Details button does nothing	Ensure all five detail fields are filled: Category, Donation Amount, No of Month/Year, Donation Year/Month, and Total Amount. The button will not function if any field is empty.
Total Amount field does not auto-calculate	Enter the Total Amount manually as Donation Amount × No of Month/Year. Some CMS configurations may require manual entry.
Cannot save — form returns an error	Check that all required fields (marked with *) are complete: Choose Donor, Donation No, Donation Date, Terms, Remarks, and at least one detail line item. Also verify Payment Mode is selected.
Donation not visible in the member’s app	Confirm the entry was saved successfully (it should appear in the Offline Donation list). Ask the member to refresh the app or log out and back in. If the issue persists, contact your system administrator.
Duplicate donation entry found	Do not delete entries without verifying with the treasurer. If confirmed as a duplicate, use the Edit or Delete function from the Offline Donation list, or contact your administrator to reverse the entry correctly.
Wrong donor was selected and entry was saved	Open the entry from the Offline Donation list using the Edit icon. If the donor field is editable, correct it and re-save. If it cannot be changed, contact your system administrator to transfer or delete the incorrect record.
Image attachment file too large	Compress the image using a free tool or resize it before uploading. JPG files under 1 MB are ideal.

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15. Getting Further Help

If you encounter an issue not addressed in this guide:

• Contact your system administrator or technical support team.
• Refer to other articles in the Knowledge Base for related financial modules.
• For feature requests or feedback, use your designated support channel.