LCR donations - new member

[clamborn]

When processing donations in LCR for a new member (such as a child under 8), membership numbers are required to add the member before the donation can be processed. Finance clerks do not regularly have membership numbers in their authority level. When calling LDS support, they indicate this is a feature and how the system should work. That the finance clerk needs to obtain the membership number from the membership clerk. This seems unworkable as the membership clerk is generally not present when contributions are processed. In addition, it is never known if a membership number will be needed in advance of processing donations. It is always just an immediate need. Is there a need to have this? Why can't LCR just show the member name as a potential selection? They are already members in the ward.

[garystroble]

There should always be a bishopric member working with the financial clerk. The bishopric member has access on member tools to membership numbers. On the other hand, I don't disagree with your premise that a simple pull down by member name should be provided.

[eblood66]

I don't have access to the new donations screen in LCR yet but that does seem very odd. The similar box in the Expenses screen allows you to search/select by name so why shouldn't the donations screen. In fact, as a work around you could use the Payee input box on the Expense screen to look up the MRN for a member of the ward including children (although as garystroble says it's probably easier for the bishopric member to look it up in Member Tools).

[jpjones~ogr]

I've been avoiding processing donations in LCR because of debilitating glitches that happened early in the roll out, and may be starting to develop again. However, last Sunday I fiddled with it again and got shut down by the member record number requirement. Personally I don't expect any of my ward family, or most ward families, to know their record number, because its just another not very useful ID that they haven't had to use for decades, and well they just don't see any great value in it. I noticed the member record number line on donations slips years ago, but have been telling folks to ignore it.

OK, down to the "thanks for the help" portion. I hadn't thought of grabbing record numbers from the Expense Payee field, because I simply didn't recognize they were there. This should solve mine (as ward clerk) and our finance clerk's concern about needing some magic to enter donations from new folks. I was hunting for a member list that included their record numbers, but they're all gone now. Before starting a donations batch we'll open another browser tab to Expense pages, so we can easily swap back and forth as needed.

Thanks folks. This thread will regularly preserve a little of my blood pressure. Take care.

[davesudweeks]

If I recall correctly, there are three assistant clerk callings: Assistant Clerk, Assistant Clerk-membership, Assistant Clerk-finance. The Assistant Clerk calling grants access to both membership and finance. That is what we did for a time when we really didn't need 2 assistant clerks. So the Stake President could call your Assistant Clerk-finance as an Assistant Clerk instead which will give him access to both membership and finance.

[jpjones~ogr]

Not long after learning of assistant clerk access rights in LCR (kinda like a software Easter egg) we reassigned our membership clerk to it. He already helped with weekly donations, so expanding his capabilities makes operating without me easier. We coordinated with our stake about the change and they let us proceed without another interview and sustaining. It hasn't made a big difference, but some tasks move faster. I expect our membership/assistant clerk to replace me eventually anyway. Our finance clerk already has maybe 3 or 4 other callings.