How do I claim Gift Aid if I'm using ChurchSuite?
If you are using ChurchSuite, you can either claim Gift Aid in ChurchSuite or in ExpensePlus. Most churches using both claim Gift Aid through ChurchSuite. Firstly, donors have access to view and manage their giving details directly online (through the web browser or mychurchsuite app. Secondly, to avoid any duplication of member data and also because of the communication and reporting functionality within ChurchSuite. You can choose to use either software product for your gift aid claims though, we just wouldn't recommend you use both!
If you decide to use ExpensePlus, then click here to find out how to claim Gift Aid.
If you are using ChurchSuite to claim Gift Aid, then all of the donor details, gift aid declaration forms, and gift aid claims will be managed and done through ChurchSuite. The only thing you will need to do is to use the 'ChurchSuite' export function each month to export the donation transactions from ExpensePlus and upload them into ChurchSuite just like you would a bank statement.
One advantage of using the ExpensePlus export rather than uploading a bank statement into ChurchSuite is that the import is already in the correct format, we've already stripped out the transactions that aren't needed (expenditure transactions, income that isn't donations, etc.), and any transactions with Gift Aid already claimed on them are flagged as not eligible. Transactions also have the correct donation method assigned to them, and exporting from ExpensePlus to ChurchSuite also means the data in both systems remain aligned. The export from ExpensePlus even strips out donations given through ChurchSuite (that are therefore already in ChurchSuite from the export), so that they don't appear twice!
When donations (where gift aid will be claimed through ChurchSuite) arrive in your bank account and therefore on the bank statements you upload into ExpensePlus - in the bank matching screen simply click on the transaction as you would a donation transaction, and in the popup that appears, select Mixed Income. You can then correctly record the donation as from the appropriate Named Donor and by selecting the donation method as ChurchSuite, the donation will be excluded from:
a) the potential to claim GA within ExpensePlus
b) an export of donor data from ExpensePlus back into ChurchSuite
