Internal Process and Playbooks
      Back to home
      1. Internal Knowledge Base
      2. Internal Process and Playbooks

      How to Find Donor Records in iDonate/GMSNext

      For many support tickets you encounter, you will have to master the art of looking for an individual account in the iDonate system. This article will give you every single way we’re able to locate a donor in the system. -Justin Clemons

      Note: All these techniques can be used on the LifeWay side of GMSNext. 



      Donor Email Address


      Having a donor email address to search for is the most sure way to locate a donor in our system. iDonate uses the email as the key identifier in our system, as all donor information is tied to the email that they use when creating their initial donation in iDonate. Places where we can search using the email address to find donors: 


        • GMS (under the organization that they have been giving to)
          • They may be found under the Reporting section. They will only be present under this section if they have successfully given a gift to that organization.
            • If searching by email under the Reporting section, use the Column Options tab in the top right to enable the “Donor Email” column to be able to search by donor email
          • Can find via the Donations and Donors report
      • GMSNext
        • People > Donors
              • This will be the most common way that you search for donors in GMSNext. Use the search bar in the top right while on the List Donors page to search for donors via email. 
        • People > Donor+Users
            • This will be a useful way to search for donors under the following circumstances:
              • You weren’t able to find the donor using the People > Donors method
              • The donor has created an account before making a successful donation
            • Note: An iDonate “User” is someone who has created a Donor Self Serve Portal and has successfully logged into this portal at least one time before. 

      Donor ID


      Every donor in our system is assigned a 32-digit alphanumeric code upon the initial creation of their first donation using iDonate. This code is used internally to track a particular donor. Here is an example of a code here: 

      F6d9f6ae-a236-4543-9f54-8ae6e48a85f0


      Much like searching for a donor via their email address, we can search for a donor using their Donor ID if their email address is not available for us to search. Here are places where we can search using a Donor ID: 


      • GMS (under the organization that the donor is giving to
        • The only place where we can see a donor ID in GMS will be under the Reporting section, with the iDonate Donor ID column option enabled. Enable it and close the window for this to be viewed on the Reporting page
        • Can find via the Donations and Donors report

      • GMSNext
        • Very similarly to how you searched for donors via their email address, the two places that we can search for a donor via their Donor ID are as follows:
          • People > Donors 
          • People > Donor+Users


      Recurring Donation Schedule ID

      Very similar to a Donor ID. If a donor has a recurring donation schedule (current or expired) we can look up their recurring schedule using the 32-digit alphanumeric code that is assigned to that particular schedule. Here is an example of a Recurring Donation Schedule ID: 

      6bc07e52-9115-48a9-afd1-79eda4d55716


      Much like searching for a donor via their email address and Donor ID, we can search for a donor using their Recurring Donation Schedule if their other information is not available for us to search. Often times, we can acquire the Recurring Donation Schedule ID from a Donor’s record in GMS and GMSNext. Please see the Donor Email Address and the Donor ID section above in order to find a Donor record. 


      Here are places where we can search using a Recurring Donation Schedule ID: 


      • GMSNext
        • Payment > Recurring Schedules
            • We can use this section to search for Recurring Schedules that are both active and expired. Input the Recurring Donation Schedule ID in the search bar on this page to search for the schedule
            • To search for expired Recurring Donation Schedules, please move the toggle under Show Inactive in the top right corner to the right to be able to search for these
            • Note: You may also search here with a donor’s name, but it won’t be as efficient if you were to just search for the donor using the People > Donors method


      Transaction ID


      One of the last type of IDs, a Transaction ID is created for every transaction/donation that is created through the iDonate platform. It appears as a 32-digit alphanumeric code like this example below: 

      A210eb0a-fc7f-43f3-9be8-454d276987c8


      Much like searching for a donor via their email address and Donor ID, we can search for a donor using a Transaction ID from one of their donations if their other information is not available for us to search. If we wish to find a Transaction ID associated with a donor, we can acquire one from a Donor’s record in GMS and GMSNext. Please see the Donor Email Address and the Donor ID section above in order to find a Donor record. 


      Here are places where we can search using a Transaction ID:


      • GMSNext
        • Transactions
            • Easier to find than its counterparts, we search for Transactions within its own dedicated section in the GMSNext toolbar. Once on the All Transactions page, search using the acquired Transaction ID.
            • Having a Transaction ID is another sure way to pin-point the exact donor record that one needs to be looking at. 
            • Note: You may also search here with a donor’s name, but it won’t be as efficient if you were to just search for the donor using the People > Donors method

      Donor Name


      Fairly obvious,, but we are also able to search for donors using their first, last, and full name in the iDonate system. We can search for donors using their name in the following places:


      • GMS (in organization where the donor has given)
        • Reporting
            • If the donor has successfully given a gift to the organization, they will show up here. If results aren’t shown while searching for the donor’s full name, search by the last name to narrow it down. 
            • Can find via the Donations and Donors report

      • GMSNext
        • You will be able to search for donors using their name under all the sections we’ve listed above:
          • Donors
          • Donors+Users
          • Recurring Schedules
          • Transactions
        • However, it may not be the most efficient way to search for a donor, but it is useful to see if any other accounts have been created under the same name (duplicate accounts) and as a last resort


      These are all the best ways to search for a donor in the iDonate system!