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IMPACT Features Detail
Application Management
Patron Management
Membership Management
Gift Management
Event Management
Financial Management
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Features: Application Management
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MODULAR DESIGNIMPACT contains eleven different modules. The base module provides basic patron and financial information. There are seven modules that provide extended information and capabilities for patrons and three additional modules that track membership, pledge, and event (including registration) data. Because IMPACT is modular in design, you only need to activate the modules you will be using. Those that you do not use will not appear on your screen. In some cases, buttons or data will be disabled; that is, they will appear but will not be active.
USER INTERFACEIMPACT has a user-oriented interface that provides similarly designed forms and consistent navigation methods and procedures. The form title is at the top left of each form and the "Cancel", "Close", and "Home" buttons are at the top right of each form. Administrative and "important" information is displayed in light red. Primarily, buttons are used to navigate to different areas of the application; however, IMPACT also supports the use of standard Microsoft keyboard shortcuts. That is, press and hold down the "alt" key, while pressing the key indicated by an underlined character (similar to the way in which you type capital letters on a standard keyboard). For example, to view patron information from the main form, you can either click the "Patron" button or press and hold the "alt" key and press the letter "n". Or to view a calendar of upcoming events, click the "Calendar" button, or press and hold the "alt" key and press the letter "l".
DATA ENTRY AND EDITINGIMPACT uses consistent data entry procedures. Combo boxes (drop-down boxes from which you select a value) are used for dates as well as user- and system-defined codes. What this means is that it is impossible to enter invalid data in these areas. Certainly, IMPACT cannot determine if you misspell a patron's name, but it can easily assist you in ensuring that a patron's type is "Ind" (Individual) or 'Org" (Organization). IMPACT uses approximately 50 user- and system-defined codes. IMPACT also uses a second method of entering basic data called "SSP", or search, select, and paste. This method is similar to a combo box, but allows you much more functionality such as viewing additional information for your selection, as well as adding basic entities such as activities or patrons. IMPACT also edits your data upon entry to ensure, as much as possible, that your data is correct and consistent. Standardized messages are used to display any information, warnings, or errors.
EDUCATION AND TRAININGSDS has provided an online tutorial that teaches you, step-by-step, the fundamentals of the IMPACT application. At the end of tutorial, you should understand the basic framework of IMPACT, and have a good understanding of how it can be used in your organization. It teaches you how to enter patron information, create events and register the associated patrons, establish pledges, make payments, enter donations, record relationships (e.g. employer:employee), run reports, perform some basic inquiries, and print mailing labels. IMPACT also comes with a comprehensive online HELP system that gives you access to over 180 pages of user documentation, which features step-by-step instructions for various tasks. It includes a TABLE OF CONTENTS, an INDEX, and a SEARCH feature that operates very much like the standard Microsoft HELP systems in both Windows and Office. And, it also contains a CUE CARD feature that allows you to display instructions WHILE you are actually performing a task.
DATA MANAGEMENTIMPACT retains an online comprehensive history of your data, which you are able to view at any time. In order to manage this volume of history, IMPACT uses date filters which allow you to restrict the amount of information you see to any current date range you desire. For example, in most cases you may only want to see information for the current and last fiscal year. Simply set the date defaults to this period of time, and IMPACT will automatically filter your information. Of course, you can easily override these defaults at any time you choose, either locally or globally. This allows you, for example, to view financial information for the prior year, event information for the last six months, all membership information regardless of date, etc. And of course, the reporting subsystem, and inquiry/mail subsystem support this history as well. You are able to answer such questions as how many members did we have this year, last year, next year, five years ago, etc.
REPORTING, INQUIRY, AND COMMUNICATIONThe reporting subsystem allows you to choose from a variety of standard reports, depending on the modules you have installed. Basic reports include a variety of patron reports, financial reports, and help reports. Other reports are dependent on the modules you install and are described in the description of each module.
The inquiry/mail subsystem supports all of the data within IMPACT, including selecting information for patrons, memberships, gifts, events, financial data, extended benefits, extended notes, relationships, actions, and attributes. Once data is selected, a variety of options are available, from printing some specific reports, sending e-mails, printing labels, ID cards, letters, etc. via mail/merge in Microsoft Word, or exporting data to Microsoft Excel for subsequent processing.
All reporting and inquiry supports the historical nature of IMPACT data. For example, you could select all current board members, or last year's board members, or all board members. You could select any patron that volunteered last year, or the last two years, or the last five years. You could select new members, or patrons that have donated money during the last six months.
SECURITYIMPACT has a simple and effective security system. For each user, you establish a user name and assign one of two security levels: ADMINISTRATOR, or USER. There is also a third security level, MANAGER, that is reserved for SDS personnel. The MANAGER security level allows us to view and update all sorts of application information, and thereby maintain the integrity of the application. The ADMINISTRATOR security level is typically reserved for one individual within your organization, and allows comprehensive capabilities to manage and update your organization's sensitive information such as codes, date defaults, etc. The administrator can also delete patrons, combine patrons, and view restricted patrons. The USER security level is used for any other user of your organization whether they enter data, print standard reports, or perform mailings. Each security level has four capabilities: view, add, edit, and delete. This allows you to set up users with specific functional capabilities, such as "read-only" or "data entry."
IMPACT also supports password protection at log-on, restricted editing and viewing of sensitive data, and protected audit trails including user name and date/time.
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A Testimonial from Tom Olbrich
"Stew is always available to help and is just a phone call away. He always answers or returns calls immediately. He helped us perform the conversion to Impact painlessly. We are extremely well supported, not just in the operation of the program as we bought it, but he is also willing to enhance IMPACT to meet our needs. He is respectful of questions, concerns and then adapts his own creation to further our efforts. He has been a gift to the Ashland Independent Film Festival."
-Tom Olbrich
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