Are you suggesting adding package to the filter tab on reports? I am not sure I am exactly getting that you are suggesting.

Sometimes we solicit the same person in multiple ways, effectively they have received package 1 and package 2. So if 500 people got 1, and 1000 people got #2, and of the 500 who got #1 also got #2 then I've really only solicited 500+750=1250. The total solicited for the appeal, however, makes me use the total for all saying 1500 received the appeal, but that wouldn't be accurate.

I am not sure this is the intended use for packages - which may be the problem. It is one solicitation - each person getting a different "version"

We use it to see what methods are working better. And I think everyone is going to use it a different way. So I don't really like them telling me I HAVE to use it that way. And I can make the total solicited MORE than the package totals, but not less. So it's not really a built in "check your math".

I try not to say how you HAVE to do anything but I will comment on how something is INTENDED to be used and the functionality designed around that intent. You can put addresses in attributes if you want. But the designed fucntionality will be vastly different because it was designed to function a certain way.

In my experience, appeals are designed to track what went OUT and packages which versions the person received. I see lots of people trying to track what comes IN using packages or using one appeal for an entire event with several solicitation streams (invitation, sponsorship package, silent auction, raffle, etc,) and they get stuck. If someone got stuck using attributes to track addresses and came on here suggesting BB change the functionality of Attributes to suit their needs I would speak up there, too.

You can make your total solicited more than the package totals because sometimes you solicit outside of RE and consider that the group with NO package ID. Been there done that.

Good for you.

Melissa, I would definitely like to see Packages as a filter on Reports. I'd also like to see them be easier to use in queries. Right now, when you want to include package information as a query criteria you can't select from a list of available packages (like you can for Campaigns, Appeals, Funds, etc.). Instead you need to type in the full name of the package (100% correctly) or use "begins with" or "contains" as the operator for the query.

Nicole, I believe that if you're using a global add to put Appeals and Packages on constituent records you can choose not to update the number solicited. This might help with your numbers problem.

Feel better saying that Nicole?

I agree it should be a table select in query. That would be awesome. It would be more important to me to have it as an option to filter on. I also think package category would be Awesome as a filter in reports. The fewer times my users have to go to query to get the right select on a report the better!

Oh Barbara, if only that were the answer. I don't use the global to update the #.

We send out reminder post cards, emails, etc. We find it helpful to see what people received AND what they are responding to. Not having the ability to override this number appropriately skews the analysis on the canned report.

I agree about query and packages. Maybe because they are linked to the packages they don't have drop-downs.

I've heard people complain that the package options don't pre-fill based on what the const. has on their record. For instance, if a person got package A, then why do all of the package options appear in drop-down. So it's messy.

(There are other problems with the appeals analysis report, by the way.)

You also don't have the option to include the package on many reports. And on the ones that you can include it on there is no option to format it as the ID instead of description. Given that the reports have limited column space and formatting/wrapping options, you then have to take that into account when completing those fields.

The Appeal analysis report where you can include packages works like most reports and prints ID vs Descriotion based on your user options. If you change your user option for appeals to IDs then that report will print IDs for both the appeals and packages. So there is a way - just not a good way. It means depending on who runs the report - it will look drastically different.

I, too, want to record what someone was sent and what they responded to. I just know that because of the functionality, I have to record what they responded to somewhere else. Sometimes It is in the event module, sometimes in attributes (sometimes both).

You would think so, but it doesn't work like that. I've even contacted BB about it.

Also, the appeal dashboards don't incorporate the packages either.

Well, let's hope BB is following this thread. It would be nice if increased Package reporting and functionality could be included in future versions. How ever we choose to use it, we need to be able to report and query on it effectively.

I use that report all the time and switch back and forth between ID and description depending on who I am sending the report. It does work like that.

Lots of reports do not incorporate packages. I think that this "idea" s great but not specific enough for BB to take action. If you want them to add packages to specific reports, I suggest you create an idea specifically for this.

I still havent even voted for this one because I still do not exactly know what change it is asking for to be honest - Sorry Barbara.

I want to understand this request. I would like to have the ability to search for packages the way we search appeal, funds and campaigns. Currently I use word doc. to cut and paste the packages into my querys.

I too would like a report that I can run based on packages. I use packages often for our events and our annual appeal and there are times the boss would like to have a report based solely on one package or wants to omit a package within the appeal.

If you want specific changes - I suggest you create ideas that are more specific. They are the only ones that BB can really act on. I am now going to create a suggestion for them to add Package as a filter on appeal reports. I could certainly use that.