AFN-StudentBillingImplementationGuide

Transcription

1 Blackbaud, Inc. This publication, or any part thereof, may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, storage in an information retrieval system, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of Blackbaud, Inc. The information in this manual has been carefully checked and is believed to be accurate. Blackbaud, Inc., assumes no responsibility for any inaccuracies, errors, or omissions in this manual. In no event will Blackbaud, Inc., be liable for direct, indirect, special, incidental, or consequential damages resulting from any defect or omission in this manual, even if advised of the possibility of damages. In the interest of continuing product development, Blackbaud, Inc., reserves the right to make improvements in this manual and the products it describes at any time, without notice or obligation. The Raiser s Edge, MatchFinder, ParaGon, RE:Alum, RE:Event, RE:Member, RE:Queue, RE:Tribute, RE:Volunteer, RE:Zip, and Blackbaud are registered trademarks of Blackbaud, Inc. All other products and company names mentioned herein are trademarks of their respective holder. AFN-StudentBillingImplementationGuide

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3 6WXGHQW%LOOLQJ,PSOHPHQWDWLRQ *XLGH Contents Step 1: Receive Software Step 2: Ensure Hardware and Network Capabilities Step 3: Install the Software Step 4: Develop and Execute Implementation Plan and Timeline Analyzing Your Organization Billing Requirements Statement Requirements Conducting Prior System Analysis Student Billing Setup Considerations Balance Forward vs. Open Item Student Centric vs. Payer Centric Billing Options Changing Billing Options Creating Fees Automatic Fee Types Manual Fee Types Miscellaneous Fee Types Frequently Asked Questions Quick Startup for Student Billing for Windows Configuration Establishing Billing Years Entering the Grade Code Table Entering Aging Periods Entering Salutation codes Entering Fees Students Entering Student, Parent and Organization Information Entering Relations for Students, Parents and Organizations Assigning Charges To Information For Paying Records Entering Bill Codes For Automatic Transaction Generation Entering Charges Assessing Charges - Automatic Transaction Generation Or Manual Mail

4 2 C HAPTER 1 Cash Receipts Entering Payments and Advanced Deposits Security Step 5: Additional Implementation Considerations Understanding the Student Billing Program Training

5 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 3 Welcome to the Student Billing Implementation Guide. This guide discusses the implementation process, information regarding the conversion process, and setup considerations that affect the performance of the software. This information is separated into five steps, explained in detail in the following sections: Step 1: Receive Software Step 2: Ensure that necessary hardware and network capabilities are in place Step 3: Install the software Step 4: Develop and execute your implementation plan and timeline Step 5: Additional implementation considerations We believe you have chosen an outstanding accounting program. At Blackbaud, we are committed to producing a superior product and providing excellent customer service. We are also committed to the success of your Student Billing implementation. Software training is essential to a successful system implementation. This guide is not intended to replace training, but is offered to enhance the training experience and improve the likelihood of a successful system implementation. We currently offer Blackbaud University classes and on-site trainings covering the functionality of the software. If you have any questions or concerns regarding implementation issues, please contact Customer Support at or visit our Web site at Step 1: Receive Software To view the latest documentation and information, such as system requirements and recommendations, you can refer to our Web site at Once you receive your software, you should ensure your shipment includes an installation CD containing all of the programs and modules your organization purchased. You can access the help files and online documentation from the CD. You can also order manuals. For example, the Administrator s Guide documents pre-installation, installation, post-installation, and product-specific information and procedures. Your technical staff should use this guide to ensure the proper installation and maintenance of your accounting system. The Administrator s Guide also includes documentation concerning the configuration of multiple databases (i.e., The Raiser s Edge) and the configuration of multiple Accounting for Nonprofits databases. Step 2: Ensure Hardware and Network Capabilities Hardware configuration is often overlooked in the implementation of an accounting system. To view the latest documentation and information, such as system requirements and recommendations, you can refer to our Web site at

6 4 C HAPTER 1 The system recommendations made by Blackbaud represent only minimum standards. System performance depends on many variables including the number of system users, network specifications, the size of your database file, and other various hardware and network considerations. Blackbaud s recommendations provide a generic guideline, and you should examine your organization s situation to determine the correct hardware and network configuration to suit your unique needs. Without the proper hardware configuration, you may see diminished performance and encounter unnecessary problems. In many cases, it is beneficial or necessary to exceed the minimum system requirements provided by Blackbaud. It may be prudent to exceed your current system requirements so your organization can satisfy future needs, such as an increased number of users or a large database file. Please discuss our system recommendations with your technical staff to ensure that all hardware and network issues are addressed. In the event your organization does not have technical staff or additional consultation is necessary, Blackbaud offers professional services provided by our technical consulting staff. Our consultants are available to assist you in addressing your hardware and network issues via phone or on-site consultation. Step 3: Install the Software After hardware and network issues are resolved, install the software. You have the option to choose either a network or standalone installation. Initially, you want to install the software with a sample database so you can test the functionality of the system. The sample data set included with the software is for an organization named Lowcountry Preservation Society. You can add records and test the data in the system to gain a better understanding of the functions of Student Billing. After sample data testing is complete, reinstall a blank database to enter your organization s data. For assistance in reinstalling a blank database, please contact Customer Support at During the installation of your blank database, you need to answer some important questions. Number of Accounting Periods. Blackbaud s Accounting for Nonprofits package allows organizations to choose 12 or 13 accounting periods. If your General Ledger is already established, you need to select the same accounting period structure as reflected in General Ledger. Open item or Balance Forward. Student Billing offers two different types of payment/credit application procedures. You can choose from Open Item or Balance Forward. The difference between the two is how payments and credits are applied to charges. The Balance Forward method automatically applies payments/credits to the oldest charges first. With this choice the program does all of the work of apply payment/credits. The Open Item method is more detailed and requires the extra step of applying when you add a payment/credit. Each payment/credit needs to be applied to a particular charge. To help speed data entry time, Blackbaud has built in features to automate the application process. You can set the program default to have the program apply payments/credits to the oldest charges first or the newest charges first. If you want to override the default for specific cases, you can do so on the Payment/Credit record.

7 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 5 These decisions as well as others are discussed in detail in the Student Billing Setup Considerations section. Additional questions regarding connecting in a network installation and the configuration issues involved in running multiple Accounting for Nonprofits databases or utilizing both an Accounting for Nonprofits product and the Raiser s Edge may need to be covered by your technical staff. Details concerning those issues and others are in the Accounting for Nonprofits Administrator s Guide. After installation, ensure all modules are installed correctly. For instructions on how to access each module, please consult the Student Billing for Windows User s Guide. If you have any questions about installation, please contact Customer Support at Step 4: Develop and Execute Implementation Plan and Timeline A well-defined and developed plan facilitates a successful implementation. The following section is designed to help your organization establish a detailed implementation plan. The time it takes to fully implement Student Billing depends on several issues: Organization size and complexity Training plan selected Historical data plan chosen Organizational resources available for your implementation It is important that your organization develop a realistic implementation timeline. Set a realistic time period for the project, considering issues such as billing year and peak organizational periods. The essential steps to successful system implementation include: Analyzing Your Organization Conducting Prior System Analysis Reviewing the Student Billing Setup Considerations Conducting the Conversion Process Setting up the Student Billing System Testing Implementation Results Conducting Day-to-Day Operations Using the New System Analyzing Your Organization Examine and understand your organization s processes and billing needs to establish an effective implementation plan. Without first understanding the business of the organization, implementing Student Billing can be more difficult to accomplish and increasingly inefficient.

8 6 C HAPTER 1 Billing Requirements The implementation of a new system often allows organizations to change their structure and practices to better accomplish their goals. Prior to beginning work within the software, determine the billing needs of your organization. Would it be beneficial to have several automatic fees that you can run for all students requiring the charge, or do you have fees that need manual entry due to the individual needs of students? What about open item or balance forward? Does your organization need to track what charge each payment/credit pays or will paying the oldest charge first be sufficient? The answer to these questions will determine how you configure Student Billing. Additional billing requirement questions include: What type of billing fees should you use? When does your billing year start and end? How to configure your promotion schedule? How many days do your aging periods contain? Do you want to age based on transaction date or due date? Do you want a payer or student centric billing system? What salutation codes should you use? Statement Requirements If you document your billing needs and address the setup during the physical implementation of the software, most billing requirements can be met. However, it is important that you examine all billing requirements during the early stages of the implementation, regardless of how basic or advanced those requirements may seem. Questions to answer regarding statement requirements include: Will statements be addressed to students or payers? Do payers need to receive a separate statement? Do payers need to receive a separate copy? Do you need payers to receive statements reflecting the person and charges for which they are responsible? Do you want to combine all students in a family on one statement? How much detail do you want to show on statements? For which students do you want to run statements? Conducting Prior System Analysis Evaluate your previous billing system. You cannot guarantee the accuracy and viability of your new system without making sure the data in the prior billing system is accurate. Some of the items to check for accuracy prior to implementing the new system are: Student and Payer Balances Student Billing Statements

9 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 7 Aging Reports Ungenerated Financial Aid and Advanced Deposits Unapplied payments and credits System functionality Evaluate how your current system works and compare it to Student Billing. If your current system possesses any unique function, be sure those needs are addressed in your move to Student Billing. In most cases any unique function should be available from the Blackbaud system. If there are any special features that need additional attention, these should be covered during the implementation process. Student Billing Setup Considerations As discussed earlier, the implementation of any student billing system requires a great deal of forethought and consideration. The following sections explain some of the features of Student Billing that may be new to your billing environment. Before using the program, carefully consider each item below. In some cases, the decisions made can have substantial and possibly irreversible consequences in the functionality and billing ability of the system. Balance Forward vs. Open Item When Student Billing is first installed, you have the option to choose between Balance Forward and Open Item. The difference between the two is how payments and credits are applied to charges. The option to choose between Balance Forward and Open Item allows you to further customize the software to fit the needs of your organization. However, the decision should be carefully weighed before installation, since it has far reaching effects on how you use the software. Balance Forward The Balance Forward method automatically applies Payments/Credits to the oldest charges first. If you choose a Balance Forward configuration, the program does all payment/credit application behind the scenes.

10 8 C HAPTER 1 On the Payment/Credit record, the second tab is the Distributions tab, as shown below. This tab is used to apply the payment/credit to the person who is responsible for the charges. You do not apply the payment/credit to the charge itself. Open Item The Open Item method is more detailed than Balance Forward and requires an extra step when adding a payment/credit. Each payment/credit needs to be applied to a particular charge on the Applications tab shown below. If you chose the Open Item configuration, you are required to apply each payment and credit; however, you have the additional flexibility of being able to leave older charges unpaid, while applying payments/credits to newer charges. This is very useful when you receive payments for specific charges. For example, a check strictly intended for room and board rather than for library fees. To help speed data entry time, we provide features to automate the application process. You can set the system default to apply payments/credits to the oldest charges or the newest charges first. If you want to override the default for specific cases, you can do so on the Payment/Credit record.

11 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 9 There are some additional options available when printing statements with an Open Item system. You can choose to print the statements in either date order or apply to sequence, so the charges appear right next to the payment/credit which is used to offset the charge. Student Centric vs. Payer Centric Billing Options With the release of Student Billing version 6.21 and higher, you have the option to set your student records up either as Student Centric, Payer Centric, or a mixture of both. For those who are familiar with Blackbaud s Student Billing for DOS, Student Centric reflects this format. All charges are tracked via the student record and anyone can pay on the charges. Payer Centric is similar to the Split Fees option in the DOS program. Student charges appear on the student record, but are assigned to a specific payee. That payee is responsible for only the balance reflecting from those charges. These options, combined with the Balance Forward or Open Item options, help you customize Student Billing in a variety of ways to simplify billing procedures or create very detailed records. Student Centric The Student Centric format focuses totally on the student. A student centric record allows you to add all charges, credits, and payments directly on a student s record. There is no need to even add parent/guardian records unless you want to address statements to the parents. When adding a payment, you can type in anyone s name as the payer, whether that payer has a record set up in the system or not. There is not an option to print statements with specific charges to a particular payer, such as may be required with divorced parents. All payers who are set up in the system can only receive a copy of the same statement. To tell if a record is Student Centric or Payer Centric check the Billing Options frame in the lower right corner of the Bio 1 tab on the student s record.

12 10 C HAPTER 1 Payer Centric Payer Centric allows you to produce split bills and/or family statements. Charges are still added to the student record, but the responsibility for these charges must be assigned to a particular payer (parent, guardian, or organization). Advance deposits and payments are added through the payer s record and assigned or distributed to the student. Statements are printed to show only the charges the payer is responsible for and/or a copy of any other payer s statement. Family statements are printed to show the combined transactions for multiple students. A Payer Centric record has an Assign Charges To tab where default payment responsibility is set up on the student record. To summarize, Student Centric allows for basic statements to be produced and mailed out. Payer Centric is required for more complex statements to be produced. Changing Billing Options The utility to change from Student Centric to Payer Centric is located in Utilities and Housekeeping on the File menu. The utility can move all of the payments from several payers to one student. It cannot reverse the process because it does not know whom to assign responsibility for charges. Before you decide to switch, please be sure this is the option you want and always backup before making significant changes in your database. The utility can be run for one student or for selected students using a query.

13 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 11 Creating Fees In Configuration on the Billing Fees tab, you define your fees for each of your billing years. A billing fee is a record that contains default information regarding amounts, general ledger account distributions, and/or schedules. These fees are used to create transactions that either charge or credit the payers in your system. When adding these fees, the available types are grouped under three categories: automatic, manual, and miscellaneous. Automatic Fee Types Automatic fees are defined for specific amounts or percentages, and are subject to specified schedules defined for all or selected grade levels. Automatic fees are added to the payee/student s account on the Fee Schedules portion of the Activity tab. Vary Amount by Grade The amount for this fee is determined by the student s grade level. Using this fee type, you can create one fee for items such as Tuition, but vary the amount charged for each student by grade level.

14 12 C HAPTER 1 Vary Amount and Schedule by Grade Using this fee, you will be able to create one fee with separate amounts and separate distribution schedules for each grade. For example, you would be able to set the fee to charge first graders $200 distributed in July, October, January, and April. Then charge second graders $220 distributed in August, November, February, and May. Same Amount and Schedule for All Grades This fee is based on a common amount for each grade and has the same distribution for each grade. Since this fee is the same for all grades, this is the only fee that can be assigned to either the payer or the payee.

15 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 13 Bill Codes Bill codes should not be confused with fee codes. Bill codes are the filter that links certain students to the automatic fees you establish in your system. Basically, a bill code allows you to filter out which fees a certain person should receive during a particular year. Bill codes can save the time of having to go to each record and physically add a fee schedule to the record. As mentioned earlier, fee codes are focused on an amount and/or a schedule by grade. If there was a particular fee that a client needed or did not need for a student/payee to receive, they could limit that transaction based upon a bill code. If a bill code has been added to an automatic fee when set up in Configuration, then any student/payee that needs the fee would also need the corresponding bill code. If there is an automatic fee you need everyone to receive, then you do not need to add a bill code to the fee because the program gives everyone a transaction based upon that fee. Again, it is important to see bill codes as filters that determine who is to receive or not to receive a charge or credit. Bill codes are only for automatic fees. If the bill codes are set up properly on the fee itself and on the student, then when you generate the transactions automatically for the first time, the bill code indicates to the program to add the fees schedule to the payee/student s account (on the Fee Schedules portion of the Activity tab). Also, the first transaction from the schedule is generated. Remember, bill codes tie the student to a particular fee. Manual Fee Types Manual charges are added directly on the Activity tab of the record. They are usually used for one-time or low use charges such as damage and library fines. Once the fee is established in Configuration, it can be used to apply charges or credits. In either case, the manual fee transactions are added on the Activity tab of the person. Bill codes are only for automatic fees. If the bill codes are set up properly on the fee itself and on the student, then when you generate the transactions automatically for the first time, the bill code indicates to the program to add the fees schedule to the payee/student s account (on the Fee Schedules portion of the Activity tab). Fixed Amount This fee is used to charge or credit individuals based on the set amount. The fee is not dependent upon a distribution or grade.

16 14 C HAPTER 1 Per Usage You will use this fee to create credit or charge transactions on individual records based on a set amount per unit. The unit can be hours, days, events, or occurrences. Refund Refunds are used to credit individuals for overpayments. This transaction uses the Cash Account and Accounts Receivable Account defined in Bank Accounts.This fee is created like the other fees in Configuration and does not have an amount defined. This is defined on the individual record at the time of the refund. Miscellaneous Fee Types The five types of miscellaneous fees are: Financial Aid, Advance Deposits, Finance Charges, TRP, and Sales Tax. The financial aid and advance deposits are added to the fee schedules portion of the activity tab.

17 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 15 Financial Aid This fee is created to produce a credit on a student s account with funds from sources other that a Payer s funds. It is based on the amount entered on the student record and on the fee distribution created in Configuration. Advance Deposits This fee credits a student s account for an advance deposit. Again, dollar amounts received are entered on the student record and the distribution is created in Configuration.

18 16 C HAPTER 1 Finance Charge This fee assesses an additional charge to accounts with an overdue balance. When you run the Calculate Finance/Late Charge program in the Students module, the program uses the finance charge fee set up in Configuration. You can also create charges and credits manually for finance charges using this fee. TRP Fee The TRP (Tuition Refund Plan) fee defines the tuition refund plan percentage charge your school has established. This fee will take the percentage that you have defined and pull this percentage from all the fees you have set up in Configuration that are marked as to be included in the TRP calculation.

19 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 17 Sales Tax The Student Billing program uses the sales tax fees you create to automatically assess sales tax charges for transactions that use these fees. You have the ability to create multiple sales tax fees in the Configuration module for each billing year you have defined. Frequently Asked Questions 1. I m in the process of converting from another accounting package and would like to know how to create my beginning balances in Student Billing. How can I do this? You will need to create a Fixed Amount manual fee in Configuration. You will then use this fee to create a credit or charge balance for the amount of the beginning balance on each student record. 2. How can I add a discount to a student s record? The most common way to do this is to use a Financial Aid fee. The fee is a schedule of credits, which can act as a discount. By using this fee you have the ability to schedule the credits over time. If you only want to add the discount one time you can do this by adding a manual credit. 3. I need to charge each student, a one-time PTA charge. What is the best way to do this? You would use the automatic fee, Same amount and schedule for all grades, to apply this charge all records. You would not give this fee a bill code and then you would run the Automatic Transaction Generation option in Students to add this fee. 4. I have several kids that work for tuition credit after school. How can I apply this credit in Student Billing? If you were paying the student by the hour, you would simply create a Per Usage fee in Configuration. You would then go to the student s record and add a credit to the student s account using this fee code.

20 18 C HAPTER 1 5. A student has changed the payment plan that they will be on this year. I need to change the Advance Deposit Fee number to be associated with it. I have already generated the first payment from this. The system won t let me change the fee number. What do I do? If you need to change an Advance Deposit fee and you have already generated part of the amount, then you can void the receipt (open the receipt, from the menu choose Receipt, Void). You can then add a new receipt in with the new fee code. If the fee is fully generated, then you cannot void the receipt. If there are no generations, then you can make the change on the record. 6. I m trying to generate transactions automatically and some students are not showing their charges, what should I review? Make sure that if the fees associated have bill codes defined on them that the bill code is defined on the student s record for the appropriate billing year. Make sure that you are running the automatic transaction generation for the correct year and billing period. Make sure that someone is designated to be responsible for the student s charges. Review the Assign Charges to tab on the student s record. 7. When I try to add a Payment or Advanced Deposit to a Student s record through the Activity tab, these options are grayed out and cannot be selected. When I try to add a Charge, Credit or Financial Aid a Parent/Guardian s record through the Activity tab, these options are grayed out and cannot be selected. Why? Student Billing for Windows (prior to version 6.21) is a payer-based system. This means that Charges, Credits, and Financial Aid are entered onto the Student s record and then distributed to the payers (parent/guardian or organization). Payments and Advanced Deposits are entered on the Parent/Guardian or Organization record and then distributed to the Students. A student cannot make Payments or Advanced Deposits unless the student is marked as Pays Bills in the Student's Bio2 tab. Parents/Guardians cannot receive charges or credits unless they are marked as Assign charges directly to the parent/guardian on the Parent/Guardian s Bio1 tab. 8. I created a charge for $ that should have been $450 and it has been posted. Is there any way I can go back and change the transaction without creating a credit for the student? Open the charge record, and from the Transaction menu choose to add an adjustment. Here you will add the adjustment date, the new amount, the adjustment post date, and the GL account. There is also a place to enter the reason for the adjustment and any additional notes. When the transaction is saved, the transaction is immediately updated with the latest information. 9. I have a student who I gave a $25 charge for a field trip, which has been paid, and now that student cannot go. What do I do? First, if you do not have a refund fee created in Configuration, you will need to create one. Then you will need to add a $25 refund fee to the record, which will reverse out the payment. You will then need to delete the charge to get rid of the revenue generated by the charge. 10. I am getting ready to begin my fiscal year. Do I have to create all my fees again for the next year? Yes, but don t think that you have to type everything over. You can go into Utilities and Housekeeping and copy all the fees from one year to another. You must have this next year defined on the billing years tab in Configuration. When you copy the fees you can either increase or decrease them by a specific amount or a percentage.

21 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 19 Quick Startup for Student Billing for Windows This summary outlines the critical steps you should perform to get your Student Billing established as soon as possible. It can also be used as a guide to ensure all the critical steps are covered prior to system implementation. For more detailed instructions on each of these steps, please refer to the detailed chapters in the Student Billing User s Guide. Configuration From the General tab in Configuration, you can establish information specific to your organization such as address, telephone information, and EFT ID. You can determine what billing option to use (Payer Centric or Student Centric) when adding a new payment. Please refer to the Student Billing Setup Considerations section of this guide for further information on this subject. You can also choose how payments will be distributed, how payments will be applied, and if the program will automatically generate ID numbers. Establishing Billing Years The first step in establishing your school s billing procedures is to define the billing years. In Configuration, on the Billing Years tab, you can define date ranges in which you can group fees and transaction activity. You can establish separate sets of fees for each billing year. Keep in mind, you need to make sure your first period affords you the ability to bill ahead so there is ample time to collect the advanced deposits, registration payments, etc. and enter them into your system. Entering the Grade Code Table Tables allow you to group related data entries into a standard format. They increase data entry speed and help ensure that field entries remain consistent from user to user. The Tables tab contains all the lookup tables. Certain tables are shared by all of the Blackbaud programs present in your database. Other tables are specific to Student Billing. One table that must be defined is your Grade Code Table. You will use these table entries to create your promotion schedule, on the Promotion Schedule tab and define the current grade status on each student s record. Certain automatic fees, Vary Amount by Grade and Vary Amount and Schedule by Grade, use the current grade status in order to generate the fee automatically. Entering Aging Periods Aging periods determine the overdue status of transactions. The aging information allows you to define your default aging buckets for aging-based reports and for the activity summary available for parent/guardians, organizations, and student responsible for paying. Aging information can be calculated based on the Transaction date (date the transaction was added) or the Due date (date payment is due on the transaction). Aging periods must be sequential and they cannot overlap.

22 20 C HAPTER 1 Entering Salutation codes You may further customize your Student Billing program by defining the way your statements, letters, and notes are addressed to Parent/Guardians and Students. You can create various salutation formats to use, depending on the occasion or need. Entering Fees Student Billing has 11 fee types. Fees are defined for specific billing years. A billing fee is a record that contains default information regarding amounts and general ledger account distributions. You use billing fees to create transactions that charge or credit payers. When adding a fee, the available fee types are grouped under tree categories: automatic, manual, and miscellaneous. Please refer to the Student Billing Setup Considerations section of this manual for more information on billing fees. Students After you have completed the preliminary setup of your system, you will spend most of your time working in the Students module. You can create and maintain information about families, students, parent/guardians, and organizations. Entering Student, Parent and Organization Information Of the eleven types of records stored in Student Billing, the Student record is the core of all functions incorporated into the system. Careful definition of the student record is essential. This will ensure the smooth operation of the program and a seamless transfer of data among all records related to the student. Parent/Guardian records, created in students, are based on the student record. A student record must be associated with a parent/guardian record when the parent/guardian is designated as a payer of fees generated for the student. Organization records can be added to your Student Billing program using screen and procedures similar to those used to add a parent/guardian record or student record. As payers, organizations are defined in much the same way as parents/guardians. Organizations may be added to your system because they provide scholarships, employ students, employ parents/guardians, or provide other types of support. Much like parent/guardians, organizations are linked to student records on the Relationships tab, and are further defined by the fees they are responsible for. Typically organizations that are payers are scholarship providers, parent employers, corporate payers, or sponsoring organizations. Entering Relations for Students, Parents and Organizations On the Relationships tab, you can define relationships between the student and other individuals and organizations with have records in the system. You can define the relationship and reciprocal codes (i.e., father/son), and allow parents/guardians and organizations the right to pay bills for the student.

23 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 21 Assigning Charges To Information For Paying Records The Assign Charges To tab is only available on student records when the student is setup as Payer Centric, because each parent/guardian or organization is responsible for paying all charges added directly to their records. If the student is student centric they will not have an Assign Charges To tab. The distributions established on this tab determine who will have responsibility for paying fees and charges for the student. Responsibility may be assigned as a percentage of the total amount, however the assignments must total 100 percent. One exception can be created for each fee. Creating an exception for a fee causes the default distribution to be ignored. Changing the information on this tab does not affect any existing credits or charges. Responsibility for existing transactions must be changes manually for each transaction. Entering Bill Codes For Automatic Transaction Generation The Bill Codes tab is only available on student s records. Bill codes are optional, and are primarily used by the Automatic Transaction Generation program to determine which fees to create for each student. Once automatic generation creates a fee schedule for an individual, based on a bill code, deleting that bill code will not prevent additional transactions from being created from the fee schedule. Bill codes are defined and assigned by billing year. This allows bill codes for future years to be added to a record, before billing for the current year has been completed. Student Billing allows for bill codes to be copied from one billing year to another, or from one student to another. Entering Charges Once you have established a financial aid fee, you can create the fee schedule for the students. Using the Add Transactions to Group allows you to enter transaction details once, and then apply this transaction to multiple student records. This procedure allows you also add charges and credits to a group of individuals. If you do not use bill codes, the program will create a fee schedule for all student that qualify by grade. Assessing Charges - Automatic Transaction Generation Or Manual As stated previously, there are two types of charges: automatic and manual. Automatic charges are created either through the Automatic Transaction Generation process, or when you generate a fee schedule directly from the individual s Activity tab. Manual charges are those charges you create through the Add process from the individual or organization s Activity tab. Mail From the Mail module, you can print statements to reflect the generated charges.

24 22 C HAPTER 1 Cash Receipts Cash Receipts is where you create the deposits required to receive payments and advance deposits. Payments and advance deposits can be entered from both Students and Cash Receipts. Entering Payments and Advanced Deposits Cash Receipts enables you to add all deposits and receipts. You can enter deposit records, payments, and advanced deposits. Before you can add any receipts you must first create the deposit. Once the deposit has been created you can add a payment by adding a receipt to the deposit. You can add your advanced deposits in the same way in the same way you added a payment. Security An important consideration in setting up any system is to ensure that proper restrictions have been placed on its users. The restrictions should be designed to limit the users of the software to their particular roles in the billing process. An analysis of the roles played by each of the users of the billing system should be conducted prior to creating users in the system to ensure that proper internal controls are maintained at all times. This decreases the likelihood of inadvertent errors or omissions to the billing data. Step 5: Additional Implementation Considerations Ordering Statements for Use with Student Billing for Windows If you are using Student Billing you must either: Purchase the statements to be used in the system from Blackbaud. Obtain the statement specifications and/or template from Blackbaud, which allows a printer in your area to produce statements that meet the necessary specifications. Purchase the Forms module, which allows you to print your own statements including lines, shading, and crest. For further information regarding your forms options, please consult the form information included in the welcome packet or contact Blackbaud s Business Forms department or Customer Support. Understanding the Student Billing Program Student Billing is a very versatile and powerful system. Understanding the design and functional aspects of Student Billing will ensure a successful implementation. Training, testing sample data, and generating sample reports will help you understand your new system.

25 STUDENT BILLING IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE 23 Training Blackbaud strongly recommends that training be completed prior to implementing the software. We offer several training alternatives including: Blackbaud University. Offers a variety of classes in historic Charleston, South Carolina. By leaving the distractions of the office behind, clients can devote their energy to effectively learning the software. Attendees agree that a key benefit of Blackbaud University is sharing knowledge and ideas with other students from a diverse range of nonprofit organizations. On-site Training. On-site Training is similar in structure to Blackbaud University training but can be tailored to the specific needs of the organization. Computer Based Training. Employs CD-ROMs to provide a self-paced interactive learning experience. Comprehensive lessons walk users through tasks, and they can demonstrate their proficiency on tests that follow each section. The CDs will serve as a permanent resource for training new employees and helping staff members review concepts when necessary. Testing Sample Data. When installing the software, you can install a sample database. Testing sample data allows you to apply the knowledge gained in training to a data set that is not relied upon to produce billing statements. For instance, users could execute the student billing process from entry of a student, to adding transactions, to running billing statements, to posting to the General Ledger. This testing ensures a smooth transition to the new system by allowing you to master the processes you will use in the future. Generating Sample Billing Statements. Generating statements is another way to gain an understanding of the new system. This testing will familiarize you with the billing statements that exist in the Student Billing package. It will also allow you to examine the system s capabilities and provide an opportunity to compare those capabilities to your organization s needs. If there are major differences between the capabilities and requirements, early testing allows you to address them in the setup phase of your implementation. After attending training and otherwise familiarizing yourself with Student Billing, you should begin to finalize your implementation plan. Refer to all documentation, including your User s Guides, BBU workbooks, and the Student Billing Setup Considerations section of this guide, for help. We hope that this guide has been informative and will prove to be a useful resource in your system implementation. Blackbaud understands that your system implementation is an important process and would like to offer its services and knowledge to facilitate that process. If issues or concerns arise, please contact us or visit our Web site at so that we may assist you.

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