Introduction I: Revised PPCM User Manual This document represents my part of work developed in a collaborative project, in which my team

of technical writers and editors rewrote the user manual for the Pennsylvania Political Campaign Management Database (PPCM). This public service software aims to help people to create finance reports, to raise funds, and to manage campaign activities. Its a free download through the website of DAL Services Inc. (http://dal-services.com/ppcm.html). Those revisions I made will make PPCM user manual more efficient, effective and user-friendly by allowing users to more easily operate the software application. In addition, David A. Lynn, the creator of the software and the user manual acknowledged my effort in this project. He said in email that my team did a wonderful job, and that he thought it meets the end goal of making it easy to understand for someone who does not have an accounting background. User Analysis Our team studied the PPCM software and analyzed the original user manual (see Appendix A for sample pages). I specifically analyzed three types of users in terms of their professional roles in a political campaign - treasurers, fundraisers, and campaign managers. The user analysis helped us design the tasks tutorials in the documentation that teach the users to meet their professional needs. Treasurers will use the PPCM Database to keep track of campaign contributors and gifts and to print the finance report schedules as required by the Pennsylvania Department of State Fundraisers will use PPCM to solicit possible contributors who may be the same set of people from the volunteers list Campaign manager will use PPCM to keep track of their political committees, recruit and coordinate volunteers, manage contributors, and review reports from treasurers and fundraisers Structure and Consistency Significant changes were made to the documentations overall structure and consistency in order to better inform infrequent and beginner level users. In terms of style, for example, in the original one (Appendix A), the continuous paragraphs made up the text of the instructions, which can confuse the users and make them feel lost. In the revised document, the style of all the titles of directions was changed into taskoriented to directly tell the users what they can do with the software so that they can understand and locate the functions of the software more effectively. In addition, the paragraphs of instruction were broken down and rewritten into procedural style, guiding the user step by step. Notes, examples, and screen captures were also added for a better explanation.

Pennsylvania Political Campaign Management Database User Manual

by David A. Lynn Revisions by Brittany Tress, Linda Ranieri, and Xin Tang

December 15, 2009 david@dal-services.com (484) 383-0099

Prepare Required Forms

When you open the database, the first thing you will see is the Main Menu form. This is your gateway to the rest of the database.

Update Your Committee Name

Note: Do this before you do anything else, and ignore the For Reporting part of the form for now.

To update your political action committee: 1. At the top on the left of the main menu, click Update Your Committee Name Do This First!

2. Enter the information about your political action committee. There are four primary dropdown categories: Filer Type o The options include Candidate, Committee and Lobbyist. Filer Offices o There are office codes for everything from Governor to Other (for local offices) Party o This includes party codes Filer County o You don't have to type things into the dropdown box; values automatically appear in them.

Keep Track of Your Contributors - Main Donor Form

Use the Main Donor Form to enter the name, address, phone number, and other contact information about your contributors, volunteers, and prospects. On form PA DSEB 502, the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania requires some of this information, like name, address, and date and amount of contributions. Some of the information recorded on this form is helpful, but not required; this includes phone number, email address, and personal and professional websites.

Find a Contributor
1. Click the Main Donor Form on the left side of the main menu. A new window will appear. 2. At the top of the form, you may search for a contributor by navigating the three dropdown lists: Find By Contributor ID, Find By Name, and Find By Email Address.
Note: You don't have to type things into the dropdown box; values automatically appear in them.

Add the Name

1. Select the contributor type from the Donor Type dropdown. You may choose Individuals, Unincorporated Businesses, or Political Action Committees. 2. In the Work/Home field, if you select Individual in step 3, select home here; PACs and businesses always default to work.
Note: A person or PAC's Donor ID does not matter. They are like Social Security numbers -- every contributor has one. They are generated by the system and are there for ease of use.

3. 4. 5. 6.

In the Salutation field, type Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., Capt., Rev., etc. Enter a contributors name in First Name, Middle Name, and Last Name fields. In the Suffix field, type Jr., Sr., PhD., MSW, CPA, Esq., etc. In the Informal Greeting, Formal Greeting, Greeting Type field, enter the different types of greeting. For example: For a contributor named "John Smith" the informal greeting might be "John" or "Jonathon" or "Johnny." The formal greeting would be "Mr. Smith" or

something like that. Greeting type indicates whether you are going to use the formal or informal greeting with a particular contributor/volunteer. 7. In the Source of Contributor field, enter a description or keyword describing how this person ended up on your contributor list. This is for your own reference. For example: If they signed up through your website, you might put "web volunteer" or "website." If they were on the original finance committee, you might put "Finance Committee." If they were referred by your friend Mary Doe (or on her holiday card list) you might put "Mary Doe." 8. In the Solicitor field, select who you already have in your database that should solicit this person.
Note: see the part about Solicitation Name, Contributor Name, and Volunteer

Name (below) for more about the subject.

Add the Home Address and Home Phone

Before adding the work address and phone number, be sure to check the Donor Type first. If a contributor is labeled as a PAC or business, do not use these fields. Skip this section, and only use the work address and phone fields. To add the home contact information of your contributor as an individual: 1. In the fields for Home Address 1, Home Address 2, Home City, Home State, Home Zip Code, and Home County, add the address information that your contributor is registered to vote with. 2. In the Party ID dropdown, you may either select one or just type in what party they are registered with. Note: When adding new parties, you will get a feedback message to confirm. 3. Add phone numbers in the field of Home Phone, Home Fax, and Cell Phone fields. 4. Add a home email address or a home web site in Home Email, and Home Web fields. You can quickly send an email or go to their website by clicking on the buttons next to the corresponding box.
Note: It is not necessary to type "http://" in the web URL. Additionally, you should not type "mailto:" at the beginning of email addresses.

Add the Work Address and Work Phone

Before adding the work address and phone number, be sure to check the Donor Type first. If a contributor is labeled as an individual who has given more than $250 in a particular reporting period (either in one gift or a series of gifts), you can collect their workplace contact information here. To add the workplace contact information of your contributor as a PAC or employer: 1. Enter the name and professional title in PAC or Employer Name, Title/Occupation. 2. Enter the workplace address and work phone number in Emp. Address 1, Emp. Address 2, Emp. City, Emp. State, Emp. Zip Code, Work County, Work Phone, Work Fax 3. Add a work email address or a work web site in Work Email, Work Web. You can send an email or go to their website by clicking the buttons next to these boxes.
Note: It is not necessary to type "http://" in the web URL. Additionally, you should not type "mailto:" at the beginning of email addresses.

Add Solicitation Name, Contributor Name, and Volunteer Name

1. Enter the different names for your contributors in the fields of Solicitation Name, Letterhead Name (Contributor Name), Volunteer Name. For example: Say you have a contributor named "Doris J. Higgenthump, IV" who goes by "Dottie" if you know her well. Her Solicitation Name might be "Doris Higgenthump" as in: "Doris Higgenthump suggested that I write to you and request a contribution of a gazillion dollars to my campaign" Her Contributor Name (for your finance committee letterhead) might well be "Doris J. Higgenthump, IV" -- but it might also be "Anonymous", or "Doris J. Jones" -- her maiden name she used to incorporate her dance party/music business, "Dottie J., Rhymin' DJ!" Her volunteer name might be "Dottie Higgenthump," or just "Dottie."
Note: if you put a value in Solicitation Name, that name becomes available in the dropdown on the form for "Solicitor" that I mentioned earlier. You also get a message whenever you update this field that the name is now available as a solicitor -- if you want it.

2. Check the boxes beside No Mail, No Email, Do Not Call if the contributor doesnt want mail, email, or phone calls, even if they give you money (to respect your contributors wishes).

Add Financial Contributions

To add your donors financial contributions: 1. At the bottom of the Main Donor Form, click Financial Contributions. 2. Enter the date that the contribution came in, along with the account in the Cont. Date and Amount fields. 3. Enter any comments from the contributor in the Donor Comment field. 4. Enter any comments from the campaign in the campaign Comment field. 5. After writing a thank-you note, you may check off the Acknowledged box. Another form line will automatically appear for you to add another amount of money from the same contributor. 6. Click the Receipt button to print a receipt for each individual item.
Note: You can also use the report "All Gifts By Date" for the same purpose (see below.) Warning: The Delete button will delete a contribution. Be careful! You cannot delete a contribution that has been locked for audit purposes. This is indicated by the "Locked" checkbox in the form.

Add In-Kind Contributions

Sometimes, rather than monetary donations, people give "in-kind" contributions instead, like pencils, pens, computers, trips, etc. You should get their receipts to evaluate the contributions. To add a donors in-kind contributions: 1. At the bottom of Main Donor Form, click the In-Kind Contributions tab. 2. Enter the date the contribution came in, along with the account in the Cont. Date and Amount fields. 3. Enter the description of the item in the Description of Contribution field. 4. After writing a thank-you note, you may check off the Acknowledged box. Another form line will automatically appear for you to add another contribution description from the same contributor.
Tip: its better for you to break out items that are different from one other if one person is getting credited for a large number of items.

APPENDIX A
Sample Pages: Original Document

Forms That Track Required Information

When you open the database, the first thing you see is the Main Menu form. This is your gateway to the rest of the database. We'll start with the forms on the right.

Update Your Committee Name Do This First!

It means what it says. Open this form, and put in the information about your political action committee. If you are filing as an individual or lobbyist, put this information in, too. Note that you have a dropdown for party which includes party codes (including Other) and a dropdown for offices, which includes codes for everything from Governor to Other (for local offices.) Do this before you do anything else, and ignore the For Reporting part of the form for now.

Main Donor Form

This is where you put the names, addresses, phone numbers, and other contact information about your contributors, volunteers, and prospects. Some of this information is required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania on PA DSEB 502. Some of this information is helpful, but not required -- phone numbers, email addresses, personal and professional websites, and the like.

Find By Contributor ID, Find By Name, Find By Email Address

These dropdown boxes (or "combo boxes") allow you to search for a contributor by their ID, email address (home or work) and/or name. They automatically get "populated" (values appear in them -- you don't have to type them into the combo box.)

Donor ID, Date Added, Full Name

These things update automatically. A person or PAC's Donor ID doesn't matter. They are kinda like Social Security numbers -- every contributor has one. They are generated by the system and are there for ease of use.

Donor Type
There are three types of contributors to political campaigns in Pennsylvania (at the Commonwealth level): Individuals, Unincorporated Businesses, and Political Committees (PACs.) Every time you input a new contributor, choose which category they fit (note that there are some buttons on the form for adding any one of the three.)

Home/Work
Individuals default to home. PACs and businesses always default to work.

Salutation
Dr., Mr., Ms., Mrs., Capt., Rev., etc.

First Name, Middle Name, Last Name

A contributors name.

Suffix
Jr., Sr., PhD., MSW, CPA, Esq., etc.

Informal Greeting, Formal Greeting, Greeting Type

For a contributor named "John Smith" the informal greeting might be "John" or "Jonathon" or "Johnny." The formal greeting would be "Mr. Smith" or something like that. Greeting type indicates whether you are going to use the formal or informal greeting with a particular contributor/volunteer.

Source of Contributor
How did this person end up on your contributor list? If they signed up through your website, you might put "web volunteer" or "website." If they were on the original finance committee, you might put "Finance Committee." If they were referred by your friend Mary Doe (or on her holiday card list) you might put "Mary Doe." Whatever you like -- this just helps you remember how the name wound up in your database six months from now.

Solicitor
Who do you already have in your database that should solicit this person? Note: see the part about "Solicitation Name, Contributor Name, Volunteer Name" (below) for more about this.

Home Address 1, Home Address 2, Home City, Home State, Home Zip Code, Home County
This is where a person sleeps at night and, hopefully, is registered to vote.

Party ID
What party they are registered with. You can add parties to this list by just typing them in. You will get a message to confirm new parties.

Polling Precinct
Note that you get to code "Polling Precinct" however you want -- and if you get the voter export from the Commonwealth (and you should -- $20 for the whole Commonwealth!) you will notice that each county has its own way of coding precincts.

Home Phone, Home Fax, Cell Phone

These are phone number fields. You can add the phone number, fax number, and cell phone number in any format you like.

Home Email, Home Web

If the contributor has a home email address or a home web site, you can collect this information. The buttons next to these fields will allow you to send an email or go to their website. No need to type "http://" in the web URL -- but you can. It works either way. Note: Do NOT type "mailto:" at the beginning of email addresses.

PAC or Employer Name, Title/Occupation, Emp. Address 1, Emp. Address 2, Emp. City, Emp. State, Emp. Zip Code, Work County, Work Phone, Work Fax
You use these fields for one of two things: First, if a person has given you more than $250 in a particular reporting period (either in one gift or a series of gifts) you are required to collect their workplace contact information. Use these fields here if the contributor is labeled as an "individual" and they have given a substantial amount of money to your campaign and you need to report it ($250 or more in a reporting period.) Second, if a PAC or Unincorporated Business is a donor, you can use these fields for their information. Note: If the check is coming from a PAC or business, USE THESE FIELDS. Do NOT use "Home Address 1, Home Address 2" etc. for PACs or businesses -- your reporting won't work correctly.

Solicitation Name, Contributor Name, Volunteer Name

Everyone has different names for different times. For example, say you have a contributor named "Doris J. Higgenthump, IV" who goes by "Dottie" if you know her well. Her Solicitation Name might be "Doris Higgenthump" as in: "Doris Higgenthump suggested that I write to you and request a contribution of a gazillion dollars to my campaign"

Her Contributor Name (for your finance committee letterhead) might well be "Doris J. Higgenthump, IV" -- but it might also be "Anonymous", or "Doris J. Jones" -- her maiden name she used to incorporate her dance party/music business, "Dottie J., Rhymin' DJ!" Her volunteer name might be "Dottie Higgenthump," or just "Dottie." Note that if you put a value in Solicitation Name, that name becomes available in the dropdown on the form for "Solicitor" that I mentioned earlier. You also get a message whenever you update this field that the name is now available as a solicitor -- if you want it. Try it!

No Mail, No Email, Do Not Call

Just like they sound. Some folks don't want junk mail, spam, or phone calls, even if they give you money. I suggest you respect their wishes. Note: If you need a routine to send email, you can write it in VBA or some other code. You can also hire someone (like me or someone else) to write it for you. Email is an extremely inexpensive way to reach people, especially if they are already in your database.

Financial Contributions Subform

Money is the mother's milk of politics. Hopefully, you raise quite a bit of it. Each time you get a contribution from a contributor, make sure you have the person's contact info, and then enter their contributions (hopefully more than one each) on this subform. Put in the date the contribution came in, the amount, any comment from the contributor, and any comment from the campaign. If you want, you can put a check in the "Acknowledged" box after you write them a thank-you note (and you should) but it's not required. Note that there is a "Receipt" button that prints a receipt for each individual item. This is handy when a bunch of checks roll in (we hope) and you need something to staple to the photocopies of the checks. Note: You can also use the report "All Gifts By Date" for the same purpose (see below.) Note: The Delete button will delete a contribution. Be careful!

In-Kind Contributions Subform

Sometimes, people give "in-kind" contributions instead -- pencils, pens, computers, trips on private planes (okay, so we can dream.) I'm not going to pretend to be an expert on "valuing" things -- talk to the Commonwealth about that (you DID read the rules three times, right?) However, for the sake of example, if someone says "I mailed three things for the campaign, and it cost $5.67 -- don't worry about reimbursing me" -- then it's probably a pretty safe bet that the value of their contribution is indeed $5.67 (ESPECIALLY if you got their receipt -- which you should!) Enter the date, the amount, and the description of the item(s) in the spaces allotted. Note: I usually break out items that are different from each other if one person is getting credited for a lot of items. Note that, like the other form, there is an "Acknowledged?" check box (if you write thank-you notes -- and you should) and a "Receipt" button. Note: There's quite a bit of room to describe what it is that was donated to your campaign. Give those of us who believe in real, honest, and COMPLETE reporting the full story, okay? Thanks! Note: The Delete button will delete a contribution. Be careful!

Volunteer Activity Subform

Your contributors can be volunteers (and vice versa.) You can track them here. Note: If you want to add a category to the "Volunteer Opportunity" dropdown, you do this by typing in a new category and confirming the message that pops up. Note: I try to start my categories with different letters (if possible) so that entering one letter on the dropdown box gives me the complete entry, i.e. "L" automatically puts in "Letter To The Editor." Note: The Delete button will delete a volunteer activity entry. Be careful!