Recurring Payments – one thing new

Recurring payments feel straightforward—until you run into the moment where “monthly amount” doesn’t behave the way you expected.

If you manage giving agreements or payment plans, there’s one distinction that quietly shapes how every installment is applied: Waterfall vs. Allocation. Both approaches are useful, but they produce very different outcomes—and one small mismatch can trigger a frustrating error.

What a Recurring Payment Plan Actually Does

A typical setup looks like this:

  • A household agrees to pay a fixed amount on a repeating schedule (most often monthly)
  • The system applies each payment to one or more items they owe (pledges, security fees, school tuition, etc.)
  • The schedule can be monthly, but it can also be set to other intervals (more on that later)

The important part: how each payment is distributed depends on whether you’re using Waterfall or Allocation.

Waterfall Payments: “Start at the Top, Then Flow Down”

When no allocation amounts are entered, the plan uses waterfall logic by default.

That means:

  • Each payment is applied to the first item in the list until that item is fully satisfied
  • Only then does money begin applying to the next item
  • Payments continue flowing “downhill” item by item

If you’re thinking, “So the ordering matters,” you’re exactly right.

How to change the Waterfall order

If you want a different item to be paid off sooner (for example, a security fee before a pledge), you simply reorder the items.

  • Use the drag handle (often shown as a “hamburger” icon)
  • Move the item higher or lower in the list

Whatever is at the top gets paid first.

Allocation Payments: “Split Each Payment Across Multiple Items”

Allocation is the alternative approach—and it’s used when you explicitly enter amounts for each category.

Instead of funneling 100% of each payment to the top item, you specify something like:

  • X dollars per payment goes to donor pledges
  • Y dollars per payment goes to security fees
  • Z dollars per payment goes to school fees

This is ideal when you want every installment to contribute to multiple balances at once.

The Common “Sum of Allocations Does Not Match the Payment” Error

Here’s the wrinkle that catches people.

If the periodic payment amount doesn’t match the sum of the allocated amounts, the system will stop you from saving and show an error like:

  • “Sum of allocations does not match the payment.”

This happens when:

  • The recurring payment amount is lower than the combined allocations, or
  • The allocations simply don’t add up to the recurring charge amount

How to fix it

You have only two valid paths:

  1. Reduce one or more allocation amounts so the total equals the payment amount
  2. Increase the periodic payment amount so it matches the sum of allocations

Once the numbers match, the update will succeed.

Switching Between Waterfall and Allocation (Without Rebuilding the Plan)

There’s a simple rule of thumb:

  • To switch from Waterfall to Allocation: enter allocated amounts
  • To switch from Allocation to Waterfall: clear the allocated amounts

This makes it easy to “flip” between strategies depending on what the payer wants.

It’s Not Just Monthly: Understanding “Periodic” Payments

While most recurring payments are monthly, the same capability supports other schedules.

Examples include:

  • Every 3 months (quarterly)
  • Every 6 months (semiannually)
  • Every 12 months (annually)
  • Even weekly intervals when needed

That’s why it’s more accurate to think in terms of periodic amount rather than “monthly amount.”

Quick Takeaways

  • Waterfall applies payments top-to-bottom until each item is paid off
  • Allocation splits each payment across multiple items, based on amounts you enter
  • Allocation requires the sum of allocations to equal the periodic payment amount, or you’ll get an error
  • You can switch between modes by adding or clearing allocated amounts
  • Payment schedules can be monthly—or any supported interval

If recurring payments ever seem like they’re “misbehaving,” it’s usually not a bug—it’s that the plan is following one of these two rules exactly. Understanding which mode you’re in is the key to predicting (and controlling) where the money goes.

See the full video: https://share.shalomcloud.com/xQuXe7nZ?sa=blog_post

Now available – saved queries for financial transactions

Saved queries just got more powerful.

About a week ago, we introduced Saved Queries across Yahrzeits—making it easy to store and rerun the same search criteria without rebuilding filters every time. If you missed that update, head over to this article for the full announcement and a walkthrough video.

Now we’ve expanded Saved Queries to one of the most time-sensitive areas of reporting: Financial Transactions.

What’s new: Save and reuse Financial Transaction queries

When you navigate to Queries → Financial Transactions, you’ll now see a dropdown that lets you select from any queries you’ve previously saved.

The first time you use it, the list will be empty—because you haven’t saved anything yet. But once you run a search you know you’ll need again, you can store it with a name and description for quick reuse.

Example: Save a fiscal year + fund + status search

Here’s a practical scenario:

  • Go to Queries → Financial Transactions
  • Build your query criteria (for example):
  • Filter by Fiscal Year
  • Select specific funds (e.g., Qantas Music Fund and Rabbis Tzedakah Fund)
  • Set the transaction code/status to Paid
  • Run the search to confirm you’re seeing the right results

Once you have the results you want, you’ll see new fields that allow you to:

  • Enter a short query name
  • Add a longer description (helpful when your team saves multiple similar searches)

Click Save Query, and you’ll get a confirmation that it’s been saved.

Run the same report again—without rebuilding it

When you come back later, simply:

  • Return to Queries → Financial Transactions
  • Open the Saved Queries dropdown
  • Select your saved query

All of your criteria—such as the fiscal year, selected funds, and the paid transaction code—will be automatically restored.

Why this matters

Saved Queries for Financial Transactions help you:

  • Save time on recurring financial lookups
  • Reduce errors from re-entering filters manually
  • Standardize reporting by reusing consistent criteria
  • Move faster when you need answers quickly

If you rely on the same financial transaction views week after week, this update is designed to make your workflow smoother and your reporting more consistent.

See the full video: https://share.shalomcloud.com/lluLKr1e?sa=blog_post

Saved queries are here — starting with Yahrzeit queries

Saved queries are here—starting with Yahrzeit Queries

If you regularly run the same searches—month after month, report after report—saved queries are designed to remove the repetitive setup work.

With this initial rollout, saved queries are available for Yahrzeit. More query types are planned for the future.

What is a saved query?

A saved query lets you store:

  • The search criteria you entered
  • The checkbox selections that control what shows up in your results

Instead of rebuilding the same search each time, you can select a saved query and instantly repopulate everything—then run the search.

How to save a Query

  1. Run your Yahrzeit Query the way you normally would:
  • Enter your criteria
  • Select the checkboxes you want reflected on the results screen
  • Click Search
  1. You’ll now see an additional area that lets you save what you just configured.
  2. Enter:
  • A unique name (for example, “Standard Monthly”)
  • An optional description to clarify the purpose
  1. Click Save query

If something is wrong (most commonly: the name isn’t unique), you’ll see an error indicator so you can fix it and save successfully.

How to reuse a saved query later

After you’ve saved queries, they’ll appear in a dropdown the next time you return to Yahrzeit Queries.

When you select one:

  • All previously-entered criteria are automatically filled in
  • All checkbox selections are restored

From there, you can simply run the search—no rebuilding required.

Example: Create variations without starting from scratch

A common workflow is to start with a “standard” monthly query and then save a second version for a frequent subset.

For instance, you might run your usual monthly list, then add one more filter—like showing only Yahrzeits observed by active members—and save that as a second query (for example, “Yahrzeit Monthly – Active Only”).

This creates fast, repeatable options while keeping your reporting consistent.

A best-practice tip: keep your saved queries small and intentional

Saved queries are powerful, but they can lose their value if they multiply too quickly.

If you create too many (dozens of slightly different versions), it becomes harder to remember which one to use—and people often fall back to creating “just one more new query.”

A good rule of thumb: keep a minimum set of high-value saved queries that match your most repeated workflows.

Important: saved queries are shared (not personal)

Saved queries are common to your organization.

That means:

  • If you save a query, others with administrative privileges will see it
  • Saved queries persist even if the person who created them is away

This is especially helpful for consistency across staff—but it also reinforces why clear naming matters.

What’s coming next

Saved queries are currently limited to Yahrzeit Queries, but there are plans to expand this capability to other areas under the query menu, including:

  • Financial transaction queries
  • Members
  • Households

Try it and share feedback

This rollout is intentionally focused so you can start using it immediately, evaluate what works well, and share what you’d like improved. Your feedback will help shape the next phases as saved queries expand into additional query types.

See the full video: https://share.shalomcloud.com/z8ujjmRG?sa=blog_post

New Audit Trail — Security Profiles

Audit trails are one of the most reliable ways to answer a simple question with confidence: what changed, who changed it, and exactly what was different before and after?

If you’ve used audit trails in the system before, you already know they’re invaluable for troubleshooting, compliance, and day-to-day accountability. Now that capability has been expanded to include something many organizations care deeply about:

  • Changes to permissions (also known as security profiles)

Below is a clear walkthrough of how audit trails work, how to read them, and what’s new.

How audit trails have worked for years

Under Maintenance, you can access Audit Trails and review changes across key record types (for example, site-related updates).

To run an audit trail:

  • Select the area you want to audit (such as changes to sites)
  • Choose a date range
  • Run the search

How to read an audit trail entry

Each audit trail result is designed to show you both context and precision.

You’ll typically see:

  • Date and time the change occurred
  • User who made the change
  • Record the change was made to (for example, a site, family, or financial transaction)
  • Action type (such as update or delete)
  • Versioning details (the system keeps prior versions)
  • Field-level changes showing the old and new values

That last part is where audit trails shine: you can see exactly what was modified within the record—such as a corrected spelling in a last name, capitalization adjustments, and even updates to key dates (including both Gregorian and Hebrew dates of death when applicable).

Not time-bound: historical changes remain available

A major strength of the audit trail is that it’s not limited to a short retention window. If a record was updated years ago and updated again recently, those changes can still appear—giving you a complete story of how the record evolved over time.

What’s new: audit trail for permission (security profile) changes

The newest expansion adds audit trail visibility into permission updates—in other words, changes to what users can do after they log in.

This means when a security profile is modified (for example, changing multiple permissions from No Access to Read Only, or adjusting a specific permission from Write to Read Only), those changes can now be audited.

To view permission-change auditing:

  • Open the Audit Trail on Permissions
  • Narrow the range to the timeframe you want to inspect (for example, starting from the current day)
  • Review the results to see a list of permission fields that changed and the before/after values

You’ll see each permission adjustment listed clearly—such as repeated transitions from No to Read Only across multiple entries, along with any other permission refinements made during the same period.

Why this matters

Permission changes are among the most sensitive updates in any system because they directly affect access and control. Having an audit trail for these updates supports:

  • Security reviews (confirming what access was granted or restricted)
  • Compliance and internal governance (proving when and how access changed)
  • Operational clarity (reducing confusion when a user reports different access than expected)

Takeaway

Audit trails have long provided detailed, versioned visibility into record changes. Now, that same transparency extends to security profiles and permission updates, giving you a clearer, more accountable view of access control changes across your organization.

See the full video: https://share.shalomcloud.com/7KuGqYb6

“Include mailing labels” option is back—and it works in a much more practical way.

If you print financial statements, mailing labels can be the difference between a smooth monthly run and a frustrating, error-prone process.

The good news: the “Include mailing labels” option is back—and it works in a much more practical way.

What changed (and why it matters)

Previously, even when mailing labels were available, the workflow was clumsy:

  • Statements and labels were combined into one single PDF.
  • You had to print part of the file on plain paper.
  • Then swap paper types mid-job (remove plain paper, load label sheets).
  • Then print the remaining pages for labels.

That approach increased the chance of misprints and wasted label sheets.

Now, when you run statements with Include mailing labels selected, the system generates two separate files:

  • One link for the statements PDF
  • One link for the mailing labels PDF

When the statement run finishes, the notification email includes a dedicated link specifically for the labels, so you can download and print them independently.

include mailing labels

How to run statements with mailing labels

  1. In your statement run options, check Include mailing labels.
  2. Complete the statement run as usual.
  3. Wait for the completion email.
  4. Use the email links to open:
  • the statements file
  • the separate labels file

Critical printing settings (avoid misaligned labels)

Label alignment is almost always ruined by printer scaling.

The label PDF is already formatted with the correct spacing, padding, and margins, so you need to ensure your printer does not “help” by resizing it.

When printing labels, make sure:

  • You print one-sided
  • You select Actual size (or equivalent)

Avoid settings like:

  • Shrink to fit
  • Fit to page
  • Fit to printable area

Those options will scale the document, and even a small change can cause every label to drift out of position.

Recommended first-time test (saves label sheets)

Before using real labels:

  1. Print one label page on plain paper using Actual size.
  2. Hold it up against your label sheet/template.
  3. Confirm the text lines up with the label boundaries.

Once it matches, load your label sheets and print the labels PDF.

A simpler, safer labels workflow

With labels delivered as a separate PDF, you can print statements and labels independently—no mid-print paper swapping, no guessing page ranges, and far fewer wasted label sheets.

If you’ve avoided statement labels in the past because the process felt risky, this update makes it worth trying again—just remember: print at Actual size.

For previous articles about running statements, visit this link.

See the full video on this topic, visit this link.

More Flexibility with Donation Acknowledgements

Managing donation acknowledgements just got more flexible—especially when a donor wants someone else notified about their gift.

When a contribution is made to a fund (for example, a gift to the Cantors Music Fund in honor of a Bat Mitzvah), donors often request that a parent or honoree be informed. Until now, ShalomCloud treated the “donor” message and the “notifee” message as the same description.

This update introduces a simple but powerful improvement: you can now customize the description that appears in the acknowledgement sent to the notifee recipient—without changing what the contributor sees.

The scenario: donor + notify recipient

Here’s a common real-world use case:

  • A donor makes a contribution in honor of a Bat Mitzvah.
  • The donor asks that a parent (or another person) be notified.
  • The system already stores the notifee’s email address with the transaction.

That foundation remains the same. What’s new is the ability to tailor the notification wording for the person being informed.

Bulk acknowledgements still work the same

If you’re processing multiple donations at once, you can continue to send acknowledgements in bulk:

  1. Go to Queries → Financial Transactions.
  2. Filter to the set of contributions you want to process (for example, the ones entered today).
  3. Select the appropriate transactions.
  4. Click Bulk Acknowledge Payments.

This flow supports handling half a dozen—or a dozen—contributions quickly and consistently.

What’s new: an override description for the notifee recipient

You’ll now see an additional description field that’s automatically populated with the description entered when the transaction was created.

  • Default behavior: If you do nothing, the notifee recipient description matches the contributor description.
  • New option: You can override the notify description to better fit the audience receiving the notification.

For example, instead of sending the honoree’s parent a generic description like “Bat mitzvah of Heather Boyle,” you can personalize it into something warmer and clearer—such as “Bat mitzvah of your daughter Heather.”

That small change can make a big difference in how thoughtful and personal the notification feels.

Templates and subject lines: unchanged (and still flexible)

Everything else about the acknowledgement process remains familiar:

  • Choose an email template for the contributor.
  • Choose an email template for the notify recipient.
  • Enter a subject line if desired (if left blank, it defaults to “Donation”).
  • Click the Send Acknowledgements button to deliver messages for the transactions you selected.

Why this matters

This enhancement helps organizations:

  • Deliver more personal, context-appropriate donor notifications
  • Reduce awkward or overly generic wording in honoree/parent emails
  • Keep bulk processing fast while improving message quality

If your donors frequently give in honor of life events—and request that family members be informed—this new notifee description override is a practical upgrade that adds polish without adding extra steps.

See the full video:

Batch Yahrzeit Reminders: Streamline Email Sending Now

If you’ve ever clicked Send and then had to wait—watching your screen sit there with no real sense of how long it would take—this update is for you.

Who this change helps (and who it doesn’t)

  • Helps: Anyone sending Yahrzeit notifications by email, especially in larger volumes.
  • No change: If you send Yahrzeit notifications by hard copy, your workflow stays exactly the same.

What’s new: your screen is no longer tied up

Previously, sending Yahrzeit emails could lock up your screen while the system worked in the background.

Now, after you select your search results and choose a template, the system immediately takes you to a feedback screen.

A progress bar you can actually follow

On the feedback screen, you’ll see a progress bar that moves across the page while emails are being sent. Instead of wondering whether anything is happening (or how close you are to done), you get clear, real-time visual progress until completion.

More detailed sending results

Along with the progress bar, you’ll also get clearer delivery feedback, including:

  • How many emails the system attempted to send
  • How many emails were successfully sent

If those two numbers don’t match, it’s typically because some recipients can’t be emailed (for example, they don’t have an email address on file). In the demo scenario, a few messages could not be delivered for that exact reason.

Why this matters for high-volume sending

When you’re sending dozens—or even hundreds—of Yahrzeit notifications, small delays and unclear status updates quickly become frustrating. This new flow is designed to:

  • Keep your session responsive
  • Reduce uncertainty during sending
  • Provide immediate clarity when some messages can’t be delivered

What’s coming next

This progress-and-feedback approach is a technique we expect to apply in other parts of the system as well—especially anywhere a process currently ties up your screen for a while.

If you regularly send Yahrzeit emails in bulk, this update should make the experience noticeably faster, clearer, and more reassuring—especially with the added delivery details and the interactive progress bar.

See the full video: https://share.shalomcloud.com/d5uqb8Bg?sa=blog_post

Now Available — Printed Letters for Individuals

Reaching members isn’t always a one-channel game. Email is fast, text messages are immediate, and attachments make it easy to share documents. But sometimes the most effective message is the one that lands in a mailbox.

That’s why this update matters. You can now generate hard copy printed letters directly from an existing email template. And include personalized fields, such as first name.

The idea: reuse what already works

If you already maintain email templates (even simple ones filled with placeholder text), you’ve done the hard part: you’ve written and approved messaging that matches your organization’s tone.

Those templates often include personalization tokens—such as a first name substitution—so each message feels relevant to the recipient. When you run a member query, the system can merge that personalization for each selected individual.

What’s new: printed letters from email templates

Until now, your options were essentially digital:

  • Send an instant email you write on the spot
  • Send a text message
  • Choose an existing email template (optionally with an attachment) and email it to your list

Now you can take that same email template and choose to create printed letters for the members you’ve selected. The result is a set of letters generated from the template, ready to be produced as hard copy.

Why printed letters still win in key situations

Email is efficient, but hard copy has advantages when you need higher visibility or a more formal touch. Printed letters can be especially useful for:

  • Board communications that require a more official presentation
  • Fundraising outreach where a mailed letter may get more attention than another inbox message
  • Committee or leadership groups where you want the communication to stand out
  • Targeted audiences based on role or member attributes, rather than blasting everyone

In short: you’re no longer limited to emailing when your goal is to reach specific individuals with a tangible, high-impact message.

How it fits into your workflow

A common workflow looks like this:

  1. Start with an existing email template (even a basic one).
  2. Use a member query to select recipients.
  3. Apply personalization (such as first-name substitution).
  4. Choose the option to create printed letters for the selected recipients.

That’s it—same messaging assets, expanded delivery method.

The takeaway

This isn’t a brand-new concept so much as a smart expansion of what you already do: build templates once, personalize them through queries, and deliver them to the right people.

The difference is you can now deliver that message as printed letters, not just email—making targeted member outreach more flexible, more intentional, and often more effective.

See the full video here: Video

Now available — per transaction override for QB account to debit

For those who regularly post transactions to QuickBooks Online using ShalomCloud, a new feature might significantly streamline your workflow. Until now, the financial category mapping determined where the debit and the credit would post, for each payment to that category. With this change users now have the flexibility to redirect these debits to a different account.

Understanding the Default Posting Method

In ShalomCloud, each financial category is mapped to a corresponding pair of accounts in QuickBooks. For instance, when a payment posts to the Camp Scholarships Fund, it would debit Undeposited Funds and credit Scholarships. This method has been the standard practice, ensuring consistency across transactions.

Introducing Flexible Debit Posting

The latest update allows users to choose a different account to debit for a specific payment. Suppose you prefer the debit to go to a Money Market Account instead of Undeposited Funds. Now, you are able to make this entry directly during the posting process.

How It Works

  1. Select a family/household.
  2. Choose the category and fill out most of the screen as usual.
  3. Just above the save button, you’ll see a new field, “GL to Debit.”
  4. If you leave that field alone, the journal entry will post to the category default.
  5. Instead of using the default debit account, you may select something different.

This enhancement, while modest in scope, offers more control over your financial postings. It’s particularly beneficial for users seeking to customize their accounting processes without additional manual entries QuickBooks.

To see a short (4m 29s) video of this feature in action, access this link.

Unveiling a New Twist on an Old Concept

Unveiling a New Twist on an Old Concept: The Art of Discarding in Shalom Cloud

In the ever-evolving world of digital solutions, even the most traditional concepts can receive a modern twist. Today, we delve into an intriguing update in Shalom Cloud that transforms the way we think about managing household or family units within the system. The concept in question? Discarding.

Traditionally, actions like “destroy” meant a permanent removal, erasing all traces from existence. However, Shalom Cloud introduces us to “discard,” a soft delete that removes visibility but keeps the data intact. This subtle distinction has sparked a debate among users: is it better to discard, or simply change a family’s status to “resigned” or “inactive”? While this choice remains personal and varies across synagogues, the demand for a discard option has been acknowledged.

However, challenges have emerged. Imagine discarding a family unit, only to realize later that you need to retrieve it. Previously, this meant reaching out to support. In an empowering move towards self-service, Shalom Cloud now allows users to resurrect previously discarded families on their own.

Here’s how you can do it: navigate to Queries > Families. Since the original status of a discarded family may be unknown, it’s recommended to check all statuses. A new checkbox for “only discarded” families is now available. Upon searching, the discarded families appear. To restore them, simply check the actions column and hit the new purple “undiscard checked” button. Just like that, they return to your records, ready for management once more.

A noteworthy enhancement accompanies this update. Discarding a family with an outstanding balance can lead to complications, as there was previously no method to address the balance. The system now prevents discarding families with balances, prompting users to adjust financial transactions first. This additional safeguard ensures a seamless experience and prevents potential pitfalls.

In practice, suppose a family named Boyle has moved away, leaving behind a $950 balance. By adjusting this balance to zero, you can then proceed to discard them confidently. This update offers a complete round-trip process: query families, view all statuses, select only discarded, and restore or re-discard as needed.

While the frequency of needing this capability may be low, having it available is invaluable. Embrace this modern twist on an age-old concept and navigate your Shalom Cloud management tasks with newfound ease and efficiency.

See a video of this feature

Or, to see a step by step procedure, open the ShalomCloud User Manual, under the heading “Families — Discard and Undiscard.