> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.theharvest.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Recording a gift

> One entry updates your dashboard, accounting, the member's history and their statement.

Because gifts arrive in your own payment account, Harvest only knows about them once you record them. This is the routine that keeps everything correct.

## How to record one

<Steps>
  <Step title="Open the contact">
    Go to **CRM**, find the person and open their record.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Add a donation">
    Press **Add Activity**, choose **Donation**, and enter the amount and date.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Save">
    That is it. One entry, four places updated.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## What one entry updates

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Your dashboard" icon="chart-line">
    The giving total on your overview moves immediately.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Accounting" icon="receipt">
    An invoice is created automatically. You do not enter it twice.
  </Card>

  <Card title="The member's own history" icon="user">
    They see the gift in their account, with a receipt they can download.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Their giving statement" icon="file-invoice">
    It lands in the right year automatically.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## The email matters more than you think

<Warning>
  A gift is matched to a member **by their email address**. If you record a gift against a contact with no email, the gift still counts on your dashboard and in your accounting — but **the member will never see it** in their own account, and it will not appear on their statement.

  Harvest tells you this on screen before you save. It is not a silent failure, but it is easy to click past.
</Warning>

If you are recording a gift for someone who will want a year-end statement, make sure their contact has the email address they use to sign in.

## A weekly rhythm works best

Most churches set aside a few minutes once a week: open your payment account, open Harvest side by side, and record what came in.

<Tip>
  Doing it weekly rather than monthly keeps your dashboard honest, and it means a member asking "did my gift come through?" gets a real answer.
</Tip>

## Gifts you cannot attribute

Sometimes money arrives with no name you recognise. Record it against the contact if you can identify them later; if you never can, it is still real income for your accounting even though no member sees it.


## Related topics

- [Payment links](/giving/payment-links.md)
- [How giving works in Harvest](/giving/how-giving-works.md)
- [Events](/ministry/events.md)
- [What's new](/changelog.md)