What is Gift IN Kind

The Gift In Kind (GIK) is computer software designed for Rescue Missions and Not-For-Profit organizations to assist in tracking donated items.

GIK was created with the assistance of experienced Rescue Mission directors. However, the program can be operated easily by volunteers not familiar with the Gift In Kind process.

Tracking
Included with GIK's easy-to-use interface is a thorough reporting suite. The program tracks GIK by separate categories and locations, and can provide a detailed item description. GIK tracks who entered the product, entry dates, received dates, and assigns a receipt number that corresponds to the paper receipt or the receipt created by GIK. GIK can be used in conjunction with separate paper receipt entry or can be used as a front end interface generating the receipts it self.

Reporting
Eight different reports show detailed information from single items, received dates, donor contributions and location specific to a time period. General reports can be created, including summary reports showing total GIK donations received for locations based on customizable criteria. All reports are flexible. You can enter your starting and ending date ranges, show anything from a days worth of transactions to four years of transactions, and more. This provides a HUGE value for accountants and year end reporting.

Administrating
The Admin section lets you edit users, locations, company header information for reports, and categories. The system was designed to work as a standalone application or easily set up on a network, having the central database with a number of client workstations connected to the main database. GIK was designed to be scalable with the needs of your organization.

Please read 'What you should know to Purchase GIK 3.0'

Installation

Installation Questions

System requirements
Pentium or AMD 1.6GHZ CPU
512MB System Ram
500MB System free hard drive space
Windows XP w/ SP2 or Windows 2000 w/ SP4

Q. What other programs get installed with GIK?
A. When installing GIK 3.0 several other applications are installed.
*.NET Framework 2.0 – Is the framework that GIK runs on.
*SQL EXPRESS – Is the database engine that GIK uses.
*Crystal Reports – Allows GIK to display its reports.
*Microsoft Report – A report engine that GIK uses. For Windows 2000
*MDAC 2.8 – Allows the application to communicate with the database

Q. When I tried to install my program there was an error and I could not install it. What should I do?
A. Check to see if you have a previous version of GIK installed on your machine.

Q. During the installation process it asks me who I want to download this for “just me or everyone”. What does that mean and which option do I need to select?
A. Check with your administrator to find out who will be able to access the data and then select the option you need.

Q. When I clicked on edit data path, there was a message that asked, “Is your GIK database located on a server?” What does this mean? How will I know where it is located?
A. This option is for redirecting to a different database location. If you are running the database on a different PC or server you will need to select YES to this question and enter the name of the PC or server where the database is located. If you are running the database on the local PC then select NO to this question and browse to the GIK.mdf file location on the local PC.

Client/Server Setup

Q. How do I set GIK so that other computers can use the same database?
A. By default GIK installs as a stand alone application but it can be modified to operate with a shared database over a network. This allows multiple PC’s to input data into the same database.

GIK 3.0 - Network Server Setup:
After installing GIK on the server find the two files GIK.mdf and GIKlog.MDF that are located by default in C:\Program Files\GIK3. Move the files to the desired location on your server. Run C:\Program Files\GIK3\GikServerSetup.exe. Select Browse Button and locate the GIK.mdf file. Then press the OK button in Server Creation Setup form. After selecting OK on the message box a script will run that reconfigures the SQL Express Database and restarts it. After the command prompt window closes the server is ready to run.
At this time note the name of your server. This can be located by right clicking on “My Computer” located in your Start menu, and select “Properties”. Then select the “Computer Name” tab and the Computer Name is located halfway down the page.

GIK 3.0 – Client Setup
After installing GIK launch the GIK application. Login and then select the “Admin” button and then the “Data Path Edit” button. This requires that you have Admin permission. A message box will appear that will ask if GIK Database is located on a server. Select Yes and then enter the name of the server where the GIK database is located. If you are unsure about the name of your server see the comments above about finding the server’s computer name. Press OK. You will then need to shut down GIK and relaunch it.