Can the word pledge be changed?

Hey @jsmith2,

Welcome to the Community. I'm here to provide insight into changing the word pledge. 

Generally, pledges will appear in QuickBooks Online when a user has selected that their organization is a non-profit. If you're needing to change the name of the transaction that's sent to your customer/member, you can customize a template to do this. Here's how:

1. Select the Gear icon and click Custom Form Styles.
2. If you wish to modify an existing style, select Edit in the Action column. Should you be wishing to create a new template, click New style in the top right-hand corner and choose INVOICE. 
3. Choose Content in the upper left of the screen.
4. Click the top box of the preview panel to the left.
5. Edit the form name to your desired term, such as invoice.
6. Select Done. 

Now, you'll just need to select that template when printing or emailing the transaction and your emailed and the name will change. If this is the default template, your transaction will have the desired name automatically. 

I've included a brief video to serve as a visual guide for you:

For additional insight into customization, such as the different options available, I'm including an article that I recommend: How to Customize Invoices, Estimates, and Sales Receipts.

Please let me know if you should have any questions. Best regards and take care. 
 

I was able to change PLEDGE to INVOICE on the invoices but not on the statements. Is that possible? Thanks

Thank you for joining on this thread, @newyorktutor!

Changing your company type and customer label will change what's on your statements. Let me guide you to fix this.

From a nonprofit organization, you'll have to change it to any business organization or tax form.

Let me show you how:

1. Go to the Gear icon.
2. Under Your Company, select Account and Settings.
3. Click Company type.
4. Go to the drop-down menu on the tax form.
5. Select any business organization.
6. Click on Save.
7. Go to the Advanced tab on the left panel.
8. Click Other preferences.
9. Under Customer label, select any label except "Donors" and/or which is applicable to your business.
10. Click on Save, then Done.

Here are screenshots you can check for your visual reference.

Let us know if you have any other concerns. We'll always be here to help you.

The first answer about changing an invoice to say "invoice" instead of "pledge" seems ok. 
However, the second answer about the statement is of no use at all!

The whole problem is that QBO automatically assumes certain things about a nonprofit that are not always correct. It would be a lot better if, after selecting that business type, a few questions came up to ask: do you want your invoices to say "pledge", "invoice", or "_____"; do you want your statement to say "pledge" or "______". 

As it is, a nonprofit will often need to select a different business type, which changes a lot of other features.

:(

The first answer about changing an invoice to say "invoice" instead of "pledge" seems ok. 
However, the second answer about the statement is of no use at all!

The whole problem is that QBO automatically assumes certain things about a nonprofit that are not always correct. It would be a lot better if, after selecting that business type, a few questions came up to ask: do you want your invoices to say "pledge", "invoice", or "_____"; do you want your statement to say "pledge" or "______". 

As it is, a nonprofit will often need to select a different business type, which changes a lot of other features.

:(

Hello there, @Jimbough.

I'll submit this feature request on your behalf to our product engineers so they'll consider adding this in the future. We take this as an opportunity for us to improve on how the program works.

I don't want to leave you empty-handed, so I'm adding a link where you can check the latest news about the product. The QuickBooks Online Blog site is a place where you’ll also get some tips on how to manage the business efficiently.

This information should help you move forward.

If you have additional questions about QuickBooks, post a reply below. I'm here to answer them. Have a good one!

The forms now say Invoice which is great, and we've updated the email template with correct wording, however, when the email attaches a pdf of the invoice, the file name of that pdf still says "pledge" with its invoice number. How do we change the name of the file that is attached to the invoice email? This will confuse the client agency. Thank you very much.

Hi there, ProfitLogics.

The PDF shows pledge if you have a Non-Profit company type. You'll want to toggle the company type and send the invoice. Then, change it back to Non-profit.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to the Gear > Account and Settings.
2. On the left panel, click Company.
3. Select Company type, and change the Tax form from the drop-down list.
4. Click Save and then Done.

Open the invoice and send it to your client. You will see Invoice as the file name of the PDF. Once done, you can go back to the steps above and select the correct company type.

Please let me know if there's anything else you need. I'll be around to help you some more. Take care.

Thanks for clarifying this. It's unreasonable and impractical to change the company type just to remove the word "pledge" from the email subject line and from the invoice file name. There really needs to be a way to replace "pledge" with "invoice" WITHOUT changing the company type. Please create this functionality as soon as possible.

Thanks for joining the thread, @jeremyewing.

Primarily, the best option to show your pledge and reflect it as an invoice is by creating a new template and apply it to your invoice.

The first person provided this answer above this thread, and I'll be happy to give you this solution:

1. Go to the Gear icon and then select Custom Form Styles.
2. Click New style in the top right-hand corner and choose Invoice. 
3. Choose Content in the upper left of the screen.
4. Click the Header Pencil icon on the preview panel to the left.
5. Edit the form name to your desired term, like 'Invoice".
6. Select Done.
   

Also, you can change the invoice message when you send them to your customers by selecting the Emails tab when editing the template then click Done to save it.

When you create the Invoice from + New, apply the template you recently personalized by clicking Customize and selecting its name.

This way, it will be set as your default template in creating invoices and will be named invoices from now on.

For an additional overview to customize sales forms, I'm including this article as your reference: How to Customize Invoices, Estimates, and Sales Receipts.

Should you have questions, leave a comment. I'll get back to you as fast as I can. Have a great one!

Thanks for the detailed reply! I'm still having an issue with the subject line of invoice emails. In the most recent invoice I emailed from QuickBooks online, I made sure that "Pledge" was not in the email subject line. The subject line was: "INVOICE [Invoice No.] from..."

But when the invoice was sent, the subject line in the resultant email received by the customer had mysteriously become "Pledge - INVOICE 1242 from..."!!

Why was this unwanted word "Pledge" inserted automatically without warning in the subject line, and how can this be avoided? How can we ensure that the subject line we specify is VERBATIM the subject line in the resultant email that the customer receives?

BTW I made sure as you suggested that the email subject line in Custom Form Styles is correct. It is: "INVOICE [Invoice No.] from..." And yet that unwanted word "Pledge" shows up in the beginning of the subject line of the email received by the customer. What to do?

I have more steps we can try, @jeremyewing.

Let's make sure the default settings for messages were changed to the invoice. Let me walk you through how.

1. Go to Gear, then Account and settings.
2. Choose Sales, then the Pencil icon in the Messages section.
3. Under Email subject line, delete and type "Invoice [Invoice No.] from...".
4. Hit Save and Done.

After that, try sending a test invoice to your email address and see the subject line if it's now correct. You can learn more about customer messages at this link here: How to set up or change customer messages.

We also have a guide on income and expenses that you might find helpful. It has information and articles related to invoices.

Fill me in if you have other questions or concerns. I'll be around to assist you further. Thanks for reaching out and have a nice day ahead.

You can change the email subject line, but since it is still using the "Pledge" form the subject line ends ups being: Pledge - Invoice from....

Absurd!

Agree! This is such an impractical proposed solution. No one has time to change company types when they send invoices. Many non-profits send invoices (not just collect donations from people) and it's weird that it says "pledge" on the emailed INVOICE.  I've changed all of the forms and settings from Pledge to Invoice that are possible, don't ADD words (i.e. "Pledge - ") to the subject line when that word isn't the subject line in the form design. Quite frustrating.

This is the exact problem I am having. I want to get rid of the ADDED word "Pledge" that appears in the email subject line when it is not there in the form. 

I appreciate your time getting back here, AdriennePlaskett.

When your company type is a non-profit organization, the default form name is pledge. You can change the name in the settings, but the email subject would still show the original form name. 

While we're unable to change the subject line, you'll want to toggle the company type to a different tax form. Then, send the invoice and change the settings back to Non-profit.

Here are the steps:

1. Go to the Gear > Account and Settings.
2. On the left panel, click Company.
3. Select Company type, and change the Tax form from the drop-down list.
4. Click Save and then Done.

I've got a sample screenshot for reference:

I'm also adding this article for more details: Edit company settings in QuickBooks Online.

I'll be around if you need more help with QuickBooks Online. Take care and stay safe.

Is there any update as to the removal of the "presumptuous title of Pledge" forced upon the Quickbooks customers who are paying for a service. Quickbooks marketing claims the Quickbooks Desktop versions are less robust so we are wooed and convinced to use the Online version. Only then to find the Desktop version has the ability to do the simplest of things like change a word from "Pledge" to "Customer". This is classic engineers/programmers not knowing the practicality of the processes being designed or created for, or ignoring, the needs of the end users. To think that every non-profit organization uses the word pledge is ridiculous. The word is archaic. Why not use the subscriber, donor, giver, backer, sponsor or contributor. To force the use of a title when it clearly doesn't apply in many situations, and then to force a paying subscriber to switch company types just to send reminders, emails or invoices is outrageous. >:(

Hey Intuit, if you really are trying to move your customer base from the desktop world to the online forum start listening and adapting to our needs more quickly. Desktop versions are still less than a one year's subscription to Quickbooks online. Your customers deserve better. Quit with all the ads and other crap on the Dashboard Screen, mirror all of the abilities of the Desktop Version, help us out here.

I anxiously await your response.

I agree with everyone above. Not all invoices for nonprofits are "Pledges." In fact, there are many reasons why a nonprofit would want to send an invoice to a "customer" that is not a pledge, because nonprofits have many different income streams in order to be viable. For example, a non-profit might rent a meeting room to a third party. The invoice should not say "pledge," it should say something else, like "INVOICE." It is indeed a waste of valuable time to have to remember to change "company type" everytime a nonprofit wants to send an invoice.  Perhaps the coders don't know anything about real-world nonprofits?

Also incredibly frustrated and annoyed that the word "Pledge - " adds itself to the subject line! Please remove this! If you are giving us the option to write our own subject line, why would you add arbitrary words to the beginning? So illogical! 

Is there any update as to when you will remove the requirement to use the word "Pledge" in the subject line.  We are a non-profit.  The word Pledge is inappropriate for our organization.  I will not switch company type when this is something you (Intuit) should fix.  Why do you require the word Pledge??

This has been something that people have been asking for in the past few YEARS and I don't see a resolution to it. Why would Intuit even assume that most nonprofits would use the term "pledge" rather than "invoice". That is so out of touch with reality. When will this be fixed?!

I appreciate your time posting on this thread, BH17.

I'll give details about your concern.

For now, we're unable to get updates regarding this request. I recommend sending feedback to our product developers. They'll review this idea and might consider updating it in the future.

You can follow these steps to send feedback:

1. Go to the Gear located at the top.
2. Under Profile, click Feedback.

If you want to check the status of your request, you can click this link: Customer Feedback for QuickBooks Online.

To learn more about managing your invoices in QuickBooks, please visit this link: Manage invoices. This page will give you the list of articles ang guides related to invoices.

You're always welcome to leave a reply if there's anything else you need. I'll be around to help. Keep safe. 

You're right, the word is archaic and it's weird to assume nonprofits receive "pledges" at all. Our nonprofit doesn't receive "pledges". People donate in the moment. The rest of our income is via invoicing. This is ridiculous to assume "pledge" for nonprofits and even more ridiculous that we can't change it. I switched two businesses over to QBO in May and I have yet to be impressed by most of it and am yearning for desktop simplicity such as hitting escape to get to that one screen I opened two screens ago that I need to get back to.