CRM (Constituent Relationship Management) Module
The CRM module is where the contact and summary information are contained about the constituents. A constituent is any individual or company that your organization interacts or communicates with including members, donors, volunteers, staff, granting agencies, vendors, email list subscribers, and more. Within this module there are several grids including the main Constituents Grid and grids to see all the Interactions, Documents, Relationships, and Time Tracking for all the constituents in the database. The grids are organized like a spreadsheet to show each constituent on a row with columns of data about that constituent.
A default view must be created for some of the grids within the database. If a default view is required, a pop-up message will appear to create the default view. Click on OK to build the default view.
To begin, all the columns can be included by clicking on Add All on the left available column list.
With all the columns added to the view, click on the small “x” in the top right corner of the window to close the view builder.
Then click the green “Save” button to open the grid view. The video “2023 Summer Release – Views” (password AS2021) in the Video Support Library provides information for building custom views to support different workflows.
Many of the grids also contain a side bar to reveal the views and queries. If the gray sidebar is not viewable when the grid is opened, click on the small left facing arrowhead in the middle of the grid to reveal the side bar. The bottom of the side bar has a toggle to keep the sidebar minimized if to see the grid without the sidebar showing.
Constituent Grid
The constituent grid shows a spreadsheet-style list of all of the constituents in the database along with contact information including their address, email address, phone number, and summary information like their cumulative giving history, last gift date, and average gift amount. Reports can be quickly created using views and can be saved as a custom view, shared with other users, and even exported to Excel using the Actions menu. Learn more about it in the video “AS Constituent Grid.” (password AS2021)
Clicking on the row of a particular constituent will allows the use of the View/Edit menu at the top of the grid to open their profile page or any of their subpages to see more details of things like their giving, pledges, interactions, documents, relationships, events, memberships, and volunteer time. New donations, event purchases, and memberships can also be added from the profile record. If the constituent row has data in the Last Name/Constituent column, clicking on the name will go directly to their record, or right click on the name and open in a new tab. See the following videos to learn more about the features in the constituent profile records:
“AS Individual Constituent Profile” (password AS2021)
“AS Company Constituent Profile” (password AS2021)
“AS Constituent Events Tab” (password AS2021)
“AS Constituent Membership Tab” (password AS2021)
“AS Engagement Tab” (password AS2021)
“AS Constituent Survey Tab” (password AS2021)
“AS Constituent Email Campaigns Tab” (password AS2021)
“AS Constituent Payment Options Tab” (password AS2021)
Interactions Grid and My Follow Ups
The interactions grid provides a record of all interactions recorded for all constituents. Interactions can record any type of contact with a constituent including meetings, phone calls, reports. The types of interactions and categories of interactions are all fully editable.
For any interaction created, a follow-up interaction can also be created. For example, a meeting occurred with a member, and they requested a specific report. The meeting can be recorded as well as a follow up activity to assign and remind a user to send the report. Learn more about the Interactions and My Follow Ups grid in the video “AS Constituent Interactions & Follow Ups.” (password AS2021)
Documents Grid
Documents like acknowledgement letters, end of year tax statements, and renewal reminders can be saved in the constituent’s records. Documents provided by the constituent, like copies of driver’s licenses or resumes, can also be uploaded. The documents grid provides a list of all documents saved in all the constituent’s records. Watch more about the documents grid in the video “AS Constituent Documents.” (password AS2021)
Relationships Grid
Constituents can be linked in the database via relationships. Relationships can include family, work, social, and other types of connections which are fully editable. The relationship grid includes a listing of all relationships of all constituents. Learn more about this feature in the video “AS Constituent Relationships.” (password AS2021)
Time Tracking Grid
Time tracking is used to document volunteer time, service, or education activities. Time can be recorded manually in the constituent’s record or set up to be added automatically through an event page. The time tracking grid includes the information for all time for all constituents. To learn more about the time tracking grid, see the video “AS Constituent Time Tracking.” (password AS2021)
Mail Merge CRM Templates
Mail merge letters and emails can be created from the reports generated in the constituent grid. The letters are saved in the Mail Merge CRM Templates library. The letters are built similarly to Microsoft Word and utilize the fields available in the constituent grid for the data.
Automated Actions
Automated actions will send emails to constituents, create notifications and follow-ups, and assign constituents to categories based on triggers. For example, automatic emails can be sent for constituent’s birthdays, or to send a notification to the development director when a constituent reaches a giving threshold to be considered a major donor. To learn more about automated actions, see the video “AS Automated Actions.” (password AS2021)