Add Constituents

Modules>Fundraising>Constituents>Add Constituent

A Constituent is an individual or a corporation donating or contributing a gift payment or service.

Adding a constituent before you add a gift payment is optional. You can also enter the constituent information at the time the gift or pledge payment is added.

Automatic Constituent Creation through CRM and System Option Control

Those organizations that generate large fundraising efforts each year may desire to have a constituent record created each time a new Individual or Organization record is added to the netFORUM database in CRM. This is accomplished through the CreateConstituentOnIndOrOrgAdd system option. When this system option is set to true, each time a new record is created in CRM, a corresponding constituent record is created at the same time for the individual or organization. The Constituent profile of the record may be viewed just as any regular constituent profile had it been created through the adding a constituent process.

Add a Constituent that Exists in CRM

A customer record for the Organization or Individual making the donation must be in the CRM database before you can designate that party as a constituent in the system. If the party in question is not already in the system, you can add them from this form.

To add a Constituent that exists in CRM, use the following steps:

  1. In the Constituents group item, select the Add Constituent group item link. The Add - Fundraising Constituent page opens.
  2. On the Add - Fundraising Constituent page, enter the first few letters of the person's last name and either click the Look Up button or wait until the list appears, showing the names of individuals or organizations already in the CRM with the same letters in their names.
  3. Locate the record of the individual or organization you want to add as a constituent from this list, and left-click the name. This will enter their information in the constituent field of the Add - Fundraising Constituent form.
  4. Use the Search feature to locate the solicitor for this constituent, if applicable.
  5. Expand the staff contact drop-down menu and select the individual within the organization who will serve as the staff contact for this constituent.
  6. If relevant, select the donor category. If no donor category is set, a default donor category will be set using the DefaultConstituentDonorCategoryKey system option.
  7. If the person is a "very important person," select the VIP flag check box. If you select this check box, expand the VIP type drop-down menu and select the appropriate VIP Type for this individual.
  8. If the constituent wants to remain anonymous for all donations they make to the organization, click the give anonymous? check box.
  9. When you set a Constituent's give anonymous? flag, each time you add a gift from the constituent profile, that constituent's anonymous check box will be selected by default.
  10. Expand the recognition level drop-down menu and select the appropriate recognition level for the new constituent.
  11. Enter as many as four salutations to be used in correspondence with this constituent in the salutation fields.
  12. If you would like to be able to manually override the salutations entered, click the manual override? check box.
  13. Enter any special notes you have about this constituent in the notes field.
  14. Click the Save button. The new constituent record will be saved, and you will be taken to the Constituent Profile.

Add a Constituent That Does Not Exist in the CRM

If you enter the first few letters of the constituent's name that you want to add and get no results after clicking the Look Up button, you must add that individual or organization in the CRM. Then, you can add that individual or organization as a Constituent.

To add a Constituent that does not exist in CRM, use the following steps:

  1. Click the Add Ind link located next to the constituent field on the Add - Fundraising Constituent form. To add an organization, click the Add Org link, or click on the Add icon. Clicking the Add icon will launch a pop-up window that will give you options to add either an individual or an organization.
  2. Enter the information for the individual or organization you wish to add as a constituent.
  3. Click the Save button.

    The new constituent is now available.

Setting the VIP Type

The VIP Type field allows you to display what type of VIP a constituent is on their profile.

You can add the VIP Type during the initial constituent setup, or you can edit the constituent profile after the record has been saved. This example will focus on editing the VIP Type.

To edit the VIP Type, use the following steps:

  1. Click the Edit button on the Constituent Profile.This will open the Edit - Fundraising Constituent form.
  2. Expand the VIP Type drop-down and select the VIP Type to be associated with this constituent.
  3. Click the Save button.The VIP Type is now displayed on the Constituent Profile.

You may specify the different VIP types you want to use on the Fundraising Setup topic.

Do Not Solicit Checkbox

Clicking the do not solicit check box will make a notation on the constituent profile that this constituent should not be solicited for any gifts, donations, etc.

This check box is only available when the Constituent Profile is being edited and is not available when adding a constituent.

Tip: If you wish to exclude certain constituents from solicitations, be sure to include this flag as a criterion in your queries. This is because a query or mailing list cannot know whether the mailing be sent is a solicitation or not.