Example Opportunities with Stages and Tasks

Taking time to plan your approach before building anything in CommunitySuite will help ensure your opportunity types, stages, and task types reflect how your team actually works. 

Key considerations include examining your current workflow, defining what each stage means for your organization, determining your reporting needs, and deciding where different types of information like notes, files, and tasks should be stored.

Sandbox Site 
Your Sandbox site is the recommended place to build and test opportunity types, stages, and tasks before creating them in your Live site.

For detailed planning guidance, see Get Started with Opportunities.

Bequest and planned gift opportunities allow you to manage commitments from initial conversations through formal documentation, without any impact to your general ledger.

For a detailed example of this opportunity type including suggested stages, tasks, and strategic considerations, see Track Bequests Using Opportunities.

New fund opportunities allow you to track the process of establishing a new fund from initial donor interest through a signed fund agreement, creation of a fund record in CommunitySuite, and the receipt of an opening gift. 

This opportunity type is useful for organizations that work directly with donors to establish any type of fund: field of interest, agency, Donor Advised Fund (DAF), scholarship, unrestricted, or more.

Suggested New Fund Development Stages

Stages for a new fund opportunity type can reflect the steps in your new fund creation workflow. The stages below are a suggested starting point. 

1. Initial Contact - Donor has expressed interest in opening a fund.
2. Determine Charitable Interests - Conversations are underway to identify the donor's philanthropic goals and the type of fund they wish to create.
3. Draft Fund Agreement - Fund agreement is being drafted and reviewed with the donor.
4. Fund Agreement Signed - Signed fund agreement has been received.
5. Fund Setup - Fund record gets created in CommunitySuite.
6. Fund Advisor Setup - Fund advisor designation is activated, the fund is connected to the advisor, portal access is established, and a welcome letter is sent.
7. Awaiting Donation - All setup is complete, but the opening gift is pending.
8. Stewardship/Mark Complete - Opening gift has been received and the donor relationship is being maintained.

For a detailed walkthrough of this opportunity type including suggested stages, tasks, and an example scenario, see Example New Fund Opportunity.

Board member recruitment opportunities allow you to coordinate the process of identifying, vetting, and onboarding new board or committee members. 

This opportunity type provides a structured way to document outreach, track conversations, and record the outcome of the recruitment process from initial identification through active committee service.

Suggested Board Member Stages

1. Identify - Individual has been identified as a potential board or committee member.
2. Build Relationship - Engagement is underway to explore the candidates' interest.
3. Prospect Vetting - Candidate is under review by board development members or committee.
4. Approved and Invited - Candidate has been approved by the board and formally invited to serve.
5. Committee Assignment - Candidate has been assigned to a committee. If it is a board member candidate and they also choose to serve on a committee or executive committee role, that can be assigned at this time.
6. Onboarding - New board or committee member is actively completing onboarding activities including receiving a welcome packet, signing conflict of interest forms, attending orientation meetings, and confirming meeting schedules and dates.
7. Declined - Candidate has declined or withdrawn from consideration. The opportunity would then be marked closed and unsuccessful.
8. Active - Candidate has completed onboarding and is actively serving in their assigned role. The opportunity can be marked complete and successful at this stage.

For a detailed walkthrough of this opportunity type including suggested stages, tasks, and an example scenario, see Example Board Member Recruitment Opportunity.
 

Professional advisor recruitment opportunities allow you to track engagement with attorneys, financial planners, and other advisors who may refer donors to your organization. Use this opportunity type to move advisors through a relationship-building progression from initial identification toward active advocacy for your organization.

Suggested Professional Advisor Recruitment Stages

1. Identification - The advisor has been identified as a potential partner but may not yet have a profile in CommunitySuite or any direct relationship with the organization. 
2. Awareness - A meaningful touchpoint has occurred and active two-way engagement has begun. The advisor is aware of the organization and the staff member has made initial follow-up contact.
3. Interest - The advisor has expressed interest in developing the professional relationship.
4. Engagement - Active relationship building is in progress.
5. Advocate - Advisor is actively referring clients or supporting your organization's work.

Suggested Professional Advisor Recruitment Task and Note Types

• Call - Reach out to introduce the organization or follow up on a conversation.
• Visit - Meet to discuss the organization's work, giving options, and how professional advisors can support their clients' philanthropic goals.
• Email - Send information about the organization, planned giving options, or resources relevant to the advisor's clients.
• Information Learned - Document the advisor's areas of expertise, client base, or interests that may inform the relationship strategy.
• Update Profile - Update the advisor's profile to track areas of expertise, referral activity, and link them to specific funds or donors they may work with.
• Tag Profile Type - Tag the advisor's profile with a profile type for internal tracking purposes. This could be a prospective professional advisor profile type.

Because opportunities can track stages as milestones and manage both open and completed tasks, this type can also be applied to internal processes and workflows, such as data cleanup initiatives or cross-team projects, that benefit from structured tracking.

Conflict of Interest Opportunity Type

The Conflict of Interest (COI) opportunity type is one example of an annual internal control that could be tracked via opportunities. 

Suggested COI Stages

1. Initial Notification - First communication has been sent and announced at board/committee meetings.
2. Second Notification - Follow-up communication has been sent to outstanding recipients.
3. Declaration Review - Submitted declarations are under review.
4. Update Board and Committee Materials - Board and committee documentation have been updated to reflect submitted declarations.
5. Notify Board and Committee - Board and committee members have been notified of the completed review.
6. COI Complete - Conflict of Interest compliance review is complete. The opportunity is marked complete.

Suggested COI Task and Note Types

Email - Send the COI form, due date, instructions for completing and returning the form, and follow-up communications using an opportunity letter template. Check the Auto-Attach Document box when emailing to automatically attach a copy to the opportunity record.

Update Form - Task to update the conflict of interest form for the current annual cycle before notifications are sent.

Review Declarations - Task assigned to review submitted declarations and follow up on any that require further attention.

Update Board and Committee Materials - Task to update board and committee documentation to reflect submitted declarations and validate org roles for accuracy including new terms and roll-offs.

Notify Board and Committee - Task to notify board and committee members that the COI review process is complete.