A notify contact is a person associated with a tribute record who receives communications about gifts made in memory or in honor of the individual being recognized. Tribute records accommodate one or more notify contacts and are tracked in the Notify section of the record, including their preferred notification method and frequency. Notify contacts can be a profile in CommunitySuite or they can be tracked directly on the tribute record without creating a profile.
It is recommended that notify contacts be created as profiles, or use existing profiles, and are associated with the tribute record before donations are received. Setting up the tribute record and adding all notify contacts in advance helps ensure tribute gifts are tracked correctly and notifications are sent to the appropriate individuals.
Who: Donor relations and gift processing staff managing tribute records, donor notifications, and tribute reporting.
When to Use Tribute Notify Contacts
Use tribute notify contacts when:
- Multiple family members of the individual being honored may want visibility into the gifts received, enabling them to personally thank the donors.
- A primary contact person is identified for an online memorial campaign that recognizes the retirement of a local history teacher, and the notify contact will compile all the donor information and well wishes for a retirement party.
- A beloved librarian who passed away has listed a literacy fund in her obituary, and the notify contact for the library system wants monthly notification of donations that have been made in her name so donors can be thanked.
What is a Profile Notify Contact
A profile notify contact is an existing CommunitySuite profile that is added to a tribute record as someone wanting to be alerted when a tribute has been made in honor or memory of a specific individual. It is recommended to use an existing profile or create a profile for the contact person in CommunitySuite before adding them as a notify contact on the tribute record.
There are many advantages to adding an existing profile record as the notify contact:
- Visibility - Tribute information displays on the profile record in the Engagement tab.
- Accurate notifications - Ties the tribute to a profile where email and address data are updated.
- Consistency - Future donations tied to the same tribute point to the same notify profile.
- Reporting and tracking - More robust reporting capabilities than with non-profile contacts.
- Efficiency - Staff select the tribute record tied to the profile instead of retyping information for every gift.
- Reduce data errors - Minimizes typos, incomplete fields, or inconsistent formatting that can happen with manual entry.
How to Tell If a Notify Contact Is a Profile
A profile notify contact added to a tribute record appears in the Notify area. A profile notify contact will have an ID number located in the ProfileID column. The Email and Address fields will not be editable since you will edit that information on the profile and not within the tribute record.
In the example shown, the profile for Joan Weber was added to a tribute record. Joan's profile ID number 1330 displays in the ProfileID column. Joan's name, email, and address information display but are not editable because that information would need to be changed on the profile record.
On Joan's profile record, the tribute information displays on the Engagement tab in the Tribute Notifications section.
What is a Non-Profile Notify Contact
A tribute record can also include non-profile contacts. A non-profile contact captures the person or organization's contact details on the tribute record only. Use this option if the contact person does not already exist in CommunitySuite, and you do not want to add them or be able to track them beyond the tribute record.
A profile will not be created in CommunitySuite and the non-profile contact cannot be converted to a profile. The only place to view and manage a non-profile contact is on the tribute record. There is no visibility in Profiles because no profile exists for the person.
Non-profile notify contacts are limited in functionality compared to full profiles:
- No profile is created automatically - Adding a person to notify on a donation does not create a profile record for that individual.
- Higher risk of incorrect or failed notifications - Because the contact is not tied to a profile, there is a greater chance of outdated address or email information, which can lead to bounced emails or mail going to the wrong location.
- Limited functionality - Non-profile contacts do not benefit from the full capabilities of a profile such as tracking history, communication preferences, or reporting.
- No easy way to convert later - If a notify person is entered without creating a profile, there is not a way to convert that record into a full profile later.
Non-Profile Notify Contacts Can Be Created in Three Ways
Non-profile contacts can be created directly on the Tribute record, from the Giving Hub when a donor creates a new tribute and adds a person to notify, and from a donation record when entered internally and the New Tribute section is completed.
Search for a Profile First
Before adding a non-profile notify contact, it is recommended to search CommunitySuite profiles first to be sure you do not already have a profile for the person or organization. The potential to have a notify contact that duplicates a profile record is high, but this will not be flagged in the Duplicates area of Profiles.
How to Tell If a Notify Contact Is a Non-Profile
A non-profile notify contact added to a tribute record also appears in the Notify area. Tribute records can contain a mix of profile and non-profile contacts. Non-profile contacts will not have a number located in the ProfileID column. The Name, Email, and Address fields will be editable since you will edit that information on the tribute record only.
In the example shown, the non-profile contact for Will Mellow has been added and his name, email, and address information are editable within the Notify area of the tribute record.