Create and Edit a Profile

Additional fields are available after the profile has been created. 

1. Navigate to the Profiles page and click Create in the left-side menu.
2. Depending on the profile you are creating, fill in the Individual, Household, or Organization row.
   • Only fill in one row. The row you fill in determines the type of profile.
   • Individual - First Name and Last Name are required.
     • Preferred name, or nickname, can go in the First Name field.
       • Example: If Robert Jones goes by Bob Jones, enter Bob in First Name.
   • Household - Recommended format for a couple with the same last name is Last, First and First. Recommended format for a couple with different last names is Last, First and Last, First.
     • Leading with the last name allows the profile to be sorted alphabetically with individuals. 
     • The date entered in the Birthday field populates to the Anniversary field on a household profile record. 
   • Organization - The name of the organization.
     • If the organization has a different acknowledgement and legal name, enter the acknowledgement name here.
   • Name is the only required field (First/Last for individual) to create a profile. However, additional fields can be required by designating them in Profiles Settings.
3. Fill in the remaining name fields.
   • Salutation - This is for the Dear line of a letter.
     • Example: Bob or Mr. Jones.
     • This field is optional but strongly recommended. If this is blank, CommunitySuite will use the mailing label, then the primary name fields, for communications. 
   • Mailing Label - This is for the outside of an envelope.
     • Example: Mr. Robert Jones or Robert Jones.
     • This field is optional but strongly recommended. If this is blank, CommunitySuite will use the primary name fields for communications. For a household with a blank mailing label, this could read Dear Jones, Robert and Betty.
   • Legal Name - Fill in this field when a profile goes by something different than their actual name.
     • This field is available in global search results, so when it is the same as the primary name, the profile will appear in the search results twice.
     • When this is populated, this name will print on checks.
   • Recognition Name - Alternate name field for donation recognition.
     • If a donor wants to be recognized by something other than what is captured in the primary name fields, salutation, or mailing label, that can be entered here. If populated, it will auto-fill into the Recognition Name on future donations from this profile. 
4. Fill in the profile's primary address, phone, and email. 
   
   • Additional contact information can be added after the profile is created.
   • The information entered at this stage will automatically be marked primary. CommunitySuite defaults to the primary address for communications.
   • International City/State/Zip is only used for addresses outside the United States and Canada, unless the client is in Australia. If the client is in Australia, International City/State/Zip is used for addresses outside Australia.
5. Fill in any additional information, and then click Save.
   
   

The profile is now in the system. Edit the profile to add additional information.

Once a profile has been created, you can add designations to make it a customer, donor, fund advisor, grantee, nonprofit, student, vendor, or affiliate/supporting org.

The video below provides a brief overview of how to create a household profile.

1. Navigate to the profile you want to edit.
2. Click Edit in the left-side menu.
3. Complete the Profile changes, and then click Save. 
   • Additional fields that provide information about the profile that are available for reporting and filtering include the following: inactive, deceased, engagement strategy, profile types, and philanthropic interest areas. 
   • You can add additional addresses, phones, and emails. Each time a new one is added, then another row will appear. 
   • If the profile is an organization, there will be name fields for the contact.
     
     

Clients that have Guidestar enabled can create a profile from Guidestar search results. 

1. Navigate to the Profiles page and click Create in the left-side menu.
2. Click Search Guidestar in the left-side menu.
3. Enter the Nonprofit Name, and then click Search Guidestar.
   
   
   
4. Click [create profile] next to the appropriate search result. 
   
   
   

The profile is now in the system. Additional information can be added by editing the profile.

If you need to create a profile that has a lot of the same information as another profile, such as a spouse, you can copy the original profile. Copying the profile copies most contact information and name fields but doesn't duplicate any transactions or profile designations.

1. Navigate to the profile you want to copy.
2. Click Copy in the left-side menu.
   • You will be directed to the new profile. 
3. Update the profile using one of the options below.

New Profile is the Same Type as the Original Profile

1. If the new profile should be the same type (individual, household, organization) as the original profile, follow the instructions in the Edit a Profile section to make updates to the profile.

New Profile Should Be a Different Type than the Original Profile

If the new profile should be a different type than the original profile, you can switch the type. 

1. Switch the new profile type.
2. • If the profile is an individual, click Make House/Org in the left-side menu.
   • If the profile is a household, click Make Individual or Make Organization in the left-side menu.
   • If the profile is an organization, click Make Individual or Make Household in the left-side menu.
3. Fill in the the appropriate Change Profile Type fields, and then click Update.
    

If you don't see any left-side menu options, then the profile will need to be updated before you can switch the type. Generally, relationships between profiles need to be removed in order to switch a profile to another type. They can be added back after the profile type has been changed.