Lesson 4.1 – Understanding Constituents in FastFund

Welcome to Module 4! In FastFund Raising, the term Constituents is used collectively to describe all the individuals and organizations you have a relationship with. This includes your donors, prospects, alumni, members, employees, solicitors, volunteers, board members, vendors, and foundations.

Understanding how FastFund manages constituent data is crucial for maintaining an accurate database, generating meaningful reports, and executing successful fundraising campaigns. In this lesson, we will explore the core concepts of constituent management, the differences between record types, and how to navigate the constituent profile.

1. Individuals vs. Organizations

FastFund Raising stores information for both individuals and organizations within the same database, but it uses different data entry screens to accommodate the unique information required for each type.

• Individual Constituents: Designed for people. These records contain specific data fields for Date of Birth, Date Deceased, Gender, Marital Status, and information for Spouses/Partners and Children. The Display Name for an individual is automatically generated by combining their First Name and Last Name.
• Organization Constituents: Designed for businesses, foundations, churches, and other entities. These records contain fields more applicable to a business, such as Organization Name, Matching Gift policies, Company Contacts, and Employees.

[INSERT SCREENSHOT: Display a side-by-side comparison of an Individual Constituent’s Details screen (showing Date of Birth and Marital Status) next to an Organization Constituent’s Details screen (showing Contact Name and Industry).]

2. The Constituent Details Screen

When you open a constituent record, you are brought to the Details tab. This is the master profile for the constituent and is separated into several key areas:

• Information Header: The top of the screen displays the constituent’s name, ID number, primary address, phone, and email.
• Recent Activity: If a constituent has donated to your organization, this area displays their last six transactions (including the date, gift type, appeal, and amount) directly on their main profile.
• Donor Summary: Located next to Recent Activity, this box provides a quick snapshot of the constituent’s total annual giving for the current and previous year, as well as their lifetime total number of donations and amount.
• Miscellaneous: For individual constituents, this expandable section houses additional demographic data such as secondary salutations, employer information, income range, and target gift range.

[INSERT SCREENSHOT: Show the Constituent Details screen, highlighting the ‘Recent Activity’ grid and the ‘Donor Summary’ box on the right.]

3. Tags and Flags

FastFund uses specific check boxes in the constituent header to quickly classify the nature of your relationship with the constituent and manage their communication preferences.

• Donor Tags: Check boxes used to identify the constituent as a Donor, Tribute, or Solicitor. (Note: Once a constituent makes a recorded donation, the Donor flag is automatically locked and cannot be unchecked).
• Code Tags: Check boxes used to identify the constituent as an Alumni, Member, or Volunteer. Checking one of these boxes will activate a corresponding new tab on the constituent’s record to enter specific details (e.g., checking Member opens the Member tab to track renewal dates and dues).
• Flags: Critical checkboxes used to manage communication.
  • Inactive: Hides the constituent from transaction entry screens while preserving their historical data.
  • Anonymous Donor: Flags the constituent so their name is withheld from public recognition.
  • Do Not Mail: Ensures the constituent is excluded from your mailing lists. When building queries for mailings, you must include a filter to exclude all constituents with this flag checked.

4. Shared Entities (Sub-Classes)

FastFund utilizes a powerful shared entity database. This means a single person or company can be classified as multiple entity types simultaneously without creating duplicate records.

If a constituent in your fundraising database also exists in your system as a Vendor or Client (in FastFund Accounting) or as an Employee (in FastFund Payroll), they are considered a shared entity.

You can easily identify this by looking at the Sub Classes area in the upper right corner of the constituent’s header. If they have another profile, a blue text link (e.g., “Vendor” or “Employee”) will appear. Clicking this link allows you to instantly bridge over to their other profile. Because the data is shared, updating their address or phone number in the fundraising module will automatically update their information for the accounting or payroll departments.