Lesson 9.6 – Using Filters and Queries

Welcome to Lesson 9.6! In FastFund Raising, virtually every field in your database is searchable, sortable, and exportable using Report Filters and Custom Queries/Reports. Applying a filter allows you to extract specific segments of data—such as a list of major donors in a particular zip code, or a report of all cash gifts tied to a specific project.

In this lesson, we will explore the core rules for building accurate filters, how to use Boolean logic, and how to create complex queries using filter branches.

1. The Three Golden Rules of Filtering

Before building any queries, it is critical to understand FastFund’s three foundational rules for ensuring your output data is accurate and free of duplicates.

• Rule #1 – Filters for Mailings: Because constituents can have up to five different addresses on file, generating a mailing list without a specific address filter will result in multiple output rows for the same person. When creating a filter for mailings, you must always include the criteria: Address Select Is Equal to True. This ensures your query only pulls the single preferred mailing address for each donor. (Exception: If you are specifically querying a specific address type, like “Work”, your filter field would be AddressType).
• Rule #2 – Filters for Transactions: Whenever you build a query that includes financial data, you must explicitly tell the system which type of transaction to pull. You must include the criteria: TransactionType Is Equal to [Selected Type] (e.g., Cash Gift, Pledge).
• Rule #3 – Excluding Inactive Entities: To prevent inactive constituents from appearing in your active query results, you must include the criteria: Inactive Is Equal to False.

2. Boolean Logic: AND vs. OR

Filter statements rely on Boolean logic to combine or exclude conditions. Understanding the difference between an AND statement and an OR statement is vital for getting the correct results:

• The AND Operator (Narrows Results): When conditions are joined by AND, all conditions in the filter must be true. Example: Searching for Cash Gifts greater than $1,000 AND City = Raleigh will only output donors who meet both criteria simultaneously.
• The OR Operator (Broadens Results): When conditions are joined by OR, either statement can be true. Example: Searching for Cash Gifts greater than $1,000 OR City = Raleigh will output any donor who gave over $1,000, as well as any donor who lives in Raleigh, regardless of their gift size.

3. Creating a Simple Filter

You can create filters, save them, and apply them to standard reports or custom queries so you do not have to rebuild them every time.

Steps to Create a Filter:

1. Navigate to Reports on the Main Menu, and under the Reporting Tools section, select Report Filters.
2. Click New + and enter a Filter Name. You can also restrict which users are allowed to use this filter by moving names to the “Selected Users” list, keeping sensitive data queries secure. Click SAVE.
3. Click the Filter Criteria tab, then click Filter + to add your first line.
4. Select the Filter Object (the data table, such as Constituent, Address, or Transaction) and the Field (such as State or Amount).
5. Select a command (e.g., Equals, Is Greater Than, Is Between) and enter the target Value.
6. Click Update to lock in the line. You can continue adding lines to build out your query criteria.

4. Filter Branches for Complex Queries

If you need to build a complex query with multiple sets of criteria, you will use Filter Branches instead of a standard filter line. You add these by clicking Branch +.

Filter branches allow you to join different sets of rules using advanced condition joiners like All Apply (AND), Any Apply (OR), or All Do Not Exist.

Example of an Exclusion Filter: Imagine you want a list of donors who gave a gift in 2023, but did not give a gift in 2024.

• Your primary branch would filter for all donors with a Cash Gift between 01/01/2023 and 12/31/2023.
• You would add a second branch filtering for a Cash Gift between 01/01/2024 and 12/31/2024.
• You would join the second branch using the condition All Do Not Exist. The results will exclude anyone found in the second branch from the primary list, giving you your exact target audience for a LYBUNT (Last Year But Unfortunately Not This) mailing.