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Documentation Audience Management

Audience Management

Audience Management How-To

Browse tenant guides generated directly from the Markdown files in docs/tenant.

Create a static Audience Group from AI or Prospect results

Use this when a list from Ask Altrinum or Prospects is immediately useful for outreach and you want to save it without rebuilding the list by hand.

What kinds of results support this

Current static-group creation is available from:

  • audience-like Ask Altrinum results, such as prospect lists and donation record-list results
  • populated prospect research sections such as top prospects, lapsed major donors, planned giving prospects, and second-gift-window prospects

When the action is shown

The action appears only when:

  • the current result is actually people-based
  • the workspace can use Audience Groups
  • you have permission to create audience groups and audience group members

When it is not shown

The action is hidden for:

  • KPI-only answers
  • grouped summaries that do not contain reusable people rows
  • single-record detail answers
  • diagnosis or recommendation outputs that are not list-based

What gets created

The saved group is static.

This means:

  • it captures the results visible at the moment you save it
  • it does not become a dynamic segment automatically
  • future data changes do not automatically update membership

How to use it

  1. Open the Ask Altrinum or Prospects result you want.
  2. Select Create Audience Group.
  3. Enter a name.
  4. Save the group.

Rows without a valid email address are skipped when the static group is built.

Import constituents from a CSV safely

Use this process when your organization needs to add or update supporter profiles without creating unnecessary duplicates, overwriting trusted data too aggressively, or loosening existing communication safeguards.

This is especially useful when:

  • you are migrating from another platform
  • you received a spreadsheet from a colleague or partner team
  • you want to enrich existing constituent records with better profile data
  • you are consolidating records from multiple sources over time

Before you start

Before importing, confirm that:

  • each row has an email address
  • staff understand whether the import should fill blanks or overwrite fields
  • the source data is trustworthy enough to use external IDs if present
  • your team is prepared to review duplicates and ambiguous matches carefully

Important:

  • This import updates profile data only.
  • It does not clear unsubscribes.
  • It does not re-subscribe constituents.
  • It does not rewrite topic preference history.
  • Duplicate emails inside the upload are first-wins; later rows are skipped.
  • Merge into... updates an existing constituent profile but does not automatically merge historical activity from two separate people.

Step 1 — Open the import tool

Open Constituents > Import.

If you are working with a new source file, download the template first so you can confirm expected columns and formatting.

Step 2 — Prepare the CSV

Review the file before uploading it.

Pay close attention to:

  • email address quality
  • duplicate rows inside the file
  • inconsistent naming
  • old or conflicting external identifiers
  • incomplete addresses or phone fields
  • mixed formatting from multiple source systems

A cleaner CSV usually leads to a cleaner dry run and far fewer decisions later.

Step 3 — Choose how profile updates should behave

Select either:

  • Fill blanks only
  • Overwrite allowed fields

Use Fill blanks only when:

  • your existing constituent records are usually more trustworthy
  • you are onboarding from mixed-quality exports
  • you want the safest first migration
  • you want to enrich incomplete records without replacing known-good values

Use Overwrite allowed fields when:

  • the incoming source is clearly better
  • staff have reviewed the risks
  • you are intentionally standardizing profile data
  • the imported file has been validated and approved as the preferred source

Tip:

For a first import into a live workspace, Fill blanks only is usually the safer choice.

Step 4 — Decide whether to use external ID matching

Choose whether to keep Prefer external_system + external_id matching when present enabled.

Keep it on when:

  • the source system is authoritative
  • external_system and external_id are clean and consistent
  • your team wants stronger matching than email alone can provide

Turn it off or use caution when:

  • the export includes stale or conflicting IDs
  • multiple legacy systems have been merged upstream
  • staff are not confident the identifiers still map cleanly to real people

If an external ID already belongs to another constituent in the workspace, resolve that conflict before importing.

Step 5 — Run the dry run

Upload the file and run the dry run before importing anything.

The dry run is one of the most important parts of the process. It gives your team a chance to review how Altrinum interprets the file before any profile updates are committed.

Look for rows marked:

  • Error
  • Possible duplicate
  • Skipped
  • ambiguous conflict rows

Step 6 — Review and resolve conflicts

Use the available row actions to clean up the import batch.

Use Edit when:

  • an email is invalid
  • a field value needs correction
  • an external identifier is wrong
  • the row is almost usable but needs a small fix

Use Not a duplicate when:

  • staff have reviewed the suggestion
  • the row should remain a separate constituent
  • the apparent match is not actually the same person

Use Merge into... when:

  • the incoming row should update an existing constituent profile
  • staff are confident that the match is correct
  • you want to avoid fragmenting the same supporter across multiple records

Important:

Merge into... updates one existing constituent profile using the imported row. It does not automatically combine historical donations, registrations, transactions, or activity from two already separate people.

Step 7 — Import only after the ready rows reflect what you want

Once the review queue looks correct, proceed with the import.

Do not treat the dry run as a formality. Treat it as the moment where your team protects long-term data quality.

Best practice:

On a large migration, start with a smaller test batch first. It is easier to refine your matching and overwrite choices on 50 rows than on 5,000.

Choose fill blanks vs overwrite

Selecting the right import mode is one of the most important decisions in the constituent import process.

Fill blanks only

Choose this option when you want the system to be conservative and preserve existing profile values wherever possible.

This is usually the best fit when:

  • your current records were already reviewed by staff
  • the imported file is incomplete
  • data came from multiple exports or spreadsheets
  • you are filling in gaps rather than replacing trusted records

This option is especially helpful during early migrations, cleanup work, or phased onboarding.

Overwrite allowed fields

Choose this option when the imported source should replace existing profile data in supported fields.

This is usually the best fit when:

  • the source is current and authoritative
  • your team has agreed that the incoming data is better
  • you are standardizing formatting or replacing incomplete records
  • you are running a controlled cleanup effort with clear ownership

Use extra caution if the workspace already has a lot of active staff-maintained profile data.

A practical rule of thumb

If the question is:

“Are we trying to improve incomplete records?”
Start with Fill blanks only.

If the question is:

“Are we intentionally replacing records with better source data?”
Consider Overwrite allowed fields.

Decide whether to use external ID matching

External ID matching can be very powerful, but only when the identifiers are trustworthy.

Why external IDs help

Email addresses can change. People may use different email addresses over time, or your team may have historical records from multiple channels.

External IDs can help preserve continuity when:

  • the source system is stable
  • identifiers were managed carefully
  • staff trust the upstream data model

Why external IDs can cause problems

External IDs can also create bad matches or ambiguous conflicts when:

  • two systems reused identifiers differently
  • exports were merged manually
  • old data was imported from multiple tools without governance
  • an external ID was attached to the wrong person in a prior system

Recommended approach

Use external ID matching when the source is authoritative.

If the source is mixed or unreliable, it may be safer to rely more heavily on email matching plus manual review.

Build a donor segment

Dynamic audience groups are useful when you want a donor segment that stays current over time rather than a one-time list.

Example use cases

Create a donor segment when you want to:

  • build a stewardship audience
  • find donors above a giving threshold
  • prepare a campaign audience for a fundraising appeal
  • exclude recent donors from a renewal ask
  • identify donors tied to a specific giving form or designation

How to build it

  1. Open Audience Groups.
  2. Create a new group.
  3. Choose Dynamic.
  4. Add rules such as:
    • has donated
    • minimum lifetime giving
    • giving form
    • designation
    • donation date range
  5. Save the group.
  6. Review the resulting membership to confirm it matches your intent.

Tips

  • Start with broader donor logic, then narrow down only if needed.
  • Be careful not to over-filter a segment so much that it becomes hard to reuse.
  • Review whether campaign send eligibility will require separate interest-group or suppression considerations later.

Build an event registrant segment

Create a dynamic audience group when you want a reusable segment based on registrations rather than a manual export.

This is especially helpful for:

  • pre-event reminders
  • post-event follow-up
  • invitation exclusions
  • attendee stewardship
  • segmentation by event participation history

How to build it

  1. Open Audience Groups.
  2. Create a new group.
  3. Choose Dynamic.
  4. Add:
    • Has registered
    • a specific event
    • optional registration status
    • optional registration date range
  5. Save the group.
  6. Review the resulting membership.

Tips

  • Use event-based segments for follow-up and analysis, not just one campaign send.
  • If your team uses registration statuses operationally, include those intentionally rather than assuming all registrants should be treated the same way.
  • Remember that registration-based grouping and email eligibility are separate concepts.

Review email eligibility for one constituent

When staff are preparing a send or investigating why someone did or did not receive a message, start from the constituent profile.

Open the constituent profile and review:

  • current marketing status
  • tenant-level suppression
  • do-not-contact state
  • topic preferences
  • recent email activity if available

What this helps you answer

This review can clarify questions such as:

  • Is this person currently eligible for marketing email?
  • Are they suppressed at the workspace level?
  • Did a preference setting exclude them?
  • Are they in the right audience group but still not sendable?

Important reminder

Being in an audience group does not guarantee email eligibility for a campaign.

Campaign sends still depend on communication rules, including interest-group and suppression logic at send time.

That separation is intentional and helps prevent teams from confusing operational segmentation with permission to contact.