Data and Interface Settings

The ‘Drop Down Options’ in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits to manage the pre-defined choices available in various dropdown menus across the CRM system.

General Functionality of ‘Drop Down Options’

This includes common fields like Gender (Male/Female/Other), prefixes (Mr./Ms./Dr.), suffixes (Jr./Sr.), and more specific options like phone types (Home/Mobile/Work) or website types (Personal/Professional/Social Media).

Using ‘Drop Down Options’ in Association Management

In the context of a nursing association:

• General Fields:
  • Gender Options: While Male/Female might suffice, consider adding “Non-binary” for inclusivity.
  • Individual Prefixes: Standard options like Mr./Ms./Dr. are suitable.
  • Individual Suffixes: Jr./Sr. can be used, but may not be relevant for all professions.
  • Instant Messenger Services: Not as widely used professionally, consider removing or limiting options.
  • Location Types: Work, possibly a specific field for “Hospital/Clinic”.
  • Mobile Phone Providers: May not be necessary, consider removing.
  • Phone Types: Work, Mobile are essential. Consider adding “Pager” for some nurses.
  • Website Types: Professional (e.g., LinkedIn) and Social Media (e.g., Facebook for networking) are most relevant.

Scenario: The association wants members to easily update their preferred contact details. By customizing “Phone Types” to include “Pager,” nurses can indicate their preferred method of urgent communication. Similarly, “Location Types” with a “Hospital/Clinic” option helps track where members are employed.

More Use Cases for Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits

Association Use Case: Tracking Volunteer Availability

Scenario: The association relies on volunteers for various events and programs. They want to efficiently track volunteer availability and preferred contact methods.

Customization:

• Location Types: Add options specific to volunteer activities (e.g., “Soup Kitchen”, “Blood Donation Drive”).
• Day of Week Availability: Create new options (e.g., “Weekdays”, “Weekends”, “Evenings”).
• Availability Hours: Allow volunteers to enter specific available hours.

Chamber of Commerce Use Case: Member Industry Classification

Scenario: The chamber wants to better understand its member businesses and tailor services accordingly.

Customization:

• Industry: Create a new dropdown with relevant industry categories (e.g., “Retail”, “Technology”, “Healthcare”).
• Company Size: Add options to categorize businesses by size (e.g., “Small Business”, “Medium-Sized Enterprise”, “Large Corporation”).
• Number of Employees: Allow members to enter their employee count.

Nonprofit Use Case: Donor Communication Preferences

Scenario: The nonprofit wants to communicate with donors effectively and according to their preferences.

Customization:

• Communication Channel: Add options for preferred communication methods (e.g., “Email”, “Phone”, “Postal Mail”).
• Frequency: Allow donors to choose their preferred communication frequency (e.g., “Monthly”, “Quarterly”, “Annually”).
• Donation Type: Create options to categorize donations (e.g., “One-Time”, “Recurring”, “In-Kind”).

By customizing these options, associations, chambers of commerce, and nonprofits can gain valuable insights into their members, volunteers, and donors, allowing them to better serve their communities.

The “Contact Types” feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofit organizations to define different categories for storing information about their contacts. Retention CRM comes with two pre-built types: Individual (for single people) and Organization (for companies or groups). Here, you can create additional custom types to better organize your contacts based on their specific roles or affiliations.

General Functionality of “Contact Types” feature

Let’s break down the available fields/options:

• Contact Type: This is the name you give to your new category (e.g., Student, Staff, Volunteer).
• Based On: This defines which existing type (Individual, Household, or Organization) your custom type will inherit its core functionalities from.
• Description: Here you can provide a brief explanation of what this custom type represents.
• Add Contact Type: Clicking this button creates your new custom contact type.

Using “Contact Types” feature in Association Management

A nursing association can leverage “Contact Types” to effectively manage different member groups:

• Contact Types:
  • Registered Nurse (RN) (Based on Individual)
  • Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) (Based on Individual)
  • Nursing School (Based on Organization)
  • Hospital (Based on Organization)
• Explanation:
  • RN and LPN types capture individual nurses’ information, allowing you to track licenses, certifications, and continuing education.
  • Nursing School and Hospital types categorize institutions relevant to the association’s activities.

Scenario:

The association is hosting a conference specifically for LPNs. They can use the “Contact Type” filter when searching for members to send targeted email invitations or online registration announcements only to LPNs. This streamlines communication and ensures relevant information reaches the right audience.

Add Contact Type Options:

• Name: Registered Nurse (RN)
• Basic Contact Type: Individual (since it stores information about a single nurse)
• Icon: You can upload an icon representing a nurse (optional)
• Description: This contact type stores information about Registered Nurses in the association.
• Enabled?: Check this box to activate the new “RN” contact type.

By creating and utilizing custom contact types, Nonprofits, Associations and Chambers of Commerce can efficiently organize and manage their member database for better communication and service delivery.

More Use Cases for Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits

Track Membership Levels and Dues (Associations)

An association can create custom contact types for different membership levels (e.g., Basic Member, Premium Member, Lifetime Member). This allows them to easily track member information, manage dues payments, and offer targeted benefits based on membership level.

Organize Businesses by Industry (Chamber of Commerce)

A chamber of commerce can create custom contact types to categorize businesses by industry (e.g., Retail, Technology, Healthcare). This allows them to segment their communication, provide industry-specific resources, and facilitate networking opportunities between businesses.

Manage Volunteer Programs (Nonprofit)

A nonprofit can create custom contact types for different volunteer roles (e.g., Soup Kitchen Volunteer, Fundraising Volunteer, Administrative Volunteer). This allows them to track volunteer qualifications, interests, and availability, and match them with appropriate volunteer opportunities.

The “Relationship Types” feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM lets Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits define how people and organizations are connected to each other within their contact database. You can create custom labels for each direction of the relationship (e.g., “Employer” to “Employee” or “Friend” which is the same in both directions). This allows you to track a wide range of interactions between your contacts. You can even add custom fields to capture more details about specific relationships.

General Functionality of “Relationship Types” feature

Now, let’s break down the available fields and their meaning.

• Relationship A to B & Relationship B to A: These define the labels for the relationship from the perspective of each contact.
  • Example: “Member” (A to B) and “Association” (B to A) for a member’s relationship with the nursing association.
• Contact Type A & Contact Type B: Specify the type of contacts involved in the relationship.
  • Example: Both “Individual” for a member’s relationship with the association.
• Enabled? This controls if the relationship type is available for use.

Using “Relationship Types” feature in Association Management

Here’s a hypothetical scenario:

The nursing association wants to track relationships between members (Individual) and potential mentors (Individual) within the organization. They can create a new relationship type with:

• Relationship A to B: Mentor
• Relationship B to A: Mentee
• Contact Type A (Mentor): Individual
• Contact Type B (Mentee): Individual
• Enabled?: Yes

This allows the association to easily connect members seeking guidance with experienced nurses who can provide mentorship. They can even add custom fields to capture details like the area of expertise or preferred communication method for each mentor.

More Use Cases for Chambers of Commerce, Associations and Nonprofits

Connect recent graduates with established professionals (Association)

Use Case: An alumni association wants to connect recent graduates (Individual) with established professionals (Individual) in their field for mentorship opportunities. They can use the Relationship Types report to identify alumni who have listed themselves as mentors and connect them with recent graduates seeking guidance in their careers. This report allows the association to see all the mentor-mentee relationships at a glance and identify potential matches based on factors like shared industry or alma mater.

Track relationships between member businesses and potential customers (Chamber of Commerce)

Use Case: A chamber of commerce wants to track relationships between member businesses (Organization) and potential customers (Individual). They can use the Relationship Types report to identify businesses that offer products or services relevant to specific customer profiles. This allows the chamber to connect businesses with potential new clients and facilitate mutually beneficial relationships. For example, they can create a relationship type “Member Company” (A to B) and “Customer” (B to A) and use the report to find businesses that cater to a specific customer demographic.

Track relationships between volunteer tutors and the students (Nonprofit)

Use Case: A non-profit organization that provides educational programs wants to track relationships between volunteer tutors (Individual) and the students (Individual) they mentor. They can use the Relationship Types report to monitor student progress and ensure they are matched with suitable tutors based on their needs and the tutor’s expertise. This allows the non-profit to optimize their volunteer program and track the impact of mentorship on student outcomes. They can create a relationship type “Tutor” (A to B) and “Student” (B to A) and use the report to see which students are matched with which tutors and track their progress over time.

The “Activity Types” feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Chambers of Commerce, Nonprofits and Associations to manage the different ways they interact with their contacts.

General Functionality of “Activity Types” feature

It displays a list of existing activity types, each with details like its purpose (Description), sorting order (Order), and visibility (Enabled?). You can also add new activity types specific to your organization’s needs.

Using “Activity Types” feature in Association Management

For a nursing association, this section becomes even more valuable. Let’s say you track interactions with members like phone consultations, educational seminars, or even mentoring sessions. Here’s how “Activity Types” helps:

• Components: Since these activities primarily involve contacts (members), you’d likely choose “Contacts” as the component.
• Adding Activity Types: You can define new activity types relevant to your association. For instance, “Phone Consultation” (Label), with a brief description outlining the purpose and any specific details captured during the call. Similarly, you could create entries for “Educational Seminar” and “Mentoring Session”.
• Description: Use the description field to provide users with context. For “Phone Consultation,” you might explain it’s for addressing member queries or concerns.
• Order: You can prioritize activity types by assigning them an order number. Urgent interactions like consultations might be ranked higher than seminars.
• Enabled?: This allows you to temporarily disable activity types you’re not currently using, keeping the interface clean.

By customizing activity types, Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits gain a clear system for recording and managing member and other stakeholder interactions, facilitating better communication and service delivery.

More Use Cases for Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits

Tracking Member Interactions for a Nursing Association

• Component: Contacts
• Activity Types:
  • Phone Consultation (for addressing member queries or concerns)
  • Educational Seminar
  • Mentoring Session
• Description: The description field can be used to provide details about each activity type, such as the purpose of the consultation, topics covered in seminars, or goals of mentoring sessions.
• Order: Phone consultations might be ranked higher than seminars due to their urgent nature.
• Enabled?: Less frequently used activity types, like mentoring sessions, can be disabled to keep the interface clutter-free.

This allows the nursing association to record and manage interactions with members effectively, facilitating better communication and service delivery.

Monitoring Advocacy Efforts for a Chamber of Commerce

• Component: Contacts (Businesses/Government Officials)
• Activity Types:
  • Lobbying Meeting (with description of advocacy issue)
  • Phone Call (regarding specific legislation)
  • Letter Sent (in support of/against a bill)
• Description: The description field can be used to capture details about the lobbying effort, such as the specific legislation discussed or the position advocated for.
• Order: Lobbying meetings might be ranked higher than phone calls or letters due to their direct nature.
• Enabled?: Less relevant activity types, like phone calls, can be disabled if lobbying meetings are the primary focus currently.

This allows the chamber of commerce to track their advocacy efforts effectively, measure their impact, and strategize for future initiatives.

Managing Volunteer Activities for a Non-Profit

• Component: Contacts (Volunteers)
• Activity Types:
  • Food Pantry Distribution
  • Donation Drive
  • Fundraising Event
• Description: The description field can be used to outline the volunteer activities, such as the roles volunteers played in food distribution or donation drives.
• Order: Urgent activities like food distribution might be ranked higher than fundraising events.
• Enabled?: Activity types for events that are not currently happening, like donation drives, can be disabled for a cleaner interface.

This allows the non-profit to manage volunteer activities efficiently, recognize volunteer contributions, and improve volunteer engagement.

The “Tags” feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Nonprofits, Associations and Chambers of Commerce to manage the categorization system for their organization’s data. It functions similarly to labels but offers a hierarchical structure.

General Functionality of “Tags” feature

Here’s a breakdown of the general fields and their application.

Available Fields:

• Tag Tree: This displays all your tags in a visual hierarchy, where you can drag and drop to organize them. Holding shift while clicking allows selecting multiple tags for bulk actions like merging, moving, or deleting.
• Vendor: This field is not typically used and might be left blank in most cases.
• Location: Similar to Vendor, this field likely isn’t relevant for tag management.

Using “Tags” feature in Association Management

Nursing Association Scenario:

• Add Tag: This button allows creating new tags to categorize your data relevant to the nursing association.

Tag Details:

• *Label : This is the primary name for your tag, clear and concise (e.g., “Membership Type”).
• Description (Optional): Provides a brief explanation of the tag’s purpose (e.g., “Identifies member type based on license”).
• Parent Tag: This lets you categorize your tags further. For example, a “Membership Type” tag could have child tags like “RN Membership” and “LPN Membership.”
• Used For: This defines which data types within Retention CRM can be associated with this tag. In our example, “Membership Type” could be used for Contacts (members) and Contributions (membership fees).
• Color (Optional): Assigning a color to tags can improve visual distinction within the system.
• Reserved?: This prevents accidental deletion of crucial tags. Only authorized users can manage these.
• Selectable?: This determines if the tag can be chosen when assigning tags to data entries.

Nursing Association Example:

A nursing association can utilize tags to categorize various aspects of their data. Here’s a hypothetical scenario:

• Tags can be created for “Membership Type” (RN, LPN, etc.), “Event Category” (Conference, Workshop), and “Volunteer Interests” (Education, Patient Care).
• “Membership Type” could be used for Contacts (members) and Contributions (dues).
• “Event Category” could be used for Events to help members find relevant activities.
• “Volunteer Interests” could be used for Contacts (volunteers) to identify their preferred areas of contribution.

By effectively utilizing tags, Chambers of Commerce, Nonprofits and Associations  can organize their data efficiently, allowing for better member management, streamlined event promotion, and efficient volunteer coordination.

More Use Cases for Chambers of Commerce, Associations and Nonprofits

Association – Membership Management

An association can use tags to categorize members by their profession, interests, or any other relevant criteria. For example, a professional association can create tags for “Accounting”, “Marketing”, “Law”, etc. This allows them to easily segment their member base for targeted communication and engagement. For instance, they can send out emails about upcoming events or educational resources relevant to a specific member’s profession.

Chamber of Commerce – Business Directory

A chamber of commerce can use tags to categorize businesses in their directory. This allows businesses to be easily searchable by potential customers based on their industry, location, or other relevant criteria. For example, a chamber can create tags for “Restaurant”, “Retail”, “Manufacturing”, etc. They can also create tags for specific locations within the city. This way, a customer searching for a restaurant can easily find all the restaurants listed in the directory, along with their contact information and other details.

Nonprofit – Volunteer Management

A nonprofit can use tags to categorize volunteers by their skills and interests. This allows them to easily match volunteers with projects that need their expertise. For example, a nonprofit can create tags for “Graphic Design”, “Social Media”, “Event Planning”, etc. They can also create tags for specific volunteer interests, such as “Animal Welfare” or “Education”. When a volunteer signs up, they can indicate their skills and interests by selecting relevant tags. This way, the nonprofit can easily identify volunteers who are a good fit for specific projects.

The ‘Forms’ feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofit organizations to create custom sets of fields for collecting information from users. These Forms can be used for various purposes, including standalone forms, directory searches, and integrating with your CMS user accounts (Drupal, WordPress or Joomla). There are two main categories of Forms: User-defined Forms, which you can create and customize, and Reserved Forms, which are system-wide Forms used for specific purposes.

General Functionality of ‘Forms’ feature

Available Fields Explained:

• Form Title (Required): Internal name for the Form.
• Public Title (Required): Name displayed to users. (e.g., “Nurse Registration Form”)
• Form Description: Brief explanation of the Form’s purpose.
• Used For: Select how the Form will be used (e.g., Standalone Form for nurse registration).
• Order: Reihenfolge (German for order) in which the Form appears in listings.
• Pre-form Help/Post-form Help: Instructions displayed to users before or after submitting the form.
• Is this Retention CRM Form active?: Yes/No to enable or disable the Form.

Advanced Settings:

• Limit listings to a specific Group?: Restrict Form usage to a specific member group (e.g., Registered Nurses).
• Add contacts to a group?: Automatically add users to a group upon Form submission.
• Notify when Form form is submitted?: Send email notifications when someone submits the form.
• Redirect URL: Webpage users are directed to after form submission.
• Include Cancel Button?: Option to include a button for users to cancel form submission.
• Cancel Redirect URL: Webpage users are directed to if they cancel the form.
• Cancel Button Text: Text displayed on the cancel button (e.g., “Cancel”).
• Submit Button Text: Text displayed on the submit button (e.g., “Register”).
• Include reCAPTCHA?: Add a CAPTCHA security measure to prevent spam submissions.
• Drupal8 user account registration option?: Manage how user accounts are created through the Form.
• What to do upon duplicate match?: Action taken if a matching contact already exists.
• Proximity Search: Define a geographic radius for searching Forms (Optional/Required).
• Enable mapping for this Form?: Display Form results on a map.
• Include Form edit links in search results?: Allow users to edit their Form information from search results.
• Include Drupal8 user account information links in search results?: Allow users to access their account information from search results.

Using ‘Forms’ feature in Association Management

The nursing association can create a Form titled “Nurse Registration Form” used as a standalone form. The description can explain the registration process and required information. They can set “Used For” to “Standalone Form” and customize the fields to collect details like name, license number, and areas of expertise. Users who submit the form can be automatically added to the “Registered Nurses” group. Email notifications can be sent to administrators upon form submission. The association can also enable Form edit links in search results so nurses can update their information. This is just one example, and Forms can be tailored to fit various needs of the association.

More Use Cases for Chambers of Commerce, Associations and Nonprofits

Association – Membership Registration

An association can create a Form titled “Membership Registration Form” to collect information from potential members. The Form description can explain the membership benefits and application process. They can set “Used For” to “Standalone Form” and customize the fields to collect details like contact information, profession, and area of interest. Users who submit the form can be automatically added to the “Members” group. Email notifications can be sent to administrators upon form submission. The association can also enable Form edit links in search results so members can update their information.

Chamber of Commerce – Business Listing

A chamber of commerce can create a Form titled “Business Listing Form” to collect information from businesses interested in getting listed in their directory. The Form description can explain the listing benefits and guidelines. They can set “Used For” to “Standalone Form” and customize the fields to collect details like business name, contact information, category, and website. Businesses that submit the form can be automatically added to a “Business Directory” group. The chamber can display these listings with a search functionality using Retention CRM’s directory search options.

Nonprofit – Volunteer Registration

A nonprofit can create a Form titled “Volunteer Registration Form” to collect information from potential volunteers. The Form description can explain the volunteer opportunities and application process. They can set “Used For” to “Standalone Form” and customize the fields to collect details like contact information, skills, and areas of interest. Users who submit the form can be automatically added to a “Volunteers” group. The nonprofit can send email notifications to coordinators upon form submission to connect with potential volunteers. They can also include a link to a volunteer portal in the Form for further information.

The “Custom Fields” feature in the ‘Settings’ area of Retention CRM allows Association, Chamber of Commerce and Nonprofit to tailor the software to their organization’s specific needs. Here, you can define extra data points to capture additional information beyond Retention CRM’s standard fields. This information is then displayed and managed throughout the CRM system.

General Functionality of “Custom Fields” feature

A typical report might include fields like ID (unique identifier for the field), Set (group the field belongs to), Enabled? (whether the field is currently active), Used For (which Retention CRM record type the field applies to), Type (text, date, dropdown, etc.), Order (display order within the set), and Style (how the field is presented).

Here’s a breakdown of the additional options available when creating a new “Custom Field Set”:

• New Custom Field Group: This simply names the group of related custom fields (e.g., “Certifications”).
• Set Name: Enter a descriptive name for this set of custom fields (e.g., “Member Certifications”).
• Used For: Select the Retention CRM record type where this set of fields will be used (e.g., Contact).
• Order: Define the order in which this set appears relative to other custom field sets.
• Collapse this set on initial display/Collapse this set in Advanced Search: Choose whether the set is initially collapsed to save screen space.
• Is this Custom Data Set active?/Is this Custom Data Set public?: Control whether the set is currently used and visible to all users.
• Pre-form Help/Post-form Help: Provide optional instructional text displayed before or after the custom fields on the data entry form.

Using “Custom Fields” feature in Association Management

Now, let’s see how a nursing association can leverage this functionality. Imagine they want to track their members’ certifications. They can create a new “Custom Field Set” named “Certifications” under “Used For” – Contact. Within this set, they can define individual custom fields. For instance, a “Certification Type” field (Type: Dropdown) might list options like “RN”, “LPN”, and “CNL”. Another field, “Certification Expiry Date” (Type: Date), would capture the expiration date for each certification. These fields would be displayed on the member’s contact record, allowing the association to maintain a comprehensive member database. By effectively utilizing “Custom Fields,” a nursing association can significantly enhance Retention CRM’s functionality to manage member data specific to their needs.

More Use Cases for Associations, Chambers of Commerce and Nonprofits

Track certifications of its members (Association)

Associations can use custom fields to track certifications of its members. They can create a custom field set named “Certifications” under “Used For” – Contact. Within this set, they can define individual custom fields like “Certification Type” (Dropdown) and “Certification Expiry Date” (Date). This allows the association to maintain a comprehensive member database with up-to-date certification information.

Track the products and services (Chambers of Commerce)

Chambers of commerce can use custom fields to track the products and services offered by their member businesses. They can create a custom field set named “Products & Services” under “Used For” – Contact (Organization). Within this set, they can define custom fields like “Product Category” (Dropdown) and “Product Description” (Text). This allows the chamber to maintain a directory of member businesses and their offerings, which can be helpful for potential customers searching for specific products or services.

Track the volunteer interests and skills (Non-Profits)

Nonprofits can use custom fields to track the volunteer interests and skills of their volunteers. They can create a custom field set named “Volunteer Preferences” under “Used For” – Contact. Within this set, they can define custom fields like “Areas of Interest” (Checkbox) and “Skills” (Text). This allows the non-profit to match volunteers with appropriate volunteer opportunities based on their interests and skills.