Relationship Types

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.