Every
module in Argenta has its own group of Constituents. For example, the
Volunteerism Module has Constituents who are assigned as Volunteers, the
Donation Module has constituents who are assigned as Donors, etc. These
are system affiliations that make Argenta fully integrated.
There may be times when you want to put your constituents into custom
groups you've created. Let's say you wanted to keep track of every
Constituent who has ran or is currently running for office. You can create a
group called "Candidates", and add all the constituents who meet the
criteria into that group.
You can use bulk actions to add constituents into your group and then
use bulk actions in the group to create mail room lists, or add group
members to an event guest list. Grouping makes managing your
constituents more flexible! Click on "Constituents" in the main menu to
get started with constituent groups.
To get started, simply select Constituents (CRM) > Constituent Groups - from the main menu on the left hand side.
This will open the Constituent Groups screen. Here you will find all groups you have created. This is also where you will create new constituent groups for your organization. To add a new constituent group, click the "Add New" button.
This will open the Constituent Group Workspace...
From the workspace screen you will create the details and constituents for your new group. On the Workspace screen:
- You can return to the Constituents Group List by selecting the "Constituent Group List" button.
- Attach related files to the group by using the "Related Files" area. For more help on attaching a related file, please refer to KB Article - Add Related Files.
- Add any notes relating to the group by using the "Notes" area. For more help on attaching a note, please refer to KB Article - Add A Note to the Notes Section.
- Create the details of your group by:
- Setting the "Groups Status" by using the drop-down menu and choosing a status. Active or Inactive are your options.
- Creating a "Group Name" by typing one into the field. This is a required field.
- Selecting an "Assigned Team Member" for the group. This is a required field. Assign a member of your team as the primary owner for this group. Team
members in Argenta are users, staff, board members and volunteers who
are designated as acting staff.
- Select a "Group Type" by using the drop-down menu and choose a group. You can create a new group by selecting the "Add New" button. Pre-loaded types include: By Football Team, Candidates, mentors, Participants, Professionals, and Recipients.
- Select a "Group Category" by using the drop-down and choosing a category. You can create a new category by selecting the "Add New" button. Pre-loaded types include: Activity, Classification, Community Group, Life Group, and Political Group.
- Select an "Associated Department/Chapter" by choosing one from the drop-down menu.
- Select a "District" by using the drop-down menu and choose a district.
- Select a "Precinct" by using the drop-down menu and choose a precinct.
- Enter a "Group Description" to identify the purpose of the group.
Once the group details have been entered it is time to save all your changes by clicking the "Save All Changes" button. Now, you are ready to add constituents to the group. To add constituents to the group, click the "Constituents In This Group" tab from the top of the workspace.
This will open the constituents in this group screen. To add new constituents, click the "Add New" button.
This will open the Add A Constituent To A Group screen...
From here you will:
- Click the "Lookup" button to search for and select the constituent you wish to add to this group. This is a required field.
- Select an "Active Date" for the constituent. You can enter a date manually or use the date selector. This is a required field.
- Select a "Role in the Group" by using the drop-down menu. Pre-loaded roles are: Facilitator, Group Leader, Group Secretary, Group Treasurer, Instructor, and Participant.
Once, all fields have been selected, click the "Add Constituent to This Group" button. This will add the constituent and take you back to the constituents in this group screen. You can continue adding all constituents as needed to the group by repeating the steps above.
Bulk Adding
In addition to adding single constituents as noted above, you can also add constituents by a bulk action. All relationship management screens like Constituents (All), Donors, Members, Clients, etc. have a "Filter List" function that allows the list to be narrowed down by selecting specific criteria and filtering the list. In any relationship management screen, narrow down your list by filtering, or searching for and selecting only those records you wish to add to this group. Once your records have been selected click the "Choose a Bulk Action for Selected Records" drop-down menu, and select "Add Selected Records to Constituent Group".
Next, click the "Run Bulk Action" button to add the selected records to a constituent group. This will open the Select A Group screen...
Here you will search for and select the group name that you wish to add the constituents to. Once you select the group, the constituents will be added to the constituent group.
Filtering of Constituents in This Group by Active and Inactive:
Once constituents are added to a group you can update their status as either "Active or Inactive" by opening the constituent record up. To open a constituent record select the "Open" icon
for the constituent you wish to change.
When you open the record the Quick Constituent Card opens. Select the "Status" drop-down menu to set the status of the constituent for this constituent group.
When you've finished updating the record, click either the "Save All Changes & Continue" button to save and continue working or the "Save All Changes & Exit" button to save and go back to the Constituent Group Workspace screen.
*The "Quick Constituent Card" is displayed so you can see important contact information. To quickly see all the constituent information, open the full constituent card, by clicking the "Open The Full Constituent Card" button. Once the constituent card is open, you can view or update any contact, demographic, or other information you want.