Constituent segmentation fields filter your constituents into unique groups. Constituent segmentation fields can identify communication preferences, interests, attributes, affiliations, demographics, and other unique characteristics.

If you intend to use constituent UDFs for filtering, queries, and list segmentation, we recommend making fields discrete with single select or multi-select values. Where possible, keep away from vague text or note fields because those field types are difficult to query.

User-defined fields on the transaction data object modify and enhance financial transactions. Transaction UDFs can be used to segment raised, received, and gifted dollars.

Additional transaction fields expand fundraising reporting capabilities beyond the standard fund, campaign, and approach designations. In addition, UDFs on the transaction data object can identify and enhance different types of financial transactions like in kind donations, event ticket purchases, or tribute gifts.

Using a combination of UDFs on the journal contact or journal note object, you can track the status, characteristics, and relevant dates related to grant applications, awards, and compliance. With these fields, you can create reports that track action items, due dates, and deadlines for grants.

A grant management system of UDFs can be extremely valuable because it brings all development data into a single database.

Using a combination of UDFs on the constituent account data object, your organization can manage volunteer data like demographics, interests, and preferences as well as specific data you gather on a volunteer application.

A fully developed constituent UDF profile for volunteers can also be used in an online volunteer application DIY form.

If your organization needs to track volunteer time and activities, you can also use a set of UDFs on the journal contact data object to track time, the activity the volunteer participated in, and any notes related to the activity.

Events can be managed using UDFs on the journal contact and potentially the journal transaction object as well. You can manage data related to event attendance, table assignments, and other special event data for pre-event, during event, and post-event activities in eTapestry.

For example, you can track who was invited, who accepted, who declined, and who attended your event as well as the conversion metrics between those that were invited and accepted, those that were invited and declined, and so on.

You can also use UDFs to manage registration lists, name tag print outs, and attendance sheets. UDFs for events can also be incorporated into DIY payment processing forms for event ticket purchases.

Use eTapestry as a prospect management tool with the right combination of user-defined fields. UDFs on both the constituent account and journal contact objects can build a major gift tracking, moves management, and major gift action system in eTapestry.

With this system, you can track the flow of new prospective and existing prospective donors through a funnel of steps to a major gift and into stewardship activities. These fields can help you manage your prospective donor processes and keep fundraising efforts streamlined. Reports can be generated with these fields to track funnel progress, manage action items and deadlines, and estimate the expected value of active prospective donors in your funnel.

Memberships can be tracked in eTapestry using a combination of UDFs on either the constituent account or journal contact data objects. Where you track memberships will depend on how you want to report on memberships.

You can track memberships on the constituent level if you don’t want to track renewals or multiple years of membership (there are workarounds to this). If you want to track histories of membership, you need to track memberships on the journal contact.

With UDFs, you can track data like start and end date of membership as well as membership benefits. Reports can be generated for renewal notifications, action items, and deadlines. These fields can also be carried into membership DIY forms.

Planned giving items can be tracked and managed with UDFs on the journal contact data object. Fields will vary, but you can track planned gifts that aren’t closed financial transactions.

Rather than tracking these items in Excel or other systems, you can house them in eTapestry with your other fundraising and development data.

A set of planned giving fields can track things like the status of a gift, the type of gift, estimated gift amounts, confirmation dates, and gift details.

Blackbaud eTapestry is a fundraising and donor management database first, but it can also be expanded to cover some program data management needs as well. eTapestry isn’t a program management database so program management in eTapestry should only be used if program data needs are small and reporting needs aren’t overly complex.

The UDFs required for program data management will vary substantially from organization to organization. Because eTapestry isn’t built specifically for program data management, we highly recommend blueprinting or outlining your data needs and testing whether eTapestry can meet those needs before building new user-defined fields in your database.

Marketing and communications are becoming extremely scientific activities that are driven by measurement, evidence, and continuous improvement. eTapestry can assist in this effort.

It is a best practice to log a journal contact for every constituent that receives a piece of communication (mail, email, or other) from your organization.

Use UDFs on the journal contact to track marketing and communications strategies. These fields can be used to track response rates, conversions, and reach for a particular marketing or communications strategy.

Using a combination of custom fields on the constituent account or journal contact data objects, you can track survey responses from constituents. UDFs for surveys can segment constituents and report on aggregate trends among a group of survey respondents. You can use eTapestry to aggregate data from surveys, export this data to Excel, and conduct analysis on the data in Excel.