Donorfy 101: Data Management

What we covered

1. Why Data Quality Matters

Data quality isn’t just admin - it impacts income, campaign success, and supporter experience.
Incomplete or inaccurate data can lead to missed opportunities, poor targeting, and compliance risks.

2. Using Lists and Dashboards to Uncover Opportunities

How to build data quality dashboards using lists and visualisations
Examples of useful insights:
- Supporters who have donated but don’t have Gift Aid
- Records missing consent preferences
- Transactions needing acknowledgement
- Constituents with missing or incomplete data
Using naming conventions and consistent structures to keep lists organised
Turning data gaps into actionable fundraising opportunities

3. Auto Tags and Segmentation

Using Auto Tags to dynamically track behaviours and attributes (e.g. given in last 4 years)
Building segmentation logic based on engagement, activity, and retention policies
Best practice: track positive conditions (what data exists) rather than trying to identify missing data

4. Managing Engagement and Retention

Identifying 'no engagement' audiences using filters and tags
Deciding when to:
- Re-engage supporters
- Keep records for compliance
- Archive or delete records
Using Bulk Archive and Delete tools safely with a review process

5. Address Management and Improving Data Capture

Linking constituents at the same address while keeping individual records
Combining households for mailings when needed (e.g. 'Mr & Mrs')
Ensuring flexibility for reporting, volunteering, and engagement tracking
Using tools like Loqate to standardise and validate addresses at the point of entry
Leveraging integrations to audit and cleanse existing data

6. Duplicate Management

Manual merges vs using the Duplicate Checker tool
Understanding confidence scores and auto-merge options
Handling “not duplicates” correctly to avoid repeated work
Maintaining a regular review process to keep records clean

7. Reporting and Exporting Data

Creating lists for operational use (e.g. mailings, exports)
Combining constituents at the same address during export where needed
Ensuring lists include key fields (like constituent number) for accurate reporting and visualisation

Try this next

To put today’s session into practice, we recommend:

1. Build your first data quality dashboard

Create 3-5 simple lists (e.g. no consent, missing postcode)
Turn them into visualisations
Add them to a shared dashboard
Use these Knowledge Base Articles to help you with Visualisations
- Create and Use Visualisations in Lists
- Visualise Data Using Lists

2. Set up Auto Tags for key segments

Start simple:
- Given in last 3–5 years
- No activity in last 2 years
Use this article to help you

3. Tackle your top data gaps

Choose one issue (e.g. missing consent or Gift Aid)
Build a list and take action

4. Review Duplicate Management

Check your duplicate settings and workflow

5. Agree a Data Retention Approach

Identify inactive records with Lists
Archive first, then delete

6. Improve Data Capture Going Forward

Explore managing constituents that share an address
See if The Donorfy Data Quality Service would work for you

How do I create dashboards and link them to lists?

Dashboards are built from list visualisations. Start by creating a list, then switch to the visualisation tab and choose what you want to measure (usually a count of constituent number). Once saved, you can add that visualisation to a dashboard.
Should I create a separate tag category for Auto Tags?

This depends on how your organisation works. You can group Auto Tags into a specific category if that helps, but many charities use them across multiple categories.

If you’re concerned about clutter, you can hide tag categories from constituent profiles while still using them in lists and reporting.
Can I combine constituents at the same address when exporting data?

Yes. By default, lists will return one row per constituent.

However, when downloading, you can choose to combine people at the same address into one row. This is especially useful for mailing houses.

Top tip: use an alternative salutation (e.g. Mr & Mrs Smith) on the primary record so your communications look correct.
If two people share an address, will both be included in a mailing list?
Yes. Lists always return individual constituents, even if they share an address.

You can then decide whether to:
- Keep them as separate records (e.g. for email), or
- Combine them at export for postal mailings
What happens to “work” and “other” contact details when merging records?

These are treated as additional contact methods and will move across to the master record.

For other fields (like notes or custom fields), data will only move if the destination field is blank – existing data won’t be overwritten.
Can I use Loqate with the Donorfy API?

Loqate is built into Donorfy and Donorfy Forms, so addresses are validated automatically there.

It isn’t directly available through the Donorfy API, but you can use Loqate’s own API before sending data into Donorfy.
What should I do if a linked constituent (e.g. a spouse) is deceased?

You should archive the constituent and mark them as deceased.

As long as your lists filter for active constituents, they won’t appear in results or be included in communications.
Can archived records still sync to email tools like Dotdigital?
They can still sync if they appear in your sync list.

Best practice is to:
- Exclude archived constituents from your main sync lists, and
- Update their consent or manage removal directly in your email platform
Can I track email engagement (e.g. Mailchimp opens) using Auto Tags?

Yes – with the updated Mailchimp integration, email activity (such as opens) is added to the timeline.

You can then use that activity in lists and apply Auto Tags to track engagement.
How should I fix records where multiple people share the same email address?
It’s best to collect individual email addresses outside of Donorfy first (e.g. via a survey tool).

Then:
1. Match responses back to records (using name, organisation, or constituent ID)
2. Bulk update records using import
Going forward, ensure each individual has their own email and is linked to organisations via relationships.
Does Donorfy automatically merge duplicates?
Donorfy has a duplicate checker tool that identifies potential matches based on a confidence score.

You can:
- Review and merge manually
- Enable auto-merge for high-confidence matches
- Mark records as “not duplicates” where appropriate
Is there a way to use constituent numbers in forms to match records?

Donorfy Forms are designed to match records using email address, not constituent number.

If you need to link submissions to existing records, you may need a workaround (e.g. collecting identifiers externally and matching via import).
Do I need to keep Gift Aid records for a certain period before deleting?
This depends on your organisation’s policies and HMRC requirements.

A common approach is to:
- Use tags or lists to identify records with active Gift Aid
- Retain them for compliance
- Only delete when it’s safe to do so