Constituent Code

Melanie Dash · May 2021

Hi! What constituent code do you use for individuals that fall into categories outside the "normal" ones (Parent, Grandparent, Alumni, etc.)? I have a Great Aunt and Uncle to add; I'll utilize relationships to connect them appropriately. But, does anyone use a constituent code of "Other" or something similar to capture the constituents who don't fall into the regular categories?

Katherine Mannion · May 2021

We used to use "Friend of school name" for those people at my old school.

Melanie Dash · May 2021

Hi Katherine,

Yes, we do have the Friend of constituent code. I will use that and use relationships to code the specific connection (aunt, uncle).

This was very helpful!

JoAnn Strommen · May 2021

What do you want to be able to do with these records? That is a factor IMO when selecting your code. Will you want to easily segment these at some point? For us even records like grandparent/aunt/uncle/sibling would be coded as "Family of Alumnus/a." Do you want to track gifts from these separately from other 'friends'? If you think at some point you would want to pull them separately from other records marked as "friend", you may want to consider a different code. If it's not likely or frequent, you could use 'friend' and further filter by relationship criteria as long as you have that data entered.

We don't want a lengthy list of constituent codes but do always want to consider data reporting/pulls. Family is definitely as special type of friend.

Melanie Dash · May 2021

JoAnn,

This is certainly something to factor in. We haven't done much segmenting with that demographic at this point, but may do in the future. Having a "Family of Alumnus/a" constituent code may prove very advantageous. I'll talk it through with my Director.

Thanks.

Dariel Dixon · May 2021

Other sounds like a particularly bad idea. It doesn't define the relationship between the constituent and the organization. That is the purpose of the constituent code. Other just says what the relationship isn't, opposed to what it is.

Also, I feel inclined to say here that constituencies should be broad enough to be relevant. Great Aunt and Uncle sound so specific as to not be of any use for reporting or even queries. As JoAnn Strommen‍ stated, family makes more sense, if it's even needed at all (I'd question if you can't just use the Friend code and keep it moving; is there a specific reason to code these people differently?) Relationships can be used to be more specific, but aren't easily used for reporting purposes.

Regardless, this is why we create our hierarchy of codes, and stick to it. If you haven't created it, now is a good time to do so.

Melanie Dash · June 2021

Hi Dariel,

I didn't use "Other" and explained why to the individual who wanted it as such.

Also, I agree that Great Aunt and Uncle are too specific. I'm doing some clean up and set up and noticed someone had created a constituency code that fell into one of those categories. After an important discussion with my director, I created the Family constituent code. Thanks for the insight on Relationship use in reporting.

I have a hierarchy of codes and am using it. It's recorded in my documentation as well, but will revisit the importance of following it with my team.

Thanks for your insight.

Joanne Felci · January 2022

adding on to this thread with a similar question:

Con Codes are required for records in our database and I'm trying to figure out a general code for people that do not fall into the codes we truly ‘care’ about - like Board, Task Force, etc.

What do people use for that?

I was thinking Donor but then some of these folks might not have given a gift.

Thoughts??

Dariel Dixon · January 2022

The code should define the relationship between the organization and the constituent. Whatever term that is should be the name of that constituency.

Granted, if you can't determine what to call these individuals, then the question should be why are they in your database to begin with.

There's a lot of people who don't like the code “Donor” because it isn't much of a definition. You can determine if a person is a donor by looking at their gifts tab or tile. However, for some people, there is no other way to define the relationship. Even a code of “Friends” is just another way to describe donors that have no other known relationship to the organization than a monetary donation.

Karen Hartt · January 2022

We use a General Mail code for folks who have expressed interest in the Maine Community Foundation. If these folks become a prospect or donor we will remove the general mail code.

Cindy Gericke · January 2022

we have several, but the ones used most often are: monetary donor, In kind donor, monthly donor, newsletter, DAF Org, DAF donor, and then we separate Orgs vs Gov't vs VIP (local or state seat holders), foundation, employee

Keith Wilson · January 2022

Joanne Felci:
adding on to this thread with a similar question:
Con Codes are required for records in our database and I'm trying to figure out a general code for people that do not fall into the codes we truly ‘care’ about - like Board, Task Force, etc.
What do people use for that?
I was thinking Donor but then some of these folks might not have given a gift.
Thoughts??

@Joanne Felci, “Donor” for the ones who gave, “Prospect” for the ones who haven't! Keeps it simple. ?

Constituent Code

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