Effective Constituent Segmentation Strategies

In the dynamic world of marketing, a one-size-fits-all approach no longer cuts it. Success hinges on your ability to deliver targeted messages to the right audience, at the right time. This is where the art and science of segmentation come into play. In this blog post, we'll delve into tips and tricks for effective segmentation of your supporters. We focus on features that come standard to Salesforce for nonprofits so that all nonprofits, regardless of team size or budget, can take advantage of these tips and tricks. Whether you're a seasoned Salesforce user or just starting out, understanding and harnessing segmentation is the key to achieving marketing excellence.

Unlocking the Power of List Views for Effective Constituent Segmentation

Managing and engaging with your constituents is a complex yet crucial task. The ability to segment your contacts effectively can make a world of difference in how you engage, communicate, and build relationships with your supporters. While there are numerous tools at your disposal within Salesforce, one often-overlooked gem is the List View feature. In this section, we'll explore the myriad benefits of using List Views to segment your contacts and supercharge your nonprofit's efforts.

Streamlined Data Organization

One of the primary advantages of using List Views for constituent segmentation is the ability to organize your data effortlessly. By creating custom List Views tailored to specific criteria, you can quickly filter and categorize your contacts. Whether you want to segment supporters by giving history, geographic location, interests, or other demographics, List Views allow you to compartmentalize your data for easy access and analysis.

 Instant Access to Targeted Groups

List Views act as virtual folders that group contacts based on predefined conditions. This means that with just a few clicks, you can gain immediate access to a curated list of contacts that meet your specific segmentation criteria. Need to send a targeted email to all volunteers with a particular skill set? Simply select or build your List View, and you're ready to go. This not only saves time but also minimizes the risk of overlooking critical constituents. 

Improved Workflow Efficiency

Nonprofit organizations often juggle multiple tasks simultaneously, from fundraising and event planning to volunteer coordination. List Views streamline your workflow by simplifying the process of finding and working with the right contacts at the right time. This efficiency can be a game-changer in the fast-paced world of nonprofit management. 

Here are some efficiency features of List Views:

• Re-usability: Once a List View is created, your users can return to it for future use. There’s no need to recreate the List View every time you need to segment your constituents in the same manner
• Cloning: Have a new segmentation group that only slightly differs from an existing one? Use the Clone feature to copy the filters and fields, then make adjustments as necessary.
• Dynamic Filters: Not only do List Views refresh automatically every time you revisit them, you can use dynamic filters on date fields such as THIS MONTH, LAST YEAR, etc. to create segmentation groups that are always relevant to your specific timeframe needs.
• Sharing Settings: List Views can be shared with all users, restricted to specific users or groups of users, or be personal to you only. Use sharing settings on List Views to ensure your team stays organized with the appropriate access to segmentation groups.

In conclusion, List Views are a powerful tool within Salesforce that nonprofit users can leverage to optimize their constituent segmentation efforts. By harnessing the capabilities of List Views, you can enhance data organization, gain quick access to targeted groups, and boost workflow efficiency. 

Harnessing Reports for Advanced Constituent Segmentation

While List Views are an indispensable feature in Salesforce for organizing your contacts, Reports offer another layer of sophistication and versatility when it comes to constituent segmentation. To truly master the art of tailored engagement, it's crucial to understand the key differences between List Views and Reports and the unique advantages that Reports bring to the table.

Dynamic Data Analysis

List Views, as we discussed earlier, are fantastic for quick access to segmented groups. Reports, however, take data analysis to another level. With Reports, you can dynamically analyze and visualize your data, gaining insights that List Views alone cannot provide. For instance, you can create charts, graphs, and summaries to understand donation trends, volunteer engagement, or event participation on a deeper level. This dynamic approach to data analysis is particularly valuable when dealing with large datasets or complex segmentation criteria.

Cross-Object Insights

One significant difference between List Views and Reports lies in their ability to pull information from multiple objects. List Views primarily focus on a single object, like Contacts or Accounts, whereas Reports can merge data from different objects. This means you can create reports that connect donors to their respective donations, volunteers to their volunteer hours, or event attendees to their event registrations. Such cross-object insights enable you to build comprehensive profiles of your constituents, resulting in more refined and accurate segmentation.

Flexible Filtering and Summarizing

Reports offer greater flexibility when it comes to filtering and summarizing data. While List Views provide basic filtering options, Reports allow you to create complex filter logic to precisely pinpoint the constituents you need. You can also perform advanced calculations, such as calculating the total amount donated by each donor segment or finding the average volunteer hours for different volunteer groups. This flexibility allows for highly targeted and customized segmentation.

In summary, while List Views excel at providing quick access to segmented contact groups, Reports elevate your segmentation game by offering dynamic data analysis, cross-object insights and flexible filtering and summarizing. Each of these features is a valuable asset in your nonprofit's quest to engage with constituents in a more meaningful and targeted way. Depending on your specific needs, you may find that a combination of List Views and Reports is the key to unlocking the full potential of Salesforce for your organization's success.

Leveraging Levels and Engagement Scores in Nonprofit Success Pack for Enhanced Constituent Segmentation

In Salesforce’s Nonprofit Success Pack (NPSP), Levels and Engagement Scores are features designed to help nonprofit organizations better manage and segment their constituents, allowing for more personalized and effective engagement strategies.

Levels

Levels in NPSP are a way to categorize constituents based on their level of engagement or commitment to your organization. They help you differentiate supporters into different tiers or categories, making it easier to tailor your communication and engagement strategies. 

Here's how Levels work and some examples:

Examples of Levels:

• Donor Levels: You can create levels such as "Major Donor," "Annual Donor," or "Sustaining Donor" to categorize donors based on their giving history and contribution amounts.
• Volunteer Levels: For volunteers, you might have levels like "Regular Volunteer," "Event Volunteer," or "Board Member" to distinguish between different types of volunteer involvement.
• Membership Levels: If your organization has a membership program, you can use levels like "Basic Member," "Premium Member," or "Lifetime Member" to categorize members based on their membership type and benefits.

Use Cases for Levels:

• You can create List Views, Reports, and automation to target specific Levels for tailored communication. For example, sending a special thank-you message to your "Major Donors" or offering exclusive perks to "Lifetime Members."
• Levels can be integrated into automation workflows, ensuring that supporters receive personalized messages or invitations based on their level of engagement.

Engagement Scores

Engagement Scores in NPSP are numerical values assigned to constituents to quantify their level of interaction and engagement with your organization. These scores help you prioritize and segment constituents based on their engagement activities. 

Here's how Engagement Scores work and some examples:

Examples of Engagement Scores:

• Donor Engagement Score: Assign a higher score to donors who have made recent and substantial donations. For example, a donor who gave $1,000 in the last month might have an engagement score of 100, while a donor who gave $100 might have a score of 50.
• Volunteer Engagement Score: Track volunteer hours and assign scores based on the number of hours volunteered. A volunteer who has contributed 50 hours may have a higher score than someone who volunteered for 10 hours.
• Email Engagement Score: Monitor email engagement by tracking email opens, click-through rates, and responses. Assign higher scores to constituents who regularly engage with your email campaigns.

Use Cases for Engagement Scores:

• You can create List Views, Reports, and automation to segment constituents based on their Engagement Scores. For example, targeting high-engagement donors for major gift solicitations or recognizing and re-engaging with low-engagement supporters.
• Automation rules can be set up to adjust Engagement Scores based on specific criteria. For instance, if a donor hasn't engaged with your organization for a while, you can decrease their Engagement Score, prompting targeted re-engagement efforts.

Segmentation with Salesforce

Reaching the right audience with the right message is key to success. With Salesforce, segmentation is the strategy that makes this possible by dividing your audience into distinct groups based on shared characteristics or behaviors. Are you interested in learning more about the benefits and strategies of segmentation? Send us a message and our team can help you deliver personalized, relevant, and efficient marketing campaigns with Salesforce NPSP.