Configure Donation Notifications to Notification Recipient
Quick Start
📧 Setting up third-party notifications? Configure notification recipient fields for cases where someone other than the honoree should be informed about memorial or tribute gifts.
- Open donation opportunity → 2. Go to Donation Information → 3. Configure notification recipient → 4. Set acknowledgment status → 5. Verify setup
What you'll accomplish: Configure notification recipient fields for donations where a third party (such as family members, friends, or designated contacts) should be informed about gifts made in honor of someone in about 8 minutes.
🚀 Quickstart
- Navigate to donation opportunity with notification recipient
- Open Donation Information tab
- Configure notification recipient information fields
- Set notification acknowledgment status
- Verify all required fields including honoree information
⚠️ Before You Start
📋 Prerequisites Checklist
- You have appropriate administrative permissions
- Access to Donation Acknowledgments app
- Memorial/tribute donation with third-party notification need
- Understanding of notification recipient role vs honoree
- Email templates configured for notification recipient communications
💡 Understanding Notification Recipient Configuration
What Notification Recipients Enable:
- Third-party notifications about memorial or tribute gifts
- Family member communications when honoree cannot be directly contacted
- Designated contact notifications for organizational tributes
- Secondary notification channels for important memorial gifts
Notification Recipient vs Honoree:
- Honoree - Person being honored or remembered
- Notification Recipient - Person who should be informed about the gift
- Different contacts - Often family member, friend, or designated representative
- Separate communications - May receive different message than honoree
Common Use Cases:
- Deceased honoree - Family member receives notification
- Minor honoree - Parent or guardian receives notification
- Corporate tribute - Executive assistant receives notification
- Family memorial - Multiple family members receive notifications
- Special circumstances - Caregiver or representative receives notification
Relationship Clarity
Always ensure clear understanding of who the honoree is versus who should receive the notification. These may be different people requiring different communication approaches.
📘 Detailed Instructions
Step 1: Access Donation with Notification Needs
- Navigate to the Donation Acknowledgments app
- Find the donation opportunity requiring third-party notification
- Open the opportunity record
- Verify this donation involves an honoree and separate notification recipient
Step 2: Open Donation Information Tab
- Locate the Donation Information tab
- Click the tab to access donation-specific sections
- Find the "Notification Recipient Information" section
- Prepare to configure notification details
Step 3: Configure Notification Recipient Fields
📧 Required Notification Recipient Fields
| Field | Required | Purpose | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Notification Recipient Name | ✅ | Name of person receiving notification | "Mary Smith" (daughter) |
| Notification Recipient Email | ✅ | Email for notification delivery | "mary.smith@email.com" |
| Notif Recipient Acknowledgment Status | ✅ | Workflow tracking | "To Be Acknowledged" |
| Notif Recipient Ack Status - Preview | ❌ | Preview email testing | "To Be Acknowledged" |
| Honoree Name | ✅ | Required from Honoree Information section | "John Smith" (deceased) |
| Amount | ✅ | Donation amount (from opportunity) | $500.00 |
| General Accounting Unit | ✅ | Fund designation | "Memorial Fund" |
Field Dependencies:
- Honoree Name must be configured - Notification is about gift in honoree's honor
- Recipient is separate - Different person than honoree
- Complete contact info - Name and email required for notification
- Related information - Amount and GAU provide context for notification
Configure Notification Recipient:
- Click "Notification Recipient Information" to expand
- Enter full name of person who should receive notification
- Add valid email address for notification delivery
- Clarify relationship to honoree if helpful for context
- Verify this person is appropriate to receive notification
Step 4: Verify Honoree Information Integration
Check Related Honoree Data:
- Navigate to "Honoree Information" section
- Verify honoree name is configured correctly
- Confirm notification references correct honored person
- Ensure consistency between honoree and notification sections
Cross-Reference Requirements:
- Honoree name must be populated for notification templates
- Relationship context should be clear for notification content
- Appropriate messaging - notification should reference honoree appropriately
- Template integration - email template must handle both honoree and recipient
Step 5: Set Acknowledgment Status
📊 Notification Recipient Status Options
Standard Status Values:
- "To Be Acknowledged" - Ready for notification processing
- "Acknowledged" - Notification sent to recipient
- "Do Not Acknowledge" - No notification requested
- "Manual Acknowledgment Required" - Needs special handling
Preview Functionality:
- Test notifications - Use preview to verify content and tone
- Template validation - Ensure notification references honoree correctly
- Quality control - Check that notification is appropriate for recipient
Timing Considerations:
- Memorial gifts - Consider timing sensitivity for recent loss
- Coordinate with honoree - May want to coordinate with direct honoree notification
- Family coordination - Multiple family members may receive notifications
- Set "Notif Recipient Acknowledgment Status" to "To Be Acknowledged"
- Optionally configure preview status for testing
- Consider timing coordination with other notifications
- Save opportunity record to preserve configuration
✅ How to Know It Worked
Success Indicators:
- ✅ All required notification recipient fields are populated
- ✅ Honoree information is properly configured and linked
- ✅ Acknowledgment status is set for processing
- ✅ Email address is valid and reaches intended recipient
Testing the Configuration:
- Send preview notification to verify content and formatting
- Check honoree references in notification template
- Verify recipient information is accurate and appropriate
- Test complete workflow from configuration to delivery
🆘 Troubleshooting
❌ Notification Recipient Section Missing
Problem: Cannot find Notification Recipient Information section
Contact your System Administrator to verify:
- ✅ Page layout includes Notification Recipient section
- ✅ Field-level security allows access to notification fields
- ✅ Record type configuration includes notification functionality
- ✅ Donation type supports notification recipient features
❌ Honoree Name Field Dependency
Problem: Cannot configure notification without honoree information
Solutions:
- ✅ Configure honoree first - Complete Honoree Information section
- ✅ Check field dependencies - Notification may require honoree data
- ✅ Verify template requirements - Email template may need honoree information
- ✅ Review donation type - Ensure opportunity supports memorial/tribute features
❌ Notification Status Issues
Problem: Cannot set or change notification acknowledgment status
Solutions:
- ✅ Check picklist values - Verify notification status options exist
- ✅ Review permissions - Ensure edit access to notification fields
- ✅ Verify field validation - May have dependency on other fields
- ✅ Check workflow rules - May automatically control status progression
❌ Email Template Integration Problems
Problem: Notification emails not generating correctly
Solutions:
- ✅ Verify template mapping - Check field mappings in email template
- ✅ Test preview functionality - Use preview to identify template issues
- ✅ Check merge fields - Ensure template references correct fields
- ✅ Review template logic - Verify template handles notification recipient scenario
💡 Best Practices
Notification Recipient Best Practices
- 👥 Clear Relationships - Understand relationship between honoree, donor, and notification recipient
- 📧 Appropriate Messaging - Ensure notification tone is suitable for recipient's relationship to honoree
- ⏰ Coordinated Timing - Consider timing with other donation acknowledgments
- 🔍 Verify Recipients - Confirm notification recipient is appropriate contact
- 🌹 Sensitive Communication - Use extra care for memorial and tribute notifications
- 📝 Complete Information - Ensure all related fields are properly configured
Relationship Management:
- Document relationships - Note how recipient relates to honoree
- Family coordination - Consider multiple family member notifications
- Permission verification - Ensure recipient wants to receive notifications
- Contact accuracy - Verify current and accurate contact information
Communication Strategy:
- Appropriate tone - Match communication tone to relationship and circumstances
- Context provision - Include appropriate context about the gift and honoree
- Privacy respect - Maintain appropriate confidentiality
- Follow-up planning - Consider whether follow-up communication is appropriate
Workflow Integration:
- Coordinate notifications - Plan timing with donor and honoree acknowledgments
- Exception handling - Have procedures for special notification situations
- Quality control - Review notifications before sending for appropriateness
- Documentation - Maintain records of notification preferences and outcomes