Overview
When maintaining donor records in CoolFocus, ensuring that deceased or inactive donors are handled properly is crucial. This prevents any unintended contact or inclusion in communication and reporting, while also retaining the record for reference and historical data. Below, we outline the steps to manage these scenarios effectively.
Marking a Donor as Inactive or Deceased
To mark a donor record inactive after their death or account closure, while preserving the information:
Access the donor’s record within the database.
Mark the record with: "No Solicitation" to exclude the donor from active mailings and solicitations, as well as "Deceased," indicating the donor is no longer active, while retaining the record for reference.
If the deceased donor is part of a married couple Donor record, see additional guidelines below.
Updating Salutations to Prevent Errors in Communications
Deceased spouses' names can often appear unintentionally in donor-related communications, such as thank-you letter reports. To avoid this, it’s important to review and update the Salutation fields in the donor record. Follow these steps:
Open the donor’s record.
Navigate to the General tab.
Scroll to the bottom of the page to locate the Salutation fields.
Remove or modify the deceased spouse’s name in the Salutation fields, as necessary.
By doing this, the software will no longer include the deceased spouse’s name in reports or mailings.