Constituents can automatically:
Enter one or more automations
Be within one or more automations
Complete automations
Exit (leave without completing) automations
Re-enter some types of automations
This detailed reference article is for you if:
You want a deep understanding of how Journey Automation works
You’re looking for the answer to a technical question
If you’re new to Journey Automation or want to keep things simple, you can set up basic automations without reading this article.
How Constituents Enter Automations
Constituents enter an automation when all of the following are true:
The automation is running.
They are active individual constituents. Organizations, and inactive or deceased constituents, are excluded.
The automation applies to them (based on the entry source).
The automation has priority (if it’s a donation automation).
The 24-hour hold has expired (if it’s a donation automation)
Constituents automatically enter automations. You can't manually add constituents to an automation. You can manually remove constituents who are currently within an automation.
Automations look forward, not backward. This means constituents enter automations based on what happens after you publish the automation. For example, a constituent makes a first-ever donation on January 1. You publish a First Ever Donation automation on January 2. The constituent doesn’t enter this automation.
Constituents can be within multiple automations at the same time, but not for the same payment.
If constituents don’t have a valid email address or unsubscribe from a constituent-type email, they enter the automation but skip the email steps.
Household membership doesn’t affect entry into automations. If household member Chris makes a first-ever donation, Chris is the only household member who enters the First Ever Donation automation.
How Constituents Enter Donation Automations
Constituents can enter a donation automation for a donation made online, entered manually by your organization, synced from Bloomerang Fundraising (formerly Qgiv) and other integrations, or imported. Donations made within the last 30 days can qualify constituents to enter a donation automation. Bloomerang CRM waits 24 hours before evaluating whether a donation qualifies a constituent to enter a donation automation. Read more about the 24-hour hold.
Donation automations apply to:
Payments for one-time donations, recurring donations, memberships, pledges, and events
Soft credits for one-time donations paid within the last 30 days
In-kind donations (the $0 amount, not the fair market value amount)
In Journey Automation, split payments are considered one donation. For example, if you filter a donation automation based on the payment amount, the total amount of the donation is considered, which includes all split payments. If the automation includes filters for fund, campaign, and appeal, any combination of those is used.
Constituents only ever enter one donation automation for each transaction:
If you edit any field in a transaction, or convert a transaction to a different donation type, Journey Automation re-evaluates whether a constituent should enter, exit, or remain within a donation automation.
If you edit a transaction, the constituent can qualify to enter a donation for that transaction only if they have never qualified to enter an automation for that transaction.
Constituents who complete or exit an automation never again enter a donation automation for that same transaction, even if you edit the transaction.
For details about how each donation entry source works, read About Entry Sources in Automations. For examples of donation automations, read Acknowledge First-Ever Donations (Send a Welcome Series), Acknowledge Initial Payments for Recurring Donations, Acknowledge Initial Payments for Memberships, and Acknowledge Next Donations.
How Constituents Enter Campaigns & Cultivation Automations
Constituents can enter automations for campaigns and cultivation based on their group membership. Constituents enter a Select a Group automation only if they are group members when the automation starts. After the start date and time, changes you make to group membership don’t add or remove constituents from this automation.
For a detailed description of this type of automation, read About Entry Sources in Automations. For an example of this automation, read Create Multi-Step Campaigns and Appeals for Groups.
How Constituents Enter Milestone Automations
Constituents enter milestone automations based on dates:
Happy Birthday automation — Based on birthdate in the constituent’s account
Donor Anniversary automation — Based on the first qualifying transaction in the constituent’s account
For a detailed description of milestone automations, read About Entry Sources in Automations.
How Date Changes Affect Entry
If you change a donation payment date:
If the constituent wasn’t within an automation based on that payment, the constituent can now enter an automation based on that payment if the updated payment date is 30 days before or after the current date.
If the constituent was already within an automation based on that payment, the date change has no effect. The constituent doesn’t exit the automation based on the new date and doesn’t enter a different automation based on the new date.
For information about how adding or changing a birthdate affects entry to Happy Birthday automations, read About Entry Sources in Automations.
How Constituents are Within Multiple Automations
Constituents can be within only one donation automation for each payment. For example, a constituent makes a first-ever donation that is also a recurring donation payment. The constituent enters a First Ever Donation automation, but doesn’t enter an Initial Recurring Donation automation.
However, keep in mind that constituents can be within:
Multiple automations at the same time
The same Next Donation donation automation multiple times for different payments
The same Initial Recurring Payment automation multiple times for initial payments on different recurring donation schedules
The same Initial Membership Payment automation multiple times for initial payments on different membership schedules
For example:
Chris makes a first donation and enters a multi-step First Ever Donation. While within that automation, Chris also enters a Happy Birthday automation.
Juan previously donated. Later, Juan makes an initial payment on a recurring donation and enters an Initial Recurring Payment automation. While within that automation, Juan joins your membership program and also enters an Initial Membership Payment automation.
Avery previously donated. Later, Avery makes two donations in April on different dates. Both donations qualify Avery to enter the same Next Donation automation. This automation has several actions that span one month. This means Avery is currently within this automation twice (at different steps) and appears twice in the Constituents Entered and Constituents Within lists.
How Constituents Complete Automations
Constituents complete an automation when:
They complete all steps in the automation, and
Assignees complete all tasks (if you require assigned tasks to be completed before the constituent moves forward)
For example, a welcome series automation might include multiple steps, such as email actions and tasks, separated by time delays. Constituents are within this automation for multiple days as they complete steps.
If a constituent completes a donation automation, they never again enter a donation automation for that same transaction.
Note: If you pause an automation, constituents remain where they are in the automation. If you republish the automation, constituents can continue to move forward and complete the automation.
Why Constituents Exit Automations
Constituents exit an automation if something prevents them from completing it:
Exit after a donation — In Select a Group automations, you can select to exit constituents who make a donation or get a soft credit. For example, you set up a multi-step campaign automation so constituents exit if they donate to your GivingTuesday campaign (so you don’t continue to solicit them).
Transaction edited — If you edit the fund, campaign, appeal, or amount for a payment, and the constituent is within an automation because of that attribute, they exit. For example, a constituent enters a Next Donation automation that includes a filter for your annual campaign. If you change the payment to a different campaign, the constituent exits. An update to the payment transaction date doesn’t cause a constituent to exit an automation.
Donation converted — If you convert a donation to a different type of donation, and the Next Donation automation the constituent is within doesn’t include that type of donation, the constituent exits. For example, you convert a donation to a pledge payment, but Pledge Payment isn’t a selected donation type in the Next Donation automation, so the constituent exits.
Refund or delete — If you refund or delete the payment that qualified the constituent to enter the automation, the constituent exits.
Account status change — If you mark a constituent as deceased, they exit the automation.
Manual removal — You manually remove the constituent from the automation.
Duplicate accounts merged — If you merge constituent accounts, Bloomerang CRM checks whether the constituent is within a First Ever Donation automation for either account, and determines whether the constituent still qualifies to be within that automation. If the donor isn’t a new donor, Bloomerang CRM exits the donor from the First Ever Donation automation.
Donation imported – If you import a donation to a constituent who is currently within a First Ever Donation automation, Journey Automation re-evaluates whether the constituent should remain in that automation. If the imported donation predates the other donation, the constituent exits the First Ever Donation automation and re-enters the automation for the imported donation.
Constituent account deleted – If you use the bulk delete tool to delete constituent accounts, the deleted constituents exit the automation. In the Constituents Exited list in the automation, the constituent name changes to Constituent Deleted.
If a constituent exits a donation automation for any reason:
The constituent never again enters any donation automation for that same transaction, even if you edit the transaction after the constituent exits.
If the constituent exited a First Ever Donation automation, the constituent's next donation doesn't qualify as a first-ever donation.
How Constituents Re-Enter Automations
Constituents can re-enter some types of automations:
Initial Recurring Donation — Constituents who complete an Initial Recurring Donation automation re-enter the automation each time they make an initial payment on a new recurring donation schedule. If you refund or delete the initial payment before the constituent completes the automation, and the constituent later makes another initial payment on the same recurring donation schedule, they enter the automation again for that same schedule.
Initial Membership Payment — Constituents who complete an Initial Membership Payment automation re-enter the automation each time they make an initial payment on a new membership schedule. If you refund or delete the initial payment before the constituent completes the automation, and the constituent later makes another initial payment on the same membership schedule, they enter the automation again for that same schedule.
Next Donation — Constituents who complete a Next Donation automation re-enter that automation if they make another payment that isn’t the initial payment on a new schedule.
Happy Birthday — Constituents who enter a Happy Birthday automation on their birthday re-enter it on their next birthday.
Donor Anniversary — Constituents who enter a Donor Anniversary automation re-enter it yearly on the anniversary of their first qualifying transaction.
Constituents don’t re-enter these types of automations:
First Ever Donation — Constituents enter this automation only once (for the first payment on their timeline).
Select a Group — Constituents don't re-enter the same Select a Group automation. After all constituents complete the automation, you can archive it. Constituents can enter a new Select a Group automation.
In some cases, constituents can re-enter an automation while they’re within it. For example, Avery makes a one-time donation that qualifies as a next donation. While Avery is still within a multi-step Next Donation automation, Avery makes another one-time donation. Avery is now in the automation twice.
View Who Participates in Automations
For each automation, you can view a list of everyone who entered, is within, exited, or completed each automation. Read more about automation analytics.