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About Entry Sources in Automations

Updated yesterday

When you create an automation, you select an entry source. The entry source defines how constituents qualify to enter an automation.

Tip: This detailed reference article is for you if you want a deep understanding of how Journey Automation works, or 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 having to read this article.

Types of Entry Sources

You can choose from several entry sources, which are organized by type:

Entry Source Type

Entry Sources

Donor Lifecycle

Current Donors: First Ever Donation, Initial Recurring Donation, Next Donation, Initial Membership Payment
​
​Prospective Donor: Coming Soon!

In early 2026, the Prospective Donors entry source will be available. You’ll be able to use this entry source to create a cultivation journey for your prospective donors. Subscribe to the Bloomerang newsletter or check the changelog to know when this update is available.

Campaigns & Cultivation

Select a Group

Milestones

Happy Birthday and Donor Anniversary

How Entry Sources Work

Each entry source works in a specific way, based on:

  • Built-in rules — The predefined way that each entry source works.
    ​Example: The First Ever Donation entry source applies to only the first-ever payment on the constituent’s timeline.

  • Required settings — Settings that you must select in some entry sources.
    ​Example: In the Next Donation entry source, you must select one or more donation types.

  • Optional filters — Amount, fund, campaign, and appeal filters that you can select to refine which constituents enter the automation.
    ​Example: To customize a First Ever Donation automation for major donors, enter $1,000 or more as the amount. Only donors who make a first-ever payment of $1,000 or more enter that automation.

  • Priority — Which donation entry sources take priority over other donation entry sources. Priority prevents constituents from entering multiple donation automations for the same payment. Donation entry sources have two types of priority: built-in priority and priority that you set (if you have multiple donation automations that use the same entry source).

Constituents enter an automation only if they meet the criteria defined by the entry source. Read a detailed explanation of how constituents enter, complete, exit, or re-enter automations.

For some types of automations, you can create multiple automations that use the same entry source. For example, you can create three First Ever Donation automations based on the donation amount: one for general donors, one for mid donors, and one for major donors.

What if I don't create an automation for each entry source?

You don't have to create an automation for each type of entry source. But, keep in mind that built-in automation rules apply even if you don’t create automations for all entry sources.

For example, a first-ever donation only ever qualifies for a First Ever Donation automation. If you don’t have that automation, the constituent doesn’t enter another type of donation automation for that payment.

Entry Sources for the Donor Lifecycle

Select a Donor Lifecycle entry source when you want to automatically acknowledge donations or create a journey based on donor lifecycle stages. For example, create an email welcome series for first-time donors.

Donation entry sources apply to active individual donors, but not to organizations.

Which types of donations qualify a donor to enter an automation?

Constituents qualify to enter a donation automation for these types of donations:

  • Payments for one-time donations, recurring donations, memberships, and pledges. Payments made within the last 30 days can qualify constituents to enter a donation automation.

  • Soft credits for one-time donations paid within the last 30 days

  • In-kind donations (the $0 amount, not the fair market value amount)

Donations made within the last 30 days can qualify constituents to enter a donation automation.

Constituents can enter a donation automation for a donation made online, entered manually by your organization, synced from Bloomerang Fundraising (formerly Qgiv) or another integration, or imported.

Donation entry sources apply to active individual donors, but not to organizations.

How are split payments handled?

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.

When do donors enter a donation automation?

Bloomerang CRM waits 24 hours before determining whether a donation qualifies a constituent to enter an automation, which gives you time to edit the transaction. Read more about the 24-hour hold.

How many donation automations do constituents enter?

Constituents enter only one donation automation for a payment. Constituents can be in other types of automations while they’re within a donation automation. For example, a constituent might be in Next Donation and Happy Birthday automations at the same time.

How do transaction edits affect automations?

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.

How do date changes affect donation automations?

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, go to the Entry Sources for Milestones section on this page.

What type of email can I send from a donation automation?

If you add email actions to a donation automation, the email type must be Constituent or Transaction.

This table explains how each donation entry source works.

Entry Sources for Donations

Built-In Rules and Filters

First Ever Donation

Built-In Rules

  • Constituents enter this automation for the first-ever donation payment on their timeline

  • The payment can be for a one-time donation, soft credit on a one-time donation paid within the last 30 days, $0 in-kind donation, pledge payment, recurring donation payment, or membership payment

  • This automation takes priority over all other donation automations

  • Constituents complete this automation only once

Optional Filters

Amount, campaigns, funds, and appeals

Initial Recurring Donation

Built-In Rules

  • Constituents enter this automation for the initial recurring donation payment on any new recurring donation schedule

  • Constituents can re-enter this automation by making an initial payment on another new recurring donation schedule

  • If you refund or delete the initial payment before the donor completes the automation (which exits the constituent from the automation), and the donor later makes another initial recurring payment on the same recurring donation schedule, they re-enter this automation for that same schedule

Optional Filters

Amount, campaigns, funds, and appeals

Next Donation

Built-In Rules

  • Constituents enter this automation for each donation that isn’t a first-ever donation or initial scheduled payment. The payment can be a donation, soft credit on a one-time donation paid within the last 30 days, $0 in-kind donation, pledge payment, or recurring donation payment.

  • Constituents can re-enter this automation

  • Constituents can be within this automation multiple times simultaneously, on the same or different step

Required Settings

Donation type (some or all):

  • One-time donation

  • Soft credit on a one-time donation

  • Pledge payment

  • Recurring donation payment

  • Membership payment

Optional Filters

Amount, campaigns, funds, and appeals

Initial Membership Payment

Built-In Rules

Optional Filters

Amount, campaigns, funds, and appeals

Entry Sources for Campaigns & Cultivation

Use this group-based entry source to automate outreach to static group members.

For example, create a multi-step campaign or appeal targeted to a specific donor segment, such as a GivingTuesday automation personalized for a certain group. The automation can send an email series to group members leading up to GivingTuesday.

This table explains how the Select a Group entry source works.

Entry Sources for Campaigns & Cultivation

Built-In Rules, Filters, and Settings

Select a Group

Built-In Rules

  • Each group-based automation is tied to one static group. Constituents can enter a group-based automation if they are a member of that static group.

  • You can select whether to automatically enter and exit constituents based on group membership. If you select this checkbox, group members enter the automation on the start date and time, and also when you manually add new group members to the static group. If you clear this checkbox, group members enter the automation only if they are group members when the automation starts.

  • If you pause a group-based automation, and the option to Automatically enter and exit constituents based on group membership is selected, constituents queue to enter this automation if you pause it. If you republish the automation, constituents who qualified to enter the automation while it was paused enter the automation.

  • Constituents exit this automation if you manually remove them from the static group selected in the automation.

  • Constituents don't re-enter the same Select a Group automation if they remain in the group and then exit or complete the automation.

  • If you remove a constituent from the static group selected for that automation, and you later add the constituent to the group again, the constituent can re-enter the same Select a Group automation.

  • The email type must be Constituent.

Required Settings

  • Group (must be a static group that your organization created)

  • Start date and time

Optional Settings and Filters

  • Automatically enter and exit constituents based on group membership

  • Exit constituents who make a payment, get soft credited for a one-time donation paid within the last 30 days, or make a $0 in-kind donation while within the automation

  • Exit constituents to donate to selected funds, campaigns, and appeals while within the automation

Entry Sources for Milestones

Use these entry sources to automatically send milestone celebrations to constituents each year. These entry sources have no required settings or optional filters.

This table explains how the milestone entry sources work.

Entry Sources for Milestones

Built-In Rules

Donor Anniversary

  • Current donors enter this automation each year on the anniversary of their first qualifying transaction.

  • The first qualifying transaction must be a donation, soft credit on a donation, recurring donation payment, pledge payment, or membership payment. A schedule or a soft credit on a schedule isn’t a qualifying transaction.

  • The first qualifying transaction is the First Transaction on a constituent’s Giving Summary, unless that transaction is a schedule or a soft credit on a schedule.

  • If you publish a new Donor Anniversary automation while an existing one is running, the new automation replaces the existing automation.

  • You can have only one running or paused Donor Anniversary automation at a time.

Happy Birthday

  • Email actions in automations are based on Eastern Time (ET). For example, a constituent in Australia with a January 1 birthday receives the birthday email on January 2.

  • Constituents automatically enter each year on their birthdate. Right after 12 a.m. ET, Bloomerang CRM sends a birthday email to constituents within the automation who are subscribed to a relevant email interest.

  • If you publish the automation today, constituents who had birthdays in the past year don’t enter the automation today. They enter on their next birthday.

  • If you create the constituent’s account on their birthday, they don’t enter the automation until next year on their birthday.

  • If you update a constituent’s birthday to today’s date, and the automation has been running since before 12 a.m. ET today, that constituent enters the automation today.

  • Automation must be running before 12 a.m. ET for a constituent to receive a birthday email the next day. If the constituent’s birthday is January 1, the automation must be running before 12 a.m. ET on January 1.

  • You can have only one running or paused Happy Birthday automation at a time.

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