To add spouses in Bloomerang CRM, you can:
Create a joint account with both individuals.
Create separate constituent accounts for each individual. To link these constituents, create a relationship, household, or both.
This article helps you decide how to manage spouses in Bloomerang CRM. It's okay if you decide to set up some spouses as a single record and others as separate records.
Do the spouses always interact with your organization as a couple?
Create separate accounts for the spouses if they are involved with your organization in different ways. (For example, she is a board member, and he is a volunteer.) Then you can track their individual profile information and interactions.
Create a joint account with both individuals if only one spouse is involved with you or they interact with you as a couple. For example, they donate to you as a couple and attend your annual event.
Do you need to email the spouses at different email addresses?
Bloomerang CRM is set up to send emails only to the primary email address on each constituent record. If you need to send emails to both spouses at different email addresses, create separate records for them.
Do you need to track different information for each spouse?
If you want to keep track of birth dates, gender, or other profile details for each spouse, create separate constituent accounts for them.
Create Separate Accounts
Creating separate accounts for the spouses can be preferable because you can:
Track separate profile information for them (such as birth date and communication preferences).
Send email and mail to the spouses separately.
Track separate interactions on the timeline.
Report on their separate donations. This can be a requirement for tax purposes.
To handle spouses in separate accounts:
Create the accounts. See Create Constituents.
To link the spouses together, create a relationship.
(Optional) Create a household and add the spouses if you will be cultivating them together. This allows you to communicate with them as a couple when needed and see their combined timeline entries.
Create a Joint Account
Enter both individuals on a single account using one of the following methods.
Method One: Make One Spouse the "Owner" of the Account
Making one spouse the "owner" of the account is ideal if:
You usually deal with just one of the spouses
You want to address them as a couple in your communications
Type the "primary" spouse's name in the First and Last fields. Type both spouses' names in the other name fields.
Figure 1: Anna is the spouse who is primarily involved with your organization. She prefers communications to be addressed to both her and Otto because they donate as a couple.
With this method, the "primary" spouse's name shows on the account (see Figure 2). If you search for the other spouse's name, you'll still find the account. Address communications to both spouses by using the Informal Name, Formal Name, Envelope Name, or Recognition Names fields.
Figure 2: The account shows the "primary" spouse's name.
Method Two: Enter Both Spouses in the Name Fields
Typing both spouse names in all the name fields is ideal if both spouses are equally involved in your organization (see Figure 3). However, using method one might be better if the spouses have different last names.
Figure 3: Type both spouse names.
Note: Skip the Title, Middle, and Suffix fields. Type these details as needed in the Informal Name, Formal Name, Envelope Name, or Recognition Names fields.
This method shows both spouses' names when you view the account (see Figure 4).
Figure 4: Both spouses' names show on the account header.