Create Multi-Step Campaigns and Appeals for Groups

You can create custom, multi-step campaigns and appeals for specific donor segments. For example:

Create a GivingTuesday drip campaign that includes email appeals personalized for specific groups.
Send outreach to recapture lapsed donors.
Send emails to volunteers and attendees ahead of an event.

Automate & Save Time

To create multi-step campaigns and appeals, create a simple automation and let Bloomerang CRM do the work for you.

How It Works

Use Journey Automation to create a Select a Group automation. When you create this automation, you select which static group you want to reach. You also select a start date and time.

Donors automatically enter this automation if they:

Are active individual constituents.
Belong to the static group on the start date and time.
After the start date and time, changes to group membership don’t affect automation participation. Constituents you add to the group don’t enter the automation, and constituents you remove from the group remain in the automation.

You can exit donors from this automation if they make a donation or are soft credited so you stop sending appeals. You can exit donors who give to any or specific campaigns, funds, and appeals.

For example, Avery enters a Select a Group automation for GivingTuesday and starts receiving your GivingTuesday campaign emails. In this automation, you selected to exit donors only if they donate to your GivingTuesday campaign. Avery has an existing recurring donation schedule. Avery makes a payment on that schedule, but doesn’t exit the GivingTuesday automation. Avery then makes a one-time donation for your GivingTuesday campaign, which exits her from this automation.

Before You Begin

Create the campaign or appeal if you haven’t already.
Example: Create a campaign and email appeal named GivingTuesday [Year].
Decide which static group to use.
Example: Create a group for a specific constituent segment and add constituents to that group.
Review emails that you currently send to donors, such as confirmation emails and online payment confirmation receipts. For each email, make sure the purpose type is Receipt, not Acknowledgement.
If you currently use scheduled emails to acknowledge donors, plan how automations will replace those emails.
If your automation will include emails other than an acknowledgment, decide which email interests and email purposes to use for those emails.
Example: Create an email interest named GivingTuesday.
(Recommended, but optional) To save time, create email templates at Communications > Emails before you create the automation and emails. Read more about this.
Example: Customize the prebuilt GivingTuesday templates or create your own.

For an example, see Example: GivingTuesday Automation.

Create a Multi-Step Campaign for a Group

To create a multi-step drip campaign for a static group, create and customize an automation.

To begin:

Create a new automation. Read about how to do this.
Click Choose an Entry Source.
In the Campaigns & Cultivation section, click Select a Group.
From the Select a Group list, select which group enters this automation. Static groups and groups created by your organization appear in this list.
Enter or select a start date and time that is at least five minutes from now. The time zone that appears is based on the settings in your Bloomerang CRM account.
(Optional) Select to Exit Constituents from this Automation After a Payment or Soft Credit. If you select this option, constituents exit the automation if they make a payment or are soft credited.
If you selected to exit constituents who make a payment or soft credit, select which funds, campaigns, and appeals exit donors. Donors exit the automation if their donation matches at least one selection in each category. If you don’t make selections in a category, the donation can match any in that category.

Donors exit the automation but remain in the static group.
Click Save. The automation saves as a draft.
To edit the entry source before you publish the automation, click the three vertical dots and then click Edit.

Add Steps: Email Actions, Time Delays, and Task Actions

Next, one or more steps to your automation. At least one step must be an action.

Add an email action for each email in a series.
Add a time delay before each email action to control when Bloomerang CRM sends each email.
Assign task actions to remind a staff member to contact the constituent.

Test the Automation

You can send test emails from an automation before you publish it. This is an optional step.

Publish the Automation

When you’re ready for constituents to enter the automation, click Publish.

If you have multiple automations for the Ask or Events entry source, you must order the automations by priority before you publish. Read how to prioritize and publish automations.

Next Steps: Manage Automations

After you create and publish an automation, you can monitor participation, manage automations, view emails sent by automations, and view tasks assigned by automations. Read Manage Automations.

Example: GivingTuesday Automation

As an example, a GivingTuesday series might include these steps in this order:

Step	Description
Entry Source	Selected group
Start time	November 25, [year], at 10 a.m. All current members of the selected group enter the automation at this time. After the start date and time, changes to group membership don’t affect automation participation. Constituents you add to the group don’t enter the automation, and constituents you remove from the group remain in the automation.
Email action	Send the Save the Date email immediately
Time delay	Wait until December 2
Email action	Send the Give Today email
Time delay	Wait until December 3
Email action	Send the Thank You email
Task action	Call donors. Complete within 5 days

Example of a multi-step campaign for GivingTuesday