Does your organization use Mailchimp for email marketing? If so, you can automatically sync data between Bloomerang CRM and Mailchimp. This easy-to-use integration helps you manage email marketing segmentation all in one place.
When you activate this integration in Bloomerang CRM, you add mapping rules that control how data syncs. For example, to sync internal segmentation, you can map Bloomerang CRM groups to Mailchimp tags. To sync external segmentation, map Bloomerang email interests to Mailchimp groups. Mailchimp syncs email activity (sends, opens, and unsubscribes) to Bloomerang CRM.
In Mailchimp, data synced from Bloomerang CRM helps you with segmentation, marketing, and email automations. In Bloomerang CRM, email interactions synced from Mailchimp help you better understand donor engagement.
Note: As of September 26, 2024, an enhanced Mailchimp integration is available in Bloomerang CRM. This article describes how the enhanced integration works. If you set up the Mailchimp integration before that date, and you haven't yet upgraded to the enhanced integration, read Mailchimp Basics (Edit the Legacy Integration) to manage your legacy integration.
In this article:
How Do I Activate the Integration?
If you have a Mailchimp account, you can activate the Mailchimp integration in Bloomerang CRM. This integration works with any level of email marketing segmentation, from simple to robust.
When you activate the integration, you add one or more mappings. Mappings are rules that associate Bloomerang CRM fields with Mailchimp fields. In each mapping rule, you select the mapping type, one Bloomerang field, and one Mailchimp field:
Bloomerang CRM group to Mailchimp tag — Maps the selected Bloomerang CRM group to the selected Mailchimp tag. You can map Bloomerang Static Groups or groups that your organization created. You can't map Bloomerang Donor Groups, which are dynamic groups that Bloomerang CRM manages automatically. Read more about Bloomerang CRM groups.
Bloomerang CRM email interest to Mailchimp group — Maps the selected Bloomerang CRM email interest to the selected Mailchimp group
Add as many mapping rules as you need. Keep in mind you can include each Bloomerang CRM or Mailchimp field in only one mapping rule. For example, if you include the Bloomerang CRM Board Members group in a mapping rule, you can’t include that group in another mapping rule.
For detailed setup instructions, read Mailchimp Integration: Activate or Deactivate the Integration.
Tip: To learn more about Mailchimp terminology, see What are Audiences, Groups, and Tags in Mailchimp?
What Happens After I Activate the Integration?
When you save the mapping rules, the sync automatically starts. After the sync completes, data synced from Bloomerang CRM appears in Mailchimp. Data synced from Mailchimp appears in Bloomerang CRM. The number of synced constituents appears next to each mapping rule in Bloomerang CRM. Read more about what data syncs.
In Mailchimp, send emails to constituents you synced from Bloomerang CRM. For example, you sync the Bloomerang CRM Board Member group to a Mailchimp tag named Board Members Past and Present. When you build an email in Mailchimp and select the Board Members Past and Present tag, recipients include constituents synced from Bloomerang CRM.
In Bloomerang CRM, interactions appear on constituent timelines after you send an email in Mailchimp and after recipients interact with the email.
You can always add, edit, and delete mapping rules. You can also select a different Mailchimp audience. Read more about Mailchimp settings.
Which Constituents Sync?
Constituents who match a mapping rule remain in sync between Bloomerang CRM and Mailchimp. For example, if you update a constituent’s email address in Bloomerang CRM, the updated email address appears in Mailchimp. If you update a contact’s email address in Mailchimp, the updated email address appears in Bloomerang CRM.
To sync, constituents must:
Have an individual account (not an organization account) with a valid name.
Have a valid email address. Constituents with an invalid (bad) email address or no email address don’t sync.
Have an Active status in Bloomerang CRM and Mailchimp. Bloomerang CRM constituents with an Inactive or Deceased status don’t sync to Mailchimp. Mailchimp contacts with an Inactive or Archived status don’t sync to Bloomerang CRM.
What Data Syncs?
What syncs depends on the mapping rules that you create:
Bloomerang CRM syncs constituent data (name, email address, physical address), segmentation (mapped email interests and group membership), and unsubscribes to Mailchimp.
Mailchimp syncs constituent data (name and email address), segmentation, unsubscribes, and email interaction activity to Bloomerang CRM.
When information changes, the changes sync.
Email activity synced from Mailchimp appears as interactions on constituent timelines. Email activity also affects engagement scores.
This table explains the details of what syncs.
Sync Direction | What type of data syncs? | Bloomerang CRM group to Mailchimp tag | Bloomerang CRM email interest to Mailchimp group |
Bloomerang CRM to Mailchimp | First name*, last name*, physical address*, phone number*, primary email address, email status (valid or invalid), groups, and email interests | In Mailchimp:
| In Mailchimp:
|
Mailchimp to Bloomerang CRM | Email address, email interests, email status (valid or invalid), groups, and email activity | In Bloomerang CRM:
| In Bloomerang CRM:
|
*The constituent’s name, physical address, and phone number sync only from Bloomerang CRM to Mailchimp.
How Does the Sync Handle Email Addresses?
During the initial sync, Mailchimp is the source of truth for the email address. If one system has an email address but the other system does not, whichever system has an email address is the source of truth.
If Mailchimp marks an email as invalid because of a hard bounce, but Bloomerang CRM has a different email address that’s valid, the email address in Bloomerang CRM is used.
If Mailchimp marks an email as invalid because of a hard bounce, and Bloomerang CRM has the same email address, the email address in Bloomerang CRM is also marked as invalid (bad).
Primary email addresses in Bloomerang CRM sync to Mailchimp. If Mailchimp emails sent to a primary email address are undeliverable or hard bounce, the secondary email address syncs to Mailchimp as the primary email address.
How Often Does Data Sync?
Bloomerang CRM automatically syncs with Mailchimp every hour. You can also manually start a sync at any time. Read more about how to sync.
Why Won't a Constituent Sync?
To sync, Bloomerang CRM constituents and Mailchimp contacts must be active and have the required account data. To troubleshoot sync issues, read Mailchimp Integration: Sync Data, View Synced Data, and Troubleshoot.
What are Audiences, Groups, and Tags in Mailchimp?
A few Mailchimp terms appear in Bloomerang CRM when you set up and manage the Mailchimp integration:
Mailchimp Audiences are collections of Mailchimp contacts. Bloomerang CRM constituents sync to the Mailchimp audience that you select in the integration settings. Read more about audiences.
Mailchimp Groups are subscribed contacts organized by Mailchimp interest. Use groups to build segments in Mailchimp. Read more about groups.
Mailchimp Tags help you organize your contacts in Mailchimp. Read more about tags.
Related
Mailchimp Integration: Activate the Integration — Start here if you've never set up the Mailchimp integration in Bloomerang CRM
Mailchimp Integration: Upgrade to the Enhanced Integration — Start here if you set up the Mailchimp integration in Bloomerang CRM before September 19, 2024, and you haven't yet upgraded to the enhanced version.