Saving Event Invitations to Constituent Records in Raiser's Edge

Rachel Cadd

Hi community! I often send postcard invitations for events and was hoping there was an easy way to record these in constituent records in Raiser's Edge. I really just want to record whether they received the mailing and the date of the mailing. I have been told by a colleague that there may be a way to record event invitations like a fundraising appeal, but my events don't have anything to do with fundraising. 


I have tried recording them as "invited" in an event record, but when I'm inviting thousands of people, this doesn't work for me. I need to find another option.


Any suggestions would be much appreciated!


Rachel Cadd

Assistant Alumni Director

Pacific University

Kimberly Pierce

I recommend Global Add - Registrants for an event.  Select your query and the event.  Click on Registrant Information, then select Invited and fill in the date.

Cathleen Mai

I add them as an appeal if they are events that people pay for and as an action for free events.

I agree that adding all invitees to the event makes it confusing in the event record.

Karen Diener 2

I recommend adding an action to their constituent record.  Actions are intended to record all of your interactions with a constituent, so this makes sense, especially when you cannot correlate the activity to an Appeal.


This could be done through Global Add using the query that you used to create the list, assuming that no one was removed in the Export process.


Hope that helps!

Christine Cooke 2

since you talking specifically about things you mail.  You can globally add an appeal to your invitation list, or appeal mail list.  If you do not like that option, you can globally add as an action, but personally I think it's better in appeal, it muddies up your actions immensely to put noting every mail touch to a constituent there.

Mergen Peries

I prefer leaving appeal for specific fundraising asks.  There's a lot you can do from an appeal record, seems too 'big' (too early this morning to have better vocab!) for just an invitation flag.


I'd go with event or action.  Anything you have to do thousands of times will be a pain - what is it about events that doesn't work for you?  Actions or Event will be an import/global add anyway.  I am quite happy to put any and all interactions on actions - that's what it's there for, and should be thorough.  Actions aren't as complex as appeals, so I'd always prefer an action over appeal, if there was no ask involved.