Contacts are the records where you store information for Individuals, Households, and Organizations in DonorDock. A contact record is the central place to view and manage donor details, including contact information, giving history, activities, notes, documents, badges, and marketing lists.

Each contact is also assigned a Stage based on giving history. Stages help your team understand whether someone is a prospect, an active donor, or has lapsed.

Contacts may be created manually, imported in bulk, or created automatically through connected tools.

What a Contact Record Includes

From a contact record, you can:

Add, view, and manage Gifts, Pledges, and Activities
Add, upload, and manage Documents
Add and manage Notes
Add and manage Badges and Marketing Lists
Update communication preferences such as Do Not Solicit, Unsubscribed, and SMS Unsubscribed
Archive, reactivate, or delete contacts based on your permissions

Contacts can be created automatically if your organization uses tools such as Online Giving, Signup Forms, or integrations like GoFundMePro or Zapier.

Contact Types and Stages

Contact Types

DonorDock supports three contact types:

Individual
Household
Organization

Contact Stages

A contact can have one of three stages:

Prospect
Any contact with no recorded transactions in DonorDock
Donor
Any contact with a transaction recorded in the last 24 months
Lapsed
A contact who previously gave but has not given in the last 24 months

The lapsed timeframe is set to 24 months by default. Administrators may customize this timeframe in Organization Settings

Steps at a Glance

Create a contact from Contacts or Quick Add
View and edit contact details
Upload documents and add notes
Manage duplicates through merging
Archive, reactivate, or delete contacts when needed

Full Navigation Steps

Step 1: Add a New Contact from the Contacts Page

Click Contacts in the top navigation and select Contacts
Click + Add Contact in the top right
Select the contact type:
- Individual, Household, or Organization
Enter the desired fields
Click Create and Save

💡 To link an individual to a household or organization at creation, the household or organization record must already exist. You can always connect them later by editing the contact.

Step 2: Add a New Contact from Quick Add

From any page, click the + icon in the top right
Select Add Contact
Choose Individual, Household, or Organization
Enter the desired fields
Click Create and Save

💡 To link an individual to a household or organization at creation, the household or organization record must already exist. You can connect them later by editing the contact.

Step 3: View or Edit a Contact

Click Contacts in the main navigation
Search for the contact in the list
Click the contact’s name to open their profile
To edit, expand Contact Actions and click the pen icon
Update fields and save the record

Other actions in Contact Actions may include archiving or deleting based on user role.

Step 4: Upload and Manage Documents

Documents may be stored directly on a contact record.

To upload a document:

Open the contact record
Scroll to the Documents section
Click Upload Documents and select your file

To manage a document:

Edit title: click the pen icon
Delete: click the trash can (admins or the uploader only)
Download: click the download icon
Search: use keywords in the document search bar

Supported file types include PDF, Word, Excel, and common image formats.

Managing Duplicates

Duplicate contacts can occur over time, especially when imported files lack sufficient matching data. DonorDock makes it easy to review and merge duplicates.

Option 1: Use the Possible Duplicates View

Navigate to Contacts
Use the view dropdown and select Possible Duplicates
Review flagged records
Check the boxes next to two contacts you want to merge
Click Merge in the toolbar
Select which record to keep and confirm

After merging:

Gifts, activities, notes, and other history remain connected
Extra details from the other record are carried over when possible
The unused record is moved to Archived Contacts

Option 2: Merge from the Contacts View

Navigate to Contacts
Check the boxes next to any two contacts
Click Merge in the toolbar
Select the record to keep and confirm

Dismiss a False Duplicate Match

Sometimes, two records are flagged as duplicates even though they are not.

Go to Contacts and select Possible Duplicates
Select the flagged pair that should not be merged
Click Dismiss and confirm

Archiving and Deleting Contacts

Archive vs Delete

Archive is a recommended soft removal method. It keeps the record in DonorDock but separates it from active contacts.
Delete permanently removes a contact and cannot be undone.

Contacts are not automatically archived when marked Do Not Solicit or Deceased. Those contacts are filtered out of many reports by default, but remain active unless you archive them.

Archive a Contact

Individually

Open the contact record
Expand contact options
Select Archive Contact

In bulk

Go to Contacts
Select contacts using checkboxes
Click Archive in the toolbar

Contacts may also be archived through import using a Contact Status column.

Reactivate an Archived Contact

Individually

Go to Contacts and select the Archived view
Open the contact
Select Reactivate Contact

In bulk

Go to Contacts and select the Archived view
Select contacts using checkboxes
Click Reactivate in the toolbar

Delete a Contact

Deleting can only be done from Archived status and is limited to administrators.

Individually

Open the archived contact record
Click the three-dot contact actions icon
Select Delete Contact and confirm

In bulk

Go to Contacts and select the Archived view
Select contacts using checkboxes
Click Delete and confirm

Relationship Manager (Owner)

You can assign a relationship manager, also called an Owner, to contacts. This supports accountability and helps teams focus on specific donor relationships.

Setting an Owner allows you to:

Filter and sort reports by relationship manager
Receive Action Board nudges for contacts assigned to you
Prioritize outreach based on assigned portfolios

Communication Preferences

DonorDock includes several settings to track communication preferences:

Do Not Solicit
Used primarily for filtering and reporting. It does not stop marketing emails or texts.
Unsubscribed (Email)
Prevents bulk marketing emails from being sent to the contact.
SMS Unsubscribed (Texting)
Prevents texts from being sent through DonorDock.

Contacts can be resubscribed by a team member through contact actions, and SMS resubscribe can also occur when a contact texts START to your organization’s number.

Otto Tips

🛟 Merge with care: Review potential duplicates closely before merging, especially for common names.

🗺️ Store what matters: Documents and notes can save time later when everyone can see context in one place.

Managing Possible Duplicate Records