Automations in REACH help you stay on top of important changes by automatically notifying admins or assigning tasks whenever key records are created or updated—saving time and ensuring nothing slips through the cracks.

Note: Certain Automation features are based on your REACH plan level. For a full list of what’s included based on plan levels, view our Donor Management Features by Plan Level article.

Automations Quick Reference#

• Found under Data Setup > Automations
• List can be sorted by Title, Trigger, Action, Enabled status
• Shows Last Run date if enabled
• Actions available: Edit, Disable, Delete

Key Points:

• Notifications confirm that a record was updated but don’t specify exact changes
• Automations trigger on both admin-created and admin-updated records
• Use {{ url }} in email and task messages to link directly to the record
• Clicking an Automation shows all records that triggered it
• When campaign approval is enabled, the supporter will be added to the group as soon as they create a campaign, regardless of approval.
• Before adding automation results to a supporter group, you’ll need to create the group first by going to Supporters > Groups (Essentials and Pro Plans)

Triggering Items:

• Address
• Campaign
• Conversation Message from Supporter (Essentials and Pro Plans)
• Donation
• Email
• Event Registration
• Phone Number
• Product Order
• Sponsorship Supporter
• Supporter
• Supporter Payment Method

Triggering Events:

• Create
• Update

Automation Actions:

• Email Admin
• Assign Admin Task
• Add Associated Supporter to Group (Essentials and Pro Plans)

Use Cases#

Automations in REACH allow you to take action automatically when supporters interact with your organization. You can use Automations to:

• Send internal notifications
• Assign tasks to team members
• Add supporters to a group

Common use cases include:

• Supporter purchases a product
  • Notify your team, assign a fulfillment task, or add the supporter to a product follow-up group.
• Supporter donates over a set amount
  • Automatically notify your team, assign a thank-you task, or add the donor to a major giving group.
• Supporter donates to a specific purpose
  • Get notified and then send targeted follow-up messaging or group supporters based on their interest in that purpose.
• Supporter in a specific group donates to a purpose or amount
  • Track engagement within defined groups and set up appropriate actions based on giving activity.
• Supporter from a specific state or country donates to a purpose or amount
  • Identify regional giving trends, notify your team, or segment supporters by location.
• Sponsorship is canceled or updated
  • Trigger a notification or task when a sponsorship’s amount, frequency, or share count is updated or when it’s canceled.
• Supporter starts a conversation about a sponsorship
  • Assign a follow-up task or notify a team member when a message is received related to a sponsorship.
• Supporter information is updated
  • Monitor changes to contact details, communication preferences, or group assignments; assign review tasks if needed.
• Supporter’s payment method is updated
  • Notify your team of payment method changes to help avoid missed donations or sponsorships.
• Supporter creates a Campaign
  • Notify staff when a campaign is created by a supporter so they can provide support or monitor performance.
• Supporter registers for an Event
  • Assign pre-event or follow-up tasks, or group attendees for targeted communication.
• New supporter is added
  • Notify to then send welcome emails, assign onboarding tasks, or designate them to a new supporter group.

How to Set up an Automation (Video)#

How to Set up an Automation (Instructions)#

• Go to Data Setup > Automations > Click +New Automation
• Check Enabled if you are ready to test and use your Automation
• Add all required fields, as in the example used below
• Add a message in the editor – include {{ url }} in the message, as the system will use that to create a link to the record.
  • i.e. A supporter record has been updated: {{ url }}
• Click Save
• To test your automation, first make sure it is Enabled
• Use your own supporter record to test your automation