In this article, we will explore the communication methods by which you can contact a Constituent, how they are set up and the options available.
What are Channels.
How Channels consents work in Donorfy.
Setting consent options.
How Channel consents appear on online forms.
What are Channels
Channels are the communication methods used to contact a Constituent, such as Phone and Email, rather than the reason why you are contacting the Constituent which is managed via Purposes.
Channels can be set based on consent (marketing opt-in) or legitimate interests (auto opted-in and ask the supporter to opt-out) so it complies with your organisation's GDPR processes.
Donorfy will come pre-configured with the following standard Communication Channels. These Channels can't be changed as they are also used as part of integrations:
Mail.
SMS.
Email.
Phone.
Channels are used within the Constituent Communications Consent Panel, your Web Widgets/Donorfy Forms/Campaign Donate Pages, API and Integrations (including File Uploader).
For all new Donorfy accounts (from 19th July 2022) by default, Channels will be set with the following consent option:
Mail – Legitimate Interest.
SMS – Opt-in.
Email – Opt-in.
Phone – Legitimate Interest.
For all Donorfy accounts, pre 19th July 2022, will be set to as the opt-in option. This so that all published Web Widgets, Forms and Campaign Donate Pages continue to work as previously have done.
These settings can be changed, please refer to the Setting consents options section.
How Channel Consents work in Donorfy
New Constituents:
When a Constituent is added to Donorfy, you can set the Channel preferences for each Constituent so that their choice is recognised, i.e. opted in or out of communications.
Ticking to opt-in to a Channel will result in Yes (green) to the Channel on the Profile as they have firm opted-in.
Ticking the Legitimate Interest opt-out for a Channel will result in No (red) to the Channel on the Profile as they have confirmed they wish to opt-out of communications for that channel.
Not ticking the opt-in option for a Channel will result in No (red) to the Channel on the Profile as they have confirmed they wish to opt-out of communications for that channel.
Not ticking the Legitimate Interest opt-out for a Channel will result in Yes (green) to the Channel on the Profile as they have confirmed they wish to be communicated with by that particular method by not ticking the box.
When adding manually or via the File Uploader and no choice provided for Channels they will be left as unconfirmed. Setting the cell in the template to Yes, will opt-out (red) and setting to No will opt-in (green).
Existing Constituents:
When a constituent is already on your Donorfy and they complete an online form the Channels will update their Preference Centre accordingly. With their more recent preference being added to their Profile:
Ticking to opt-in to a Channel will result in Yes (green) to the Channel on the Profile as they have firm opted-in.
Ticking the Legitimate Interest opt-out for a Channel will result in No (red) to the Channel on the Profile as they have confirmed they wish to opt-out of communications for that channel.
Not ticking the opt-in option for a Channel will result in No Changes being made to the Channel on the Profile*.
Not ticking the Legitimate Interest opt-out for a Channel will result in No Changes being made to the Channel on the Profile*.
⚠️Important:
No Changes will be made for the not Ticking the box options to help prevent un-intentional opt-outs.
So that supporters can update their consents, opting in and out of Channels and Preferences, as well as updating their personal details, you can provide them with the option to do so via your website using the Preference Update Widget.
The Preference Update Widget is a Professional Plan feature.
All changes to communication consents will be recorded within the Preference Centre History tab, and available to view via the Change Log on the Constituent’s Timeline.
Setting consent options
To alter the options of your consents:
Navigate to Settings, then click Configuration.
Select Communication Channels.
Click on the Channel that you would like to edit. The current option and wording to display on online forms will be displayed.
Click on the drop-down box to reveal the two options:
Legitimate Interest.
Opt-In.
Click on the option that you require.
The wording in the Default message box will be used on your online forms so that supporters are informed as to what Channel they are selecting.
Your alterations are now saved.
⚠️Warning:
Any changes to the Channel options will not be made automatically to your online forms. Online Forms using Web Widgets and Donorfy Forms will need to be updated accordingly (Campaign Donate Pages any changes will automatically be applied).
To do this please see the following articles:
How Channel consents appear on online forms
The appearance on your online forms of the two communication channel consent options will vary in style wise on depending on the type of online form, below are some examples:
Donorfy Forms
Communication Consents are contained within the Communication Consents Element. You can switch the channels you would like to appear on the Form on or off.
Channel Opt-in
You can see that it is related to an Opt-in option for the Channels as it is noted in brackets next to the Channel type.
This displays on the Form as follows:
This displays on Web Widget and Campaign Donate Pages as below:
Legitimate Interests
In this example, you can see that Email and Mail are set to be Legitimate Interests as it is noted in brackets next to the Channel type.
This displays on the Form as follows:
This displays on Web Widget and Campaign Donate Pages as below:
