Two kinds of sorting
There are two separate actions that both go by "sorting" in the context of a saved list:
Sorting the on-screen table view -- clicking a column header changes the order you see rows on screen. This is temporary and does not change the stored list order.
Resorting a static list -- permanently reorders the membership of a static list by a field you choose. The dialer and any future export will follow the new order.
Dynamic lists (saved searches) do not have a stored membership order and cannot be reordered this way.
Sorting the on-screen table view
On any list detail page or the Contacts page, click a column header to sort by that column. Click again to reverse the direction. This changes what you see on screen only; it does not affect the stored order of a static list or the position the dialer uses.
Resorting a static list (permanent reorder)
To permanently reorder the members of a static list:
Open the list from the Lists page.
Click the sort action in the list's action menu (the button shows a sort icon and opens a "Sort List" dialog).
In the dialog, choose a Sort by field and a Direction (Ascending or Descending).
Available sort fields include: Full Name, First Name, Last Name, City, State, Zip, Address, Occupation, Employer, Total Donated, Largest Donation, Average Contribution, # Donations, Cycle Donations Total, # Cycle Donations, Current Ask Amount, Tags, Pledges, Total Outstanding, Most Recent Interaction, Created At, and several external IDs (Raise More Contact ID, NGP VAN ID, Numero ID, CallTime ID, LAL ID).
Check the acknowledgment box: "I understand sorting this list will clear the saved current list position and reset it to the first contact."
Click Update List.
The resort rewrites the stored order of the list's members. Any active dialer session on the list will have its saved position cleared and reset to the beginning of the list.
What resorting does not do
It does not change a dynamic list into a static list.
It does not affect which contacts are on the list, only their order.
Column header sorting in the table view is separate and does not trigger a permanent resort.