Imagine running your outreach sequences without ever having to go back and manually log who you contacted, what you sent, or when you sent it. The SourceWhale (SW) integration with Thrive makes this a reality!
By connecting these two platforms, your team can source candidates on LinkedIn and sequence them in SourceWhale, while your Thrive pipeline and outreach history update in real-time.
This guide will walk you through how the integration works, why it is a game-changer for your workflow, and exactly how to use it.
Why This Feature Matters
No more manual logging: This is the biggest win! Every touchpoint sent from a SourceWhale campaign lands in your candidate's Thrive Outreach tab automatically.
A reliable single source of truth: Your pipeline and outreach history in Thrive will always reflect your real-time activity in SourceWhale.
Fewer steps to build your pipeline: In just a couple of clicks from the SourceWhale side panel on LinkedIn, a candidate is added straight into a Thrive project.
Capture all activities: Even if you manually log a note, call, meeting, or interview directly in SourceWhale outside of a campaign sequence, it can still sync seamlessly to Thrive.
How It Works: The Basics
SourceWhale is your hub for managing outreach campaigns (sequenced touches to candidates sourced from LinkedIn). The integration works through two main paths:
With a Campaign (Primary Flow): When you link a Thrive project to a SourceWhale campaign, anyone added to that campaign is automatically added to the Thrive project. All subsequent sequence touches will sync to their Outreach tab in Thrive.
Without a Campaign: You can push a candidate directly from LinkedIn into your SourceWhale contacts and a Thrive project instantly, without attaching them to a sequence.
Manual SourceWhale Activity Sync (Optional): While primarily designed for automated campaigns, if you choose to log manual activity directly within SourceWhale, notes and SMS messages will log to the Notes tab in Thrive, while calls, meetings, and interviews log to the Outreach tab.
Step-by-Step Guide: Managing Candidates
Adding a Candidate to a Campaign and a Thrive Project
This is the best path to ensure all automated outreach syncs perfectly.
Open SourceWhale and create a new campaign.
Link your desired Thrive project to the campaign and save.
Find your ideal candidate on LinkedIn.
Use the SourceWhale side panel integration to add the candidate to the campaign.
Outcome: The person is now in both systems, and all outreach sent from this campaign will auto-sync to their Thrive profile!
Adding a Candidate to a Thrive Project (Skipping a Campaign)
If you just want to get someone into your pipeline without sequencing them yet:
Navigate to the candidate's LinkedIn profile and open the SourceWhale side panel.
Select No Campaign.
Choose the option to add to Thrive.
Select the correct Thrive project.
Outcome: The person is added to your SourceWhale contacts and the Thrive project. (Note: Because they aren't in a campaign, automatic outreach sync won't begin until they are added to one).
Syncing Manual Notes and Activities (Optional)
(Note: Many top SourceWhale users skip this functionality and rely entirely on automated campaign outreach, but the option is available if it fits your workflow!)
Open a person's profile in SourceWhale.
Manually add a note, call, meeting, or interview.
Open Thrive to see the magic happen: logged notes and SMS appear in the Notes tab, while calls, meetings, and interviews appear in the Outreach tab.
Admin Setup: Connecting the Systems
Permissions Note: Generating an API key requires Admin access, as Admins are responsible for handling integrations. This setup cannot be self-served by a Recruiter role.
If you are an Admin, follow these steps to connect your systems:
In your Thrive Admin portal, generate and copy an API key.
Open your SourceWhale integration settings.
Paste the API key into the Bearer key field.
Enter the base URL: Navigate to the API page in your Thrive Admin portal and click the link to the API documentation to find the correct base URL to enter here.
Map Stages: Designate which Thrive stage new SourceWhale candidates should land in. You can also configure auto-transitions to fire in Thrive when a candidate's status changes in SourceWhale.
Adjust Activity Mapping (Optional): If the default settings don't match your workflow, you can manually configure how specific SourceWhale note and activity types map to Thrive outreach types.
FAQ
Do I have to use a SourceWhale campaign to add candidates to Thrive? No! You can select "No Campaign" from the SourceWhale side panel to push a candidate directly into a Thrive project. However, automated outreach syncing will only occur if they are eventually part of a campaign.
Where do my manual text messages (SMS) and notes go in Thrive? Any manual notes or SMS logged directly in SourceWhale will automatically appear in the candidate's Notes tab in Thrive.
Where do my logged calls and interviews go? Manually logged calls, meetings, and interviews in SourceWhale will route directly to the candidate's Outreach tab in Thrive.
Can I set up this integration myself? Only if you have an Admin user role in Thrive. The initial connection requires generating an API key, which Recruiters and other roles cannot access. Please reach out to your team's Thrive Admin to complete the connection!
Pro Tips and Best Practices
Map Your Stages Early: During setup, be intentional about mapping your stages. Setting up auto-transitions based on SourceWhale status changes is a fantastic way to keep your Thrive pipeline moving automatically without extra manual clicks.
Check Your Activity Mappings: Take a moment to review the default activity mappings. Ensuring that SourceWhale activities map to the exact outreach types your team uses in Thrive will keep your reporting clean and accurate.
Want to learn more? Check out our video library for step-by-step walkthroughs on mapping stages, configuring activity types in Thrive Admin, and creating SourceWhale campaigns!
Want to learn more? Check out our video library for step-by-step walkthroughs on mapping stages, configuring activity types in Thrive Admin, and creating SourceWhale campaigns!