Actions
The following information is covered in this topic:
- Concepts
- Linked Actions
- Prospect Management Workflows for Profiles World Actions
- Configuring Actions
- About Event Actions
Concepts
The Actions data table holds data rows which describe a course of action that should take place in order to further the goals of the institution. Action rows belong to a constituent and are used to describe the steps that should be taken toward that constituent, in order to make or keep him or her as a donor to the institution.
The assignment of the responsibility for the Action is made by linking a Task data row to the Action row, specifying the constituent who is given that responsibility.
Within the Profiles World, the Actions table is designed to track and monitor past, on-going or scheduled plans of action. These may be such things as visits, phone calls, a step in the cultivation process of a donor. In these situations, the Action focuses on the constituent as a prospect. They are intended to track actions in which the constituent is the recipient of the action, not those for which the constituent is responsible for initiating the event (those activities would be recorded as Tasks). Most often, when an Action row is created for constituent A, a Task row is created for constituent B, who is assigned responsibility for the Action. Although the Task row "belongs" to B, it also displays with A's Action row, as a secondary row. When a Task row is linked to an Action row, it appears below the Action row and is labeled, "Actions Tasks".
Action rows may appear without any secondary Task rows when those assignments have not yet been made.
Actions allow you to plan and track your strategy for moving a constituent along the path toward a major donation or proposal. Actions might include specific items such as a proposal presentation, a visit, a telephone call, a letter or any other type of event. Once the gift has been received, you may also plan particular actions during the stewardship period for that gift.
Or, your institution might choose to define Actions more broadly. In that case, a variety of Tasks may all be linked to a particular Action. For example, an Action might be "Solicit Special Gift" and the linked Tasks might be "Research giving interests", "Make a phone call to the prospect", "Set up a lunch date with the Vice President", "Presentation of the Proposal", or any other specific task that is considered part of the overall Action toward that special gift.
Likewise, once a major gift has been received, the Action might be broadly described as "Stewardship" and individual Tasks might describe the specifics of the assignments that others are charged with fulfilling toward the Stewardship Action.
Each institution may develop a plan for the use of the Actions table as suits its circumstances.
Linked Actions
In addition to behaving as primary data rows, there are three types of links that you may create for an Action row. They may be linked as a secondary row to a primary data row from another table but belonging to the same constituent, they may be linked as a joint Action to another Action row belonging to a different constituent, or they may be linked to as a secondary row to a Task that can belong to the same constituent, but typically belongs to a different one.
Secondary Links
Actions may be linked as a secondary rows to either Proposals or Planned Giving data rows. In these cases, the Action and the primary row both belong to the same constituent. You may link any number of Actions to either type of primary row, to assist your planning regarding the Proposal or Planned Gift. These Action rows may in turn have linked Tasks, which typically are assigned (and therefore belong) to other constituents.
Joint Links
When an Action row exists for a constituent, you may create a one-to-one linked Action row belonging to the spouse or another constituent. This type of linked row is a copy of the first constituent's row. You may also link an existing Action row to an Action row that also already exists for the spouse or another constituent; when you do so, the Action row for the second constituent is overwritten with the first constituent's Action row information.
Because the Actions are linked, any edits that are made via one constituent's row will automatically be applied to the second constituent's row as well. This is true whether subsequent edits are made via the original constituent or the second constituent's data row. Likewise, if either of the rows is deleted, the linked row will also be deleted. Linked rows may be unlinked. This preserves both data rows and allows you to perform edits or deletions to one without affecting the other.
The Linked Data Rows section of the Data Maintenance topic discusses the creation and maintenance of linked Action rows in detail.
Prospect Management Workflows for Profiles World Actions
If it is the practice at your organization to enter multiple linked Tasks when you enter a new Action, or to link Actions to the new Planned Giving and Proposals that you create, or to create Actions and linked Tasks for every Tracking row that you enter, you may want to set up Prospect Management workflows for entering prospect data into the system. A Prospect Management workflow is a one-screen data entry page that will allow you to enter this information at one time. See the Workflow Setup topic for more information about setting up and using Prospect Management workflows.
Configuring Actions
Remove Actions from the Millennium Display
If the actions table is not used at your organization, it can be removed from the Millennium Explorer.
Note: This does not remove the actions table from the database.
- Log on to the system as a system administrator.
- Access Table Options by using Millennium Explorer, .
- In the Table Options grid, locate the row for Actions.
- In the Remove? column, select the check box for Actions.
- Click OK to save your changes.
Review the Table Options topic for more information.
Customizing Actions Data Display and Maintenance Forms
Refer to the Custom Display Designer topic for complete instructions on customizing display and maintenance forms.
Unlinked Actions
- Using Internet Explorer as your browser, log on to the system as a Millennium system administrator.
- Access the Profiles version of the Custom Display Designer by using Millennium Explorer, .
- Click the Profiles item on the Navigation Tool Bar. Point to Prospect, point to Actions, and then click the Actions item.
- Click Display Type and click on the desired Display Type menu item (for example, Long or Short).
- Utilize the Custom Display Designer's editing tools to make your customizations.
- Click Save to save and apply your changes.
Actions Linked to Tasks, Proposals, Planned Giving
- Using Internet Explorer as your browser, log on to the system as a Millennium system administrator.
- Access the Profiles version of the Custom Display Designer by using Millennium Explorer, .
- Click the Profiles item on the Navigation Tool Bar. Point to Prospect, point to Actions, and then click the Tasks Actions item.
- Click Display Type and click on the desired Display Type menu item (for example, Long or Short).
- Utilize the Custom Display Designer's editing tools to make your customizations.
- Click Save to save and apply your changes.
Paging
Users can change the number of rows displayed per page by using the Paging selections at the bottom of the Actions data display. Users can also navigate to various pages by using this feature. See the Paging Data topic for more information.
About Event Actions
Do not confuse the Profiles World Actions discussed here with the Actions (or jobs) that need to be undertaken in order to successfully host an Event or Activity within an Event. These are called Event Actions and are stored in a separate Event Actions data table. An Event Action does not belong to any constituent; instead, it belongs to the Event or to the Activity to which it is linked.
The Event Actions topic discusses this in further detail.