Overview
Not every donation tells the whole story on its own. Attributions and Soft Credits let you recognize the people behind a gift—board members who made the ask, colleagues who facilitated a matching gift, or partners who influenced a major donation—even when the payment came from someone else.
This feature is available when you add or edit contributions from a contact record, through the Financial Batch Manager, or when setting up online contribution forms. It connects a contribution to the contacts who deserve recognition for it and gives each connection a specific attribution type to help you categorize the relationship.
Soft credits then appear on a donor's contact record as part of their full giving history, so your team can see everything a person has contributed—directly and indirectly—in one place.
What This Feature Helps You Do
-
Give donors full credit for gifts they influenced, even if they didn't write the check
-
Track board member giving, matching gifts, tribute donations, affiliate partner revenue, and more—all in one system
-
Search your database for contacts based on soft credited gifts, not just direct gifts
-
Include soft credits in giving summaries like Highest Previous Contribution, Most Recent Contribution, or Lifetime Giving (summary fields that automatically calculate a donor's giving history over time)
-
Generate thank you letters and bulk-mark attributions as thanked directly from your reports
How This Feature Supports Your Work
| What the Feature Does | Why It Helps You | Real-World Use Case |
| Links a contribution to a contact who influenced or facilitated it | Recognizes donors for their full impact, not just direct payments | A board member makes calls that result in a major gift; they receive a soft credit |
| Assigns an attribution type to each soft credit | Categorizes giving relationships for cleaner reporting | A tribute gift is tagged as "Tribute Gift"; a corporate gift is tagged "Corporate Matching" |
| Includes soft credits in giving summaries and custom fields | Gives you a complete view of a donor's impact over time | A fundraiser pulls a Lifetime Giving figure that includes both direct donations and soft-credited gifts |
| Tracks contributions from third-party affiliate platforms using the Affiliate Partner attribution type | Separates affiliate revenue from other channels for cleaner reporting | Revenue coming through a fundraising affiliate platform is attributed and reportable on its own |
Attribution Types Available
When you create a soft credit, you will select an attribution type that describes the relationship between the contact and the contribution. The types currently available include:
-
Board Member Giving
-
Corporate Matching
-
Tribute Gift
-
Affiliate Partner — use this for contributions coming through third-party affiliate fundraising platforms
-
And others, depending on your organization's designation settings. If you need a type that isn't listed, check with your administrator.
💡 The Affiliate Partner attribution type is new. It appears on contributions when the associated designation has it enabled. If you don't see it, check your designation settings or contact your administrator.
Seeing Your Impact
Once attributions are in place, you can track the total giving impact of your contacts—including direct gifts and all soft credited contributions. For example, a contact who helped secure a $5,000 matching gift will show that amount in their giving history alongside any direct donations, giving your team a complete picture of their relationship with your organization.
Not quite what you were searching for?
- Navigate back to the Attributions and Soft Credits Resource Index.
How do I understand attributions and soft credits? | How does attributions and soft credits work in EveryAction? | Why can't I understand attributions and soft credits? | Where do I understand attributions and soft credits in EveryAction? | What is attributions and soft credits in EveryAction? | How to understand attributions and soft credits? | Can I understand attributions and soft credits in EveryAction?