Glossary of Common Terms
This glossary introduces the most common terms you’ll encounter as you get started. It is not a complete list, but it covers the features and concepts you are most likely to use early on.
Database and User Accounts
What is a Committee?
Committee refers to your organization’s database.
Most organizations use one committee. Some use multiple committees to manage different chapters, regions, or legal entities within the same organization.
What is a User?
A User is a person who can log in to the system.
Each user has their own account, and access is controlled through a User Profile.
What is a User Profile?
A User Profile defines what a user can see and do.
User Profiles are made up of permissions and are commonly used to assign access based on role or responsibility. One profile can be applied to many users.
What is a Contact Record?
A Contact Record stores information about a person or organization, such as a supporter, donor, volunteer, or prospect.
There are two types:
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Individual Contact Records
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Organization Contact Records
Important differences:
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Individual records use first and last name fields.
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Organization records use common and official name fields.
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Online forms only create Individual records.
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Individual records support Moves Management and Planned Gifts.
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Organization records support Grants.
What is a VAN ID?
A VAN ID is a unique number automatically assigned to every contact record.
You cannot edit or reuse it. VAN IDs are especially helpful when working with Support to identify a specific record that may look similar to others.
What are Activist Codes?
Activist Codes are labels applied to contact records to help organize and segment data.
They commonly represent:
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A relationship (such as volunteer or board member)
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Issue interests
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Email interests
Contributions and Fundraising
What is a Designation?
A Designation represents the financial entity that receives contributions.
Most organizations only need one designation. A designation must exist before contributions can be added to the system.
What is a Gateway?
A Gateway connects the system to a payment processor so contributions can be accepted.
Different payment methods (such as PayPal or bank transfers) require separate gateways. Requests for additional gateways are handled by your account representative.
What is a Contribution?
A Contribution is any donation recorded in the system.
This includes:
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Monetary and non-monetary gifts
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One-time donations
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Ongoing donations (managed as Recurring Commitments)
What is a Campaign?
A Campaign tracks the overall performance of a fundraising effort.
Campaigns represent broad initiatives, such as membership drives or end-of-year fundraising.
What is a Source Code?
A Source Code tracks where contributions or new contacts come from.
It helps you understand how much money and how many supporters result from specific efforts.
What are Channel and Contact Type?
Channel and Contact Type describe how an outreach effort reached supporters.
They are selected when creating a source code and help compare results across outreach methods.
What is a Recurring Commitment?
A Recurring Commitment manages automated, repeating donations.
It shows the donation amount and frequency, while individual charges appear as separate contributions tied to the commitment.
What are Soft Credits and Raised Contributions?
Raised Contributions track fundraising influence.
When a contribution from one person is attributed to another, the donor keeps the contribution record, and the credited person sees it listed as a raised contribution.
What is a Contribution Summary?
A Contribution Summary (also called Contribution Aggregates) shows giving totals over time, including:
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Lifetime giving
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First gift
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Most recent gift
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Average gift
These values are calculated automatically from recorded contributions.
Importing and Exporting Data
What is Bulk Upload?
Bulk Upload allows you to import or update large amounts of data at one time.
How do Standard Text Exports work?
Standard Text Exports let you export contact lists with customized columns.
Navigation:
From the EveryAction Home page → Contacts → Create-A-List → Run Search → Export
If your menu looks different, use Search for a page to find Create A List.
What is Report Manager (Exports)?
Report Manager allows you to export reports after customizing filters and columns.
Navigation:
From the EveryAction Home page → Reporting → Report Manager
Open a report → Export as
Or use Search for a page to find Report Manager.
Searching and Reporting
What is Create A List?
Create-A-List is the primary search tool for building lists of people.
It always returns contact records that match your criteria.
What are My Folders?
My Folders store saved searches and lists.
Folders can be shared with other users for collaboration.
What is My List?
My List shows the most recent search you ran.
It is replaced each time you run a new search, so save it if you need to keep it.
What is Report Manager?
Report Manager is where all reports are stored.
You can run report templates, customize them, save them, share them, and schedule email delivery.
Email and Online Forms
What is Targeted Email?
Targeted Email is the bulk email tool.
Email activity—such as sends, opens, clicks, bounces, and unsubscribes—updates in real time. An unsubscribe link is required before sending.
What are SmartLinks?
SmartLinks create personalized donation asks based on a supporter’s past giving.
They are available while composing emails.
What are Online Actions?
Online Actions is where you create and manage online forms, pages, templates, themes, and reusable content.
Navigation:
From the EveryAction Home page → Engagement → Communication Tools → Online Actions
Or use Search for a page to find Online Actions.
What are Online Forms?
Online Forms collect information from supporters.
Available form types depend on your organization’s packages and your user permissions.
What are Themes?
Themes control the visual styling of online forms and pages, such as fonts and colors.
They help match forms to your website’s branding.
What are Reusables?
Reusables are saved pieces of content used across emails and forms.
Common examples include email templates, logos, and frequently used donation messages.
What are Event Signup Templates?
Event Signup Templates speed up event registration by applying predefined layouts and settings to event forms.