While reviewing contact records in 'Donor Management', you might find contacts you do not recognize.
Below, we have listed some common causes of these "mystery" records.
1) Incomplete transaction on a fundraising page
When a donor makes a gift on one of your fundraising pages, they are prompted to enter their name and e-mail address during checkout.
If that donor does not complete the transaction, the name and e-mail address they entered will still be added to 'Donor Management'. If they decide to contribute offline or want to get involved with your organization in other ways, retaining their information will be important!
Note: In instances such as this, you can view information on that contact’s donor record, in the 'Activity Feed' box that indicates they were added to your system via "integration sync.”
2) Submitted a 'Donor Management' form
In other cases, contacts might be added if they filled out a form – like a mailing list sign-up or a volunteer interest survey.
When set up properly, our forms allow you to automatically add a contact’s name and e-mail address directly into 'Donor Management'.
Note: The contact’s donor record will indicate they were added to the system after submitting a form.
3) Attempts are made to test credit cards on your fundraising pages
If you notice several instances of unfamiliar contacts – particularly if the contact’s e-mail address seems suspicious – it is possible someone is attempting to test a credit card “script” on your donation page with the intention of fraudulent activity in the future.
If this is a concern, reach out to our Support Team and we will work with you to put safeguards in place to help prevent this type of attempt. We are usually aware of this type of attempt right away, particularly if multiple attempts are made over a short time – but, it is important to report these concerns, just in case!
Why are there contacts in Donor Management I don’t recognize? | Why was a contact added from integration sync? | Why do I see incomplete donation contacts in my system? | Can forms automatically create new contact records? | Why are suspicious email addresses appearing in my contacts? | Could someone be testing credit cards on my donation page? | How do I report fraudulent activity on my fundraising page?