Adding custom properties to contacts

Custom properties let you store additional information about your contacts beyond the standard fields like name and email. Once created, these properties appear on every contact in your database and can also be reused as questions on your fundraising forms.

Add a custom property from a contact's profile

1. Go to Contacts in your Zeffy dashboard.

2. Click on any contact to open their profile.

3. Click the pencil icon next to "Contact details."

4. Click Manage contact properties.

5. Click Add new custom property.

6. Choose the Format for your property:

   • Text — For short text answers

   • Number — For numeric values

   • Phone number — For phone numbers with proper formatting

   • Email — For email addresses

   • Date — For date values

   • Yes/No — For simple boolean answers

   • Single-select — For choosing one option from a dropdown

   • Multi-select — For choosing multiple options

7. Enter a name for your property and click Save.

The property format dropdown lets you choose the right type for your custom field.

Your new custom property will appear on all contacts in your database, ready for you to fill in manually or collect through forms.

How custom properties and custom questions work together

Custom properties you create from the contact management interface are the same custom properties used when you add buyer questions to your fundraising forms. This means:

• From campaigns: When you add a custom buyer question to a campaign form, the answer is automatically saved to the buyer's contact profile under that property.

• From contacts: When you create a custom property from a contact's profile, that property becomes available as a reusable question on any of your fundraising forms.

This two-way connection allows you to collect information from donors and buyers through forms while also manually tracking additional details from within your contact database.

Are custom fields included in contact exports?

No, custom properties are not included in contact exports. The contact export file contains a fixed set of standard columns: name, email, secondary email, address fields, phone, language, company, subscription status, lists, notes, and giving totals.

Are custom fields included in payment exports?

They can be. To export a custom property value, ask it as a buyer question on your form. Export from the Payments page and include the buyer questions column to capture it in your export.

Related resources

• Custom questions and custom contact fields — Learn how answers from forms map to contact profiles

• Ask additional custom questions to donors and buyers — Set up custom questions on your campaign forms